I'm probably the wrong person to ask for advice since my views are usually the outlier, but I feel compelled to say that you should probably think twice about marrying this girl. I'm not saying that she's necessarily a bad person, but if she really is the type of person who would feel that it would be degrading for a girl to chip in on her own marriage or to find ways to minimize expenses, then she's not my type. Since the TS felt that he had to complaint about this mindset, I'd kindly suggest that she might not be his type.

People who write that this is "normal" or "expected" are being ridiculous. This is his marriage, not yours. Marrying someone is probably the most momentous decision in any single person's life, and he has to live with it for the rest of his life. As such, he should get married only under terms that he feels comfortable and happy with, whatever they are. I predict that the TS and his fiancee is going to have an argument even over this. then they're unlikely to have a happy marriage.

Of course, moorish has her point as well. The girl seems to have her own mindset and she shouldn't be obliged to compromise on her dreams. Unfortunately her dreams and expectations seem to conflict with those of the TS, so the TS needs to decide if it's worth it.

All TS ask for is  his bride to be is some understanding, is that too much to ask? We can all dispute whether the cost of wedding is high or not but that's relative. The fact is that he might not be able to afford it while his gf is unwilling to share the burden is the point.

Even to this day, 3 years later, my wife sometimes expresses regret that I managed to talk her into agreeing to have a wedding dinner at all. She thinks that it's a vain, meaningless and unenjoyable event held just to please others and not the two of us. She thinks that we should just have spent the money on increasing our honeymoon budget instead. Hehe.

Just a post to show that not all girls are like that, or enjoy the same things or think the same way and that it is not necessary to do things just because it is "expected" or "customary".

Your statements smack of shallowness i.e. using material trade-offs between spousal partners as some sort of reciprocal arrangement in forming a marriage union.

To marry the girl you love is "priceless" ngam mou?

One of my daughters is already married and no, she did not demand an extravagant wedding from my son-in-law.  Just a simple reception and a buffet dinner.

Yes and before you or any of the other hot-blooded young men here have any funny ideas, she's got a steady and is working abroad. 

this is sad to hear...

no, i mean its sad that a guy has to pay for every single penny for the marriage, regardless its any cultural wedding in this modern era. so all the poor guys no need to get marry already. and if marry would be so expensive, so what would happens to those less attractive girls?

That is really quite unusual. A few years older is nothing...but 6 years?

What happened to the girls his age? Why is he settling for a girl six years older?
TS, you know the answer to that question.

what about this?

I consider myself an independent woman. My parents brought me up well and I am making my own living.

Should I settle for less by marrying a man who is less capable than me? I can stay single and have my own good life you know?

Yet, many woman like me still want to get married. I don't need a very rich husband but I want someone who is generous. Someone who is sensitive, who is able to show his care and love generously. He may not have a lot of money but he must at least put in effort and try his best.

Sometimes love is shown in gifts with a lot of thoughts put in. It is not how expensive but a man has got to put his heart and thoughts. Sad to say not a lot of man is able to do that. Not because they cannot afford anything but they do not bothered.

Is this considered materialistic? We all want to feel loved... men and women. I'm sure the guy is just as delighted and happy to receive something from the lady.

That little something can be a small gesture, considerate thought and sensitivity towards your partner's needs.

There are men who talks about women must be independent, must not leech but they still act like a China Men. OK... give pocket money, do house work, help with the kids... they think they've done everything, woman must be happy. They forgot the wife's emotional needs. So end up saying the wife is not content when she grumbles.

kakaka...

Because man normally do not want a woman who is more capable than he is. 

How many books on gender and society have YOU read?  I stated men was by far the dominant gender during prehistoric times and were even willing to kill to obtain women.  In current times, that power gap has been greatly narrowed as education has empowered many women and rightly so.  http://www.dur.ac.uk/news/newsitem/?itemno=6585

Read some of these and know about the challenges women have faced throughout history and how many of the them were overcome:

1) Sex differences in social behavior: A social-role interpretation by by Alice H. Eagly

2) Women and Men in Organizations: Sex and Gender Issues at Work by Jeanette N. Cleveland, Margaret Stockdale, Kevin R. Murphy

The point of contention here is not about your fascination with pink colors, it is about WHY do you believe women should leech off men?

Answer the question unless you are too pipsqueak to avoid replying.