Chinese groom receives 42kg of loose change as wedding gift from best friends

It’s a classic prank, but still amusing nonetheless. In eastern China, four men decided they would pay for their wedding gift, totalling 6,888 yuan (S$1,403), in coins.

On Aug 13, in Yantai, Shandong province, the men took a bag containing 42kg of coins – which required two people to carry – to their best friend’s wedding, according to a viral video posted by a girlfriend of one of the men.

The woman, surnamed Fei, said they hoped to add a bit of humour to the wedding with the prank.

“There was around 42kg of coins in total,” Fei explained. “It took us a lot of work. We had to go to many stores to exchange the banknotes for coins two days before the wedding.”

“It definitely made the wedding more lively,” Fei added.

According to Fei, the friends made a joke about the coins being the groom’s pocket money after marriage.

“Because men’s salaries are traditionally managed by their wives after marriage,” Fei said, “my boyfriend and his three buddies came up with this idea to exchange the wedding gift money for coins so the groom can use them as pocket money later.”

In Chinese weddings, it is traditional for guests to bring cash as a gift to honour the newlyweds rather than physical objects that are common in other wedding cultures.

As shown in the video, the groom, who was surprised by his friends, was standing nearby, laughing as they poured out the coins.

The video has piqued people’s interest, with many calling the four men’s idea “amazing”.

“You think your ‘brothers’ are teasing you, but in fact they have already prepared for your well-being once you get married,” someone wrote, pretending to speak to the groom.

Another said: “Friends who have known each other for less than 10 years would not dare to do this.”

People are also jokingly concerned about the person responsible for the bookkeeping and perhaps the newlyweds’ children in the future.

“The bride and groom have to count the coins by themselves, otherwise the bookkeeper could be driven insane,” a person said.

Another commenter wrote: “After this, the only entertainment for the couple’s children will be the coin-operated kiddie rides.”