Guo Da Li or the betrothal ceremony is a Chinese tradition where the groom-to-be presents betrothal money as well as other wedding gifts to the bride’s family as a token of gratitude and sincerity. Depending on the dialect group, items can range from cans of pig trotters to jewellery, seafood and wedding cakes.
For billionaire heiress Kim Lim, 30, and her fiance, who goes by L, it also means a lion dance troupe, an extravagant array of luxurious gifts that include Rolex watches and Hermes bags and a jaw-dropping affair that’s planned by luxury wedding planner The Wedding Atelier.
According to Icon magazine, the gifts from her husband-to-be are estimated to amount up to two million dollars. What they include:
Eight pairs of giant dragon and phoenix bangles, 15 gold bars, two huge gold necklaces, gold rings and earrings, two Hermès bags, a pair of Rolex watches, and a deluge of canned and dried goods like ginseng, abalone, pork trotters, sea cucumber and shiitake mushrooms.
According to The Wedding Atelier founder Lelian Chew on her Instagram Stories, there were also 188 fresh apples to represent a peaceful marriage, as well as two rare bottles of wine specially for Kim’s father, Peter Lim.
There was also an opulent floral backdrop created by its floral arm, The Floral Atelier. Even the wedding cakes were extravagant confections, with stunning tiered cakes by local patisserie Creme Maison, and elegant Nyonya kueh baskets from Atlas Handcrafted.
The two announced their engagement in September last year, with a surprise (and equally lavish) proposal from L, who goes by @waleoweh on Instagram, and is reportedly working in the IT industry.
Considering how opulent the guo da li ceremony is, we can’t wait to see what their wedding will be like.