buying a wife

[poltergeist]

i am married now with a child due in 2 months. im going to meet my parents in law for the first time but my wife says i need to give them 3000 quid in a red envelope. wtf? thats nearly a months wage?!? we have a kid on the way and the house in the uk needs a lot of money spending on it!would this annoy you?

[Booldawg]

a red envelope? Thats outrageous! Buff is far more readily available, or maybe even a jiffy bag for such a substantial amount.

[jackthehat]

I have a feeling that once they meet you they'll want more than � 3000.........

..........I know I would !

[poltergeist]

where do you get jiffy bags from? i was thinking about buying a regular envelope and colouring it in red.... but if it saves money cool

[DaisyMae]

As bride prices go that seems incredibly good value for money. I would have thought a full year's wages would have been nearer the mark.

[marval]

I would be very wary of handing over money. Be sure what it is for. Did you know beforehand about any money needed? It seems strange to me.

[joggerjayne]

Have them arrested and imprisoned for blackmail or extortion.

It will help strengthen your marriage. Your wife will be unable to leave you and go back to her family if they are all in prison.

[poltergeist]

marval i knew i had to pay for the celebration wich is on sunday in a 5* hotel but she told me about the 3k yesterday. i been on a chinese forum and they say its an old tradition for village folk in china. her dad retired from working for the government. im annoyed

[joggerjayne]

Tell her that the tradition where you come from is that the Bride comes with a Dowry ... and when is her dad going to cough up ?

[redcrx]

a divorce will be cheaper.

sadly child support wont.

[MWB]

I have a NZ chum who's in China right now. He speaks fluent Chinese.

I'll get a hold of him & find out what the story is if you like, poltergeist.

[poltergeist]

cheaper? when she takes half of my house? lol. I put it in joint names as soon as we were married. that would be a lot more expensive.

[poltergeist]

MWB that would be awesome if you could

[redcrx]

weigh up the options then, sounds like �3k is cheapest.

and brush up on Chinese traditions asap.

at least if the baby is female youve a chance to recoup your money one day

[MWB]

No, probs, poltergeist.

Stand by.........................................

[poltergeist]

archie is male. easy come easy go

[MWB]

So the in laws have come from China to Britian, poltergeist?

[lexie..]

If this is indeed a Chinese custom, then your wife should have forewarned you about this.
If it keeps good relationships with your wife's family alive then hand it over with a smile. I'm sure she is well worth it.
:-)

[sn�gs]

http://chinapedia.chinaassistor.com/2009/0129/ Red_Envelope_21424.html

[poltergeist]

No MWB. cut a long story short she and her family are in china and im in hong kong. i am going this week end for a marriage celebration and then im going to china for 1 month to 6 weeks when the baby is born and then my wife and child will come back here and then go back to uk and then i guess her parents willl visit which i have to pay for as well. im not rich ffs. man!

[redcrx]

so what are they going to do if you dont pay?

according to this, a couple of tins of spam and a red candle or two is the going rate. http://www.chinaholidays.com/guide/chinese-cul ture/traditional-wedding-customs.html

its hardly a traditional marriage is it