Wedding costs $5.9K but cash gifts only amount to $2.8K

Recently, a reader shared a story on how a bride complained that a family of four attended her wedding but only gifted VND1 million (US$39.33). This has sparked heated debate among other readers, most of whom advised against making money the main focus of a wedding.

Reader Tinh Va Tien:

"A wedding should be a joyous occasion. Having all your invited guests attend is already a fortunate thing. I once organized a wedding that cost VND150 million ($5,900) and only got VND70 million ($2,800) in gift money. Nonetheless, I still felt happy because all my guests were present. Don't let your happy day be ruined by an obsession with money."

Reader daonguyen8006:

"Back when I got married, I was also caught up in the whole profit and loss aspect of weddings. At the time, my husband reassured me that we only get married once in a lifetime, so we should not let money prevent us from having a proper celebration with all our relatives, siblings, and friends. So I stopped thinking about it, and as a result, I felt much more relaxed and happy on my wedding day. I sincerely advise those who are dead set on turning a profit on your weddings to read other readers’ comments and get a reality check."

Reader Dinh Phu Hung:

"Why are you calculating profit and loss when you are the one inviting others to celebrate with you? You yourself should prepare financially before throwing a wedding and only invite close acquaintances. In 2015, I spent VND5 million for each table of 10 guests for my wedding, and my wife and I had 20 tables with 3 backups. We did not care whether we would lose money or not because having people join us is good enough."

Reader Le Toan Thang:

"The cash gifts I got from my wedding were only enough to cover half of the expenses, but I was still overjoyed because friends and everyone attended and enjoyed the party. Some of them were struggling financially, so we even told them that we would be happy if they just showed up, gifts or not. My wife and I had a great party because we did not think of it as a business."

Reader Khoang lang:

"While I always gift more money if I bring my kids to a wedding, I do not think the bride and groom should expect everyone to fund their entire wedding. Even if you incurred some loss, you should still be happy on your wedding day."

What are your thoughts on this matter?

*These comments were translated into English by AI. Readers’ views are personal and do not necessarily match VnExpress’ viewpoints.