I recently got engaged to my boyfriend of 9 years - I know, THAT long right? So, the next exciting step in our relationship is to get married! Growing up, I’ve never had a dream wedding. No fancy wedding venues, extravagant wedding performances, elaborate number of guests… needless to say, I wanted a ‘simple’ wedding. 

Also, being a realistic person, I’m conscious of my spending and of what holds the future for me, my partner, and the family I would like to one day build together. It was more important that I have plenty to live comfortably for the coming days, months, or years than spending a fortune for 1 BIG day.

Recently, Kosmo! posted news of how this Malaysian man was burdened with housing, car and wedding loans. Since taking up a loan of RM50,000 to pay for his wedding, he was still in debt after 12 years and is now struggling to make repayments. 

I was afraid of this. Entering a marriage life with a wedding debt in mind. While there’s nothing to be ashamed of about taking up a wedding loan to pay for your wedding day, you should weigh out if you’re capable of repaying the loan in the long run. 

With that in mind, I set my wedding budget at RM10,000 for 150 pax - boy, who was I kidding? 

Let’s start off with the MAJOR wedding expenses. 

According to an article posted by The Asean Post, 2019, a Malaysian wedding can cost between RM50,000 to RM200,000. Yikes! 

Couples who’ve tied the knot in the heights of the pandemic or MCO period managed to cut wedding costs drastically. With the SOPs in place, couples were able to limit their number of guests, enjoy special “Covid-19” discounts on venues, F&B, and more, as well as the flexibility to do virtual online and drive-thru weddings. 

Suraya, the blogger behind RinggitOhRinggit wrote an article on her Malay wedding expenses that took place during the MCO period and ended up spending only RM5,247.09 from the initial RM12,062.09! This was due to the services that were cancelled due to MCO including her engagement and reception events.

However, with most of the SOPs relaxed including wedding restrictions that were previously in place currently dismissed, it looks like 2022 will be an all-year-round wedding season. 

So how much does it cost to have a wedding in Malaysia? 

COUPLE #1 DEZRI & SANESH (HINDU/CHRISTIAN WEDDINGS)

Meet Dezri and Sanesh, long-time high-school sweethearts of 12 years and just got married recently! It was a beautiful union between two different faiths, with two weddings - a Hindu ceremony and a Catholic ceremony, followed by a dinner reception. 

“It was a ridiculous amount, but it was a family effort to be able to afford this wedding! We didn’t really set a budget to be honest, our family members wanted to contribute, so we asked how much everyone was willing to contribute and worked within that number.” 

Adding, “We knew that this would be more of a family reunion than our wedding, so we had family flying in from different countries so we decided to spend a little more here and there to make sure things were a little more enhanced that the usual. Super duper thankful to our family, none of this is possible without them.”

COUPLE #2 FIEYNA & SHAHIR (MALAY WEDDING)

Another couple, Fieyna and Shahir, shared their story of their gorgeous rustic boho themed Malay wedding. 

The couple who tied the knot after being together for 3 years said, “We got engaged on 27th June 2020. It was a very intimate event and only for close families and friends. 6 months later, we ended our bujang’s life and got married on 21st December 2022.” 

Fieyna added, “We actually planned for it earlier but because of MCO and JAIS strict rules at the time, so we decided to just grab the date and get married. After 6 months, we proceeded with an intimate nikah day. We had to postpone our reception to March 2021 because MCO happened again. It was time consuming due to Covid-19!”

Fieyna and Shahir, who had expected to initially spend RM 30,000 also mentioned, “Of course we wanted to minimise the cost but since it's MCO, most of the wedding industry had marked up the prices because they wanted to recover their loss. We were also running out of time, so we had to proceed with what we had found and negotiated the prices with the vendors.” 

COUPLE #3 BEN & IRENE (CHINESE WEDDING)

While Ben and Irene, a sweet couple who are planning to get married in 2023, February, have been together for exactly 1048 days. 

“We love to keep track of the days we are together and celebrate important days such as anniversary, 999 days, 1000 days, 2000 days and so on.” 

“We’re planning to do a Chinese style wedding but instead of the conventional Chinese wedding of having dinners at hotels, we’ll have the traditional Guo Da Li ceremony（提亲，过大礼+ 过门) and head straight for our honeymoon “wedding” instead. Probably to Hokkaido or Iceland!” says, Ben and Irene. 

When asked why did they chose to go with this wedding plan, Ben and Irene said, “Both of us prefer this way as it is more comfortable & relaxing for all of us. We wish to create unforgettable memories in our 20s that’ll make us laugh when we’re in our 80s.” 

COUPLE #4 SUZANNE & BRIAN (CHRISTIAN WEDDING)

For Suzanne and Brian, who are planning to get hitched in September 2022, it was worth the spend as it was a once in a lifetime event.

“We’re planning what we deem as necessary but nothing too extravagant for our wedding, as we’re also saving towards our new home.” 

Suzanne added, “Honestly. I always wanted a small, simple yet thoughtful and intimate wedding. Brian doubted me when I said we could work within RM10,000. He was right! The budget has now tripled over!”

After reconnecting (and falling in love) with each other at work since knowing each other from highschool, the two are looking to get registered and have a Catholic church wedding in September 2022. On top of that, they’re also adding a twist to their wedding with a Chinese tea ceremony to honour Brian’s mixed heritage. 

Suzanne and Brian tells, “We surely didn't expect the budget to be this high, but we are going for it and hope it turns out to be the most wonderful and precious moment after a year of planning!” 

So, how much does it cost to have a wedding in Malaysia? Based on research, and feedback interviewed by the few I’ve met, it’s an EXPENSIVE event. BUT IT’S ALSO THE EVENT OF YOUR LIFE! 

As long as you’re spending within your means and have enough to start a life together after the big day, go for it. If you’re looking to take up a personal loan to fund for your wedding, ensure that you and your partner are fully prepared for the monthly commitments. 

Check out all the personal loans you can apply from us! Click HERE.