According to Yang, the amount of gift money she would put in a red envelope starts at 1,000 yuan and increases based on the closeness of their friendship.
"I don't expect them to pay me back. It's just for friendship and tradition, but I have to say it's a bit stressful when I think of the rent I need to pay next month," Yang said. She has gifted friends as much as 2,000 yuan before.
After receiving an invitation from one of her best friends, Wang Xin, 25, has been conflicted. She finds it hard to balance the cost of the trip and the value of her friendship. The wedding will be held in Gansu Province, and the round-trip airplane ticket is over 3,000 yuan, more than half of Wang's monthly income.
"I cannot decide whether it would be more economical to save myself the trip and gift the cost of the flight to the couple instead," she said.
Pick a more suitable date
Facing increasing pressure to attend weddings during the jam-packed "golden wedding week," many people are calling for couples who are planning to get married to choose more convenient dates.
"I know I should go support my friends and share in their happiness, but I would really appreciate it if they can arrange their event on an ordinary weekend, instead of during national holidays," said Li.
She stressed that even a best friend needs rest on holidays and that holding a wedding during the off-season period saves money.
"Both people and tickets would be more available during ordinary weekends. It's a win-win solution," said Li.
Ashley Sun, a 26-year-old who works in Beijing, agrees.
"The most annoying arrangement is to put the event in the middle of the holiday, say October 3 or 4. It breaks the whole vacation and makes it so that you cannot go anywhere outside of a certain distance," Sun said.
When Sun married last year, she had her wedding one day before a national holiday so that her friends could enjoy an extended vacation.
"Holding and participating in a wedding should be a sweet thing. It should enhance our happiness and friendship, not the other way around," Sun said.
How to deal with wedding invitations
When asked how to handle wedding invitations during national holidays, the interviewees gave Metropolitan some suggestions about how to either attend and make the best of it or politely decline.
1. Be selective. Identity your very good friends from your social circle and attend their weddings. You don't need to attend every friend's wedding. For acquaintances, send them your best wishes and that's it.
2. Plan your holiday trip early, at least one month ahead, and book nonrefundable tickets and hotel rooms so that you have a good reason for being absent.
3. Combine your fun plan with the wedding date. Plan a short trip in or near the city where the event is being held and have some fun with your longtime friends who are attending the same event.
4. Use social media to give yourself a "disguise." Pretend to be super busy at least two weeks ahead of the holiday and put posts of yourself working overtime or on a business trip on your WeChat Moments or other social media accounts so that when someone asks about your availability, you have a reasonable excuse for not attending.
5. Stop adding old acquaintances on social media before and during the holiday season, especially old classmates or college fellows who are not that close to you and haven't seen you for a very long time.
