Bride slammed after complaining about friend’s $1,000 cash gift at luxury hotel wedding

A bride has drawn criticism after posting online that a close friend gave only HK$1,000 as a wedding gift for a banquet at the five-star Rosewood hotel, and that she considered asking the friend to pay the difference.

The bride wrote in a social media post that she had invited the friend to her wedding. She described the friend as someone who often presents a middle-class image on social media, posting photos of upscale dining. After the reception, the bride said she was stunned to find the friend had given two HK$500 notes as a wedding gift.

“Excuse me? It’s 2026. Who still gives HK$1,000 for a five-star hotel banquet? Our per-head cost is several thousand. Giving HK$1,000 means I’m paying for you to eat,” she wrote.

She added that the friend not only dressed up to attend the banquet, but also took numerous photos and took home one extra box of luxury chocolates given as a return gift. The bride was thinking of sending the friend a payment link to request the price difference.

The post drew criticism among netizens, many of whom noted that the guests are not responsible for the wedding cost. One commenter wrote that “If you care so much about cost, why not choose a cheaper venue?”

Others advised that asking for more cash would hurt her image. Since the couple chose Rosewood Hotel and luxury favors, they presumably care about their image, and a few hundred dollars isn't worth the gossip.

Kenson Wong, a wedding planner, told Sing Tao Probe, a sister publication of The Standard, that while Rosewood is among Hong Kong's top luxury hotels, wedding gift amounts should primarily reflect one's relationship with the couple, financial means and sincere best wishes, rather than the venue.

Wong also noted that wedding costs vary widely, making it impossible to set a uniform standard for wedding gifts.

“It’s hard to measure with a fixed amount. The core of hosting is sharing joy with family and friends, not approaching the event with a break-even or profit-making mindset,” Wong said.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓