Hotel wedding banquet so expensive, does the ang bao really cover it?

Did a hotel banquet, so let me give you the honest math instead of the myth. The saying is ang bao covers the banquet, and it is PARTLY true but rarely fully, especially at a pricey hotel. Reality: guests give ang bao roughly benchmarked to the market rate per head for that venue tier, and helpful sites publish suggested ang bao rates by hotel each year. On a good night with generous guests, the ang bao can come close to covering the FOOD cost per table. BUT the banquet quote is not your only cost, you also pay for the gown and suit, photography and videography, makeup, decor upgrades, wedding favours, the actual wedding (church/ROM/tea ceremony), and often a minimum spend the hotel imposes. Those extras are NOT covered by ang bao. So most couples I know still end up net out of pocket by a few thousand to low tens of thousands overall, even if the dinner itself roughly breaks even. My advice: don't plan finances assuming ang bao bails you out. Set a budget, pick a venue tier you can afford even if ang bao underperforms (rainy day, no-shows still cost you the guaranteed tables), and treat any surplus as a bonus. Weddings are an expense, not an investment, plan accordingly and enjoy it.