The plan
A morning tea ceremony, an evening of eighteen tables
A morning tea ceremony for both families and an evening banquet for 180 in Toronto, priced the way banquets are priced: per table of ten, not per guest. Eighteen tables, $68,500, and a guest list that moved in blocks of ten from the day they set it.
The date came from the almanac before any venue was called, which narrowed the options and made the banquet booking the first real deadline of the plan.
Where the money went
$68,500, by category
Split on the calculator’s Chinese weighting, where the evening banquet dominates and tables of ten set the count.
Figures are this couple’s total split on the calculator’s weighting for their tradition.
In hindsight
What they would do differently
What they would do differently: pick the date from the almanac before calling a single venue, because the auspicious dates cluster and the banquet halls go early.
Plan the guest list in tables from the first draft rather than converting a headcount later, and stage the outfit fittings, since the qun kwa and the gown were commissioned at once and both needed altering in the same week.
