SINGAPORE: A receipt for S$4247 from a wedding in 1979 that was posted online recently caused somewhat of a stir among netizens.
Many agreed that wedding banquets have been expensive “since time immemorial.”
The receipt was from April 30, 1974, and had been issued by Lai Wah Restaurant at Jalan Besar.
Surprisingly, the restaurant, which serves “Authentic Cantonese Cuisine” is still in operation, although it appears to have moved to Bendemeer Road.
The receipt showed that the couple who got married spent S$3,900 for 26 tables costing S$150 each, S$93.60 for drinks, S$26 for ice, S$78 for tea, and another S$26 for peanuts.
They were also charged S$123.70 for a 3 per cent tax.
One commenter on the post did the math, writing, “Annual inflation rate has been 4.57 per cent since 45 years ago. Adjusted for inflation, $4247 in 1979 would be equivalent to $31,725.30 today in 2024.”
This pretty much tracks. According to an article on the finance website ValueChampion from earlier this year, weddings in Singapore cost between S$30,000 and S$50,000 on average.
The more extravagant the wedding, the more it costs, of course, with some weddings costing as much as S$100,000.
One commenter appeared to find the 1979 banquet expensive, writing, “That is quite expensive considering it costs less than $30k to own an HDB flat back then.”
Another seemed to agree, chiming in with, “Back then, chicken rice cost a few cents too. So comparing the cost back then, S$4247 is actually a lot. Also, inflation accounts for the huge difference compared to today.”
S$4247 was around five times their father’s salary, a commenter wrote, calling the amount “a lot”.
To put things into perspective further, one added that the median monthly salary in 1980 was S$400.
“My father back then did not even have S$420 in his bank account,” wrote another.
A Reddit user wrote that when they got married in 2016, their banquet only cost S$5,000.
A commenter who has eaten at Lai Wah Restaurant said that while its decor is dated, the food at the restaurant is delicious and people still hold their wedding banquets there.
“If you live nearby, they do a great deal on hor fun during weekdays. $4+ for a big portion with seafood,” the Reddit user added.
Others agreed that the restaurant has served good food for many years. /TISG
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