It is customary for wedding guests to shower the newly wed with gifts or red envelope/ red packet containing money a.k.a. angpao in most Asian weddings. As a form of etiquette, the angpao rates in Sabah is based on the cost of each individual meal bill by the wedding venue, so that would help cover the wedding cost.
The rates provided on the list below are based on the cost per person with SST included. Since most wedding venues offer multiple wedding packages, you will find a range of prices starting from the lowest to the highest. We try our best to be inclusive and make sure that they are as accurate as possible. Do note that the price included here is NOT inclusive of the additional cost for alcohol or corkage charges.
If you are reading this and are planning for a wedding, this could also provide you with a ballpark figure of how much each wedding venue is charging now based on per person rate to aid in your budget planning.
WEDDING ANGPAO ETIQUETTE
Generally, the angpao rates in Sabah or rather monetary blessings people usually give is reflective of the wedding venue, on top of that comes in the factor of how close you are to the newly wed and/ or their family. It is also customary to write your name behind your envelope, and if you prefer- some congratulatory words, so that the host can identify your envelope.
In Chinese culture, it is desirable to give angpao with an amount that has '8' in it- i.e. RM 188/ RM 288/ RM 388 etc., to signify your blessings to the newly wed with countless prosperity. Nowadays, it is also quite common to include the number '9' in a wedding angpao as '9' symbolise forever love or everlasting love. For ALL Chinese weddings, you should present your wedding angpao in a red packet or envelope- which is its literal translation from a Chinese dialect.
The culture of gifting angpao or red packet is also very common in the Kadazan and Malay culture. Unlike Chinese, there is no specific colour requirement, though there are various nicely designed wedding packet available online you can consider.
In Indian culture, the amount of monetary gift in an Indian wedding should be an "auspicious" number ending with '1'. According to Indians, the value of monetary gift shall not be an even number nor shall it have a '0' as it is considered bad luck.
All in all, there is no right or wrong way to do wedding angpao. As long as you respect the traditions behind the practice, then anything goes.
We hope this guide to angpao rates in Sabah helps you with the angpao gift. For more wedding tips like this visit The Bridal Helpline.