Ah weddings...there's always hidden costs. Let me give you a rough gist what are the things to take note and calculate as well.

You've mention banquet so depending on your budget you might wanna consider having it in a restaurant rather than in a hotel ballroom. The restaurant is usually the much cheaper option. But you've gotta take note how many tables you wanna have for both sides of the family as not many restaurant can cater wedding banquets well around 60 and above tables. Also if your future wife's parents & family are from a different state then tough luck for you. You gotta at least hold two separate wedding banquets.

Do you want the reception area decorated? For example having photo album table/ beverage & candy bar/ reception table/ photobooth and etcs. Those can cost extra alot so if ya don't want to just save the money. On a side note that If you do go on the hotel ballroom route, you best better have this option. The ballroom & reception area is mostly bare and the hotel will only cater to their standard table arrangement and decor which may or may not be up to your expectation. You gotta ask for actual images from the management.

Don't forget liquors. Can't have a good Chinese wedding without liquors be it beer, wine, whisky, brandy and whatnot. Even on a budget, at least get decent RM40+ bottles of wine. Don't skim it on RM20 or below bottles of wine as you're better off not having them in the first place because those are gonna be left untouch after a sip or two and you're gonna have so much leftovers to take home. If not just forgo it and get 30-40 cartons of beer which is quite plenty.

Performance for the banquet is not a must but it's good to have it so the whole banquet isn't mundane. At least get a 3 piece band should suffice. Want a cheaper route? Ask the restaurant do they have karaoke system. Most that does wedding banquets do and you can have your relatives/friends go on stage and sing. It's free~

Dowry amount is subjective but at least you gotta put in mind about RM20k. If your future in laws are understanding, they will return a large portion that will be given back to your wife to keep.

Does your parents want to hold a small buffet banquet at home to invite neighbors, friends and family? That might not cost alot which can average RM20-30 per head but still something to put on the list.

I might've left out some stuff but these are some of the notable ones that would burn the expenses the most if taken too lightly.

This post has been edited by DarkEmotion88: Oct 26 2016, 11:49 AM

Good. The smaller amount of guest the better. I can tell you the hardest of all and most headache part in a wedding planning is planning the guest's seats. You'll have alot of buggers and funny things said from relatives that may go something like this "I now not good terms with this person(relative) and I don't want to be seated same table or the table beside them". The lesser the tables the easier it is to plan. What more there's always not one but several basket fellas that last minute 1 or 2 days before the actual day only to tell you they cannot come or can't make it with very unreasonable reason that they could've notified you in advance a week or 2 before the actual day. The worst are those in a family suddenly not gonna attend but did not make the effort to notify leaving a table few seats empty. Best to remind your guest a week or 2 beforehand to reconfirm if they are still attending anot.

Wine at least 2 bottles a table is ok as not everyone in the table is gonna drink but one can't be too careful. I'd recommend about 2.5x of your overall table quantity should be right if your relatives/in laws side of the family are heavy drinkers. Try not to allow until people complain that there's no more liquor. It's best to have more than enough. Plus some of your relatives might even bring their own bottle of whiskey/brandy. You don't really have to worry so much about it if you have more than sufficient bottles. 2.5 x 40 tables x RM40 is RM4k anyway not that really huge of a big dent. RM800 lesser if it's 80 bottles.

If church hall is bare instead of fresh flowers go with long cloths that can tie into ribbons as they can make the place look vibrant and colourful. Fresh flowers will perish easily and are a waste of money unless you're really loaded. It's gonna be a logistic disaster unless you get the green lights from the church to decor it at least a day before the ceremony because no driver is gonna deliver flowers for you just because it's your big day early in the morning and there's the potential risk of driver arriving late on actual day.

Dowry like some suggested, maybe convince your in laws that you'll be giving them 10 tables and then also you would also give an amount as a token for said future wife's jewellery(Maybe RM3888). I think that's not a bad deal.

This post has been edited by DarkEmotion88: Oct 26 2016, 04:13 PM

Balloons are also nice. But if you wan the deco to look nicer, use balloons with helium in them and tie them on the church seats and spread them alternately. They don't come cheap. Last I recall I purchased them like Rm3.50 each. But they were in metallic colour and was not the cheapo kind that would leak out helium after 24H. I had them add glue as well so that the helium last for a few more extra days. The additional cost of glue is Rm1. But if tight budget you don't need to spend so much extra la. It's all gonna be a waste and you can't reuse them anyway.

Guest list must always keep up to date. If really tak cukup people or many cancel on you close to last minute, it's better to close that table and reallocate the guest. It's also best you ask your fiance to pass you a copy as well of her table guest list. But if she's not the one handling it usually you can settle this by speaking with your father in law.

Also it's good to have an excel spreadsheet with names,phone numbers and number of pax of your guest so you can keep them in check. It'll will be convenient to use it during the reception for your guest arrival. Just use a laptop and search for the guest name instead doing it manually. You also can key in the amount of angpow being received directly and later when counting angpow check if tally amount or not. At least you'd also know who give what amount later after the wedding.