How to Plan a Dream Wedding on a Budget in the Philippines
Planning your dream wedding doesn't mean it has to be expensive---especially in the Philippines. If you'll be working within a budget and you're afraid it won't afford you the wedding you've always imagined, don't be. Choose from an array of inexpensive wedding suppliers (the Philippines has loads of them) to help make your dream wedding on a budget a reality. Be definitive in your planning and avail yourself to the numerous available resources to plan an inexpensive, but ideal, dream wedding.
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Instructions
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Determine Your Budget
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Determine the exact amount you can afford to spend and what you can set aside for your wedding budget. According to Asawa.org, a wedding and reception in the Philippines can run anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000, USD (50,000 -- 250,000 Philippine pesos), with a median of perhaps $2,500 USD (125,000 pesos). This can cover everything from the wardrobe and rings, to church and reception, as well as hotel accommodations and honeymoon packages. Everything else depends on this budget (including your financial freedom at the beginning of your married life), so make sure you agree on a favorable, practical amount---and stick to it!
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Assign certain parts of the budget to specific wedding categories (ceremony, reception, bride & groom's wardrobe, rings, etc.). Agree on which part of the wedding is more important to both of you. This will greatly help to determine what part of the budget to allot where. For example, if you believe that the marriage ceremony is more important than the celebration (the Philippines ascribes greater importance on the church wedding rites than the after-party), allot a bigger amount of the budget for the church expenses (decors, music, rings) and opt for a simpler reception.
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Make a detailed checklist on your notebook about what you'll need to plan and prepare for: legal requirements, ceremony and reception details, honeymoon itinerary, etc. Determine the specific time frame for each item, so you'll know when you should be working on one and by what time you should get it done. This is very important so you don't waste valuable time. For legal requirements in the Philippines, for example, both civil and church weddings would require you to secure a marriage license, valid for six months. However, churches require much more, such as baptismal and confirmation certificates, marriage banns, pre-marriage seminars, etc. Also, if you're a non-Filipino national wishing to wed in the Philippines, you'll also need to obtain a Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage from the diplomatic or consular offices of your country. These processes may take some time so make sure you allot enough time for them.
Get to Work
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Choose a wedding theme. Your choice determines all the other decisions you'll have to make regarding the wedding details. A traditional Filipino wedding (Filipiñana wedding), for example, entails wearing of barong tagalong for the male entourage and guests, the use of a horse-drawn kalesa in place of a bridal car, and hiring a rondalla instead of a string quartet, among others. The good news is that whatever theme you choose, the Filipino wedding industry has an abundance of budget packages to suit your taste and style.
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Enlist the help of your friends or relatives in the Philippines, to serve as wedding planners/coordinators. They are most likely familiar with the local wedding requirements, well-connected or more accessible to suppliers, and more than eager to be involved in your wedding planning---even without pay!
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Scout for suppliers. Bridal glossies and wedding websites offer a wide range of suppliers to choose from. Popular wedding websites in the Philippines include "Weddings at Work," "The Wedding Library," and "Kasal.com." They feature everything you need for a Philippine wedding: from the planning stages to the honeymoon, even bridal forums where you can find practical suggestions and essential wedding advice from real brides who've actually walked the Philippine aisles before you. Attending wedding expos is also a big help, as it allows you to meet suppliers, sample their offerings, and even get valuable discounts. Plus, it saves you a lot of time and money as opposed to meeting suppliers one by one in different locations. "Themes & Motifs" is a great source for wedding expos.
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Trim your list to three suppliers (at the most) for each category/item. Consider the quality of products/service, reliability/reputation, and financial viability. Most suppliers in the Philippines offer affordable, quality packages. Plus, even if you're from America for example, communicating with Philippine wedding suppliers is a breeze, as it is the world's third largest English-speaking nation. According to Weddings at Work, "The Filipinos' proficiency and good command of the English language facilitate worry and problem-free coordination and implementation of even the most elaborate wedding and the most extraordinary honeymoon experience." Once you've trimmed the list, decide who has the best offer that fits your theme and budget.
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Tips & Warnings
If your wedding falls after February, check out the Travel Expo (usually at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City), usually held towards the end of February. You can find great honeymoon packages there at very affordable prices.
For extensive wedding expos, look into Themes & Motifs' Wedding Summit (usually held in June) or their Wedding Expo Philippines (usually in September). They feature the widest range of suppliers and wedding-what-have-yous.
Cut out pictures from your favorite bridal magazines (back issues of Philippine bridal magazines can be bought for as low as 40 pesos each) or print some from the Internet, with your chosen theme in mind. Paste the pictures in your scrapbook, according to category (wedding gown, flowers, souvenirs, etc.). It is best to get copies of local glossies, since they provide essential information and contact details of Philippine suppliers and even offer a Filipino take on universal themes. This will serve as your nuptial blueprint and help create a unified, well-planned look on your wedding day.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit beach wedding image by chinatiger from Fotolia.com money, money, money image by easaab from Fotolia.com wedding decorations image by Mat Hayward from Fotolia.com
