What cost for simple Filipino wedding in province ?

[lbounds 16]

Just wanted to ask for opinions here what a simple wedding should cost in the province, small town.

We plan to have a simple ceremony in the Catholic church which will last about an hour. The church charged us over $400 for 1 hour with flower decorations and no reception.

On top of that fee the church also charged my wife 8,000 pesos for her Catholic confirmation. To me it seems excessive for those charges. Surely the local people can't afford that cost to be married in the local church.

My wife is looking for a venue, restaurant for the reception and party for family. We also need to rent clothes for the bridesmaids, groomsmen and myself. Get a photographer etc.

I tried to get a quote several times from my wife at least a ball park figure but she hasn't been able to yet which makes it difficult for me to have a clue what our expenses will be. She said she would let me know in a few more days.

We were already married over a year ago. This is just a ceremony for her family that could not join us in the US of course.

If someone can give me an idea of what to expect that would be helpful. Our expenses are crazy right now before our trip costs and additional expenses.

Thank you..

[me@hubby 4]

Just wanted to ask for opinions here what a simple wedding should cost in the province, small town.

We plan to have a simple ceremony in the Catholic church which will last about an hour. The church charged us over $400 for 1 hour with flower decorations and no reception.

On top of that fee the church also charged my wife 8,000 pesos for her Catholic confirmation. To me it seems excessive for those charges. Surely the local people can't afford that cost to be married in the local church.

My wife is looking for a venue, restaurant for the reception and party for family. We also need to rent clothes for the bridesmaids, groomsmen and myself. Get a photographer etc.

I tried to get a quote several times from my wife at least a ball park figure but she hasn't been able to yet which makes it difficult for me to have a clue what our expenses will be. She said she would let me know in a few more days.

We were already married over a year ago. This is just a ceremony for her family that could not join us in the US of course.

If someone can give me an idea of what to expect that would be helpful. Our expenses are crazy right now before our trip costs and additional expenses.

Thank you..

mine cost 120k pesos..so its like 3k dollars..but everything is all good..

[SuperDuper! 230]

The local people don't pay the Kano Tax....

[Derbo/Yamkins 4]

Just wanted to ask for opinions here what a simple wedding should cost in the province, small town.

We plan to have a simple ceremony in the Catholic church which will last about an hour. The church charged us over $400 for 1 hour with flower decorations and no reception.

On top of that fee the church also charged my wife 8,000 pesos for her Catholic confirmation. To me it seems excessive for those charges. Surely the local people can't afford that cost to be married in the local church.

My wife is looking for a venue, restaurant for the reception and party for family. We also need to rent clothes for the bridesmaids, groomsmen and myself. Get a photographer etc.

I tried to get a quote several times from my wife at least a ball park figure but she hasn't been able to yet which makes it difficult for me to have a clue what our expenses will be. She said she would let me know in a few more days.

We were already married over a year ago. This is just a ceremony for her family that could not join us in the US of course.

If someone can give me an idea of what to expect that would be helpful. Our expenses are crazy right now before our trip costs and additional expenses.

Thank you..

(Yamy replying)

This is so far the average: http://www.filipinawives.com/WeddingCosts.htm

Set a budget then work your way through the other things needed in the wedding based on it. Like maybe instead of hiring a professional wedding studio for your photographer, you might know someone who is an amateur or a student (given of course, ask for samples).

Also, most hotels and venues offer wedding packages (sometimes, even including bridal suite) if you want to be saved the hassle. Just an example: http://www.richmondhotelcebu.com/weddingpackages.php

Here are also some packages I saw just to give you a rough idea:

http://cebufameswedding.com/packages_wedding.php

It might help to know your wife's diocese (for their fees in Church and in confirmation)(I don't know where she's from) but this is what I saw for Cebu (but I'm not from Cebu):

http://www.pacific-cebu.com/sacrament-of-confirmation/

I know I didn't pay P8000 when I was confirmed in high school. It would help to call their local diocese. It might be different for adult confirmation.

[rlogan 2,036]

The local people don't pay the Kano Tax....

And neither do the Kano that are hip to the tax. Four hundred dollars for an hour in the province is definitely a Kano Tax, even with flowers which are very inexpensive there. Totally up to you what you want to spend, and if a church is any more than a reasonably priced social function, what's the point. We did a baptismal that tied the whole church up for more than an hour and the sisters for the seminar they give on baptism the week before. Each of us paid over a hundred pesos, but she thinks it was not over two hundred pesos, and there were about half-a-dozen kids getting baptized. So figure a little over a thousand pesos total for a Catholic church in a province of Mindanao.

I did feel obligated to tip the priest though. I told him to really try keeping his hands off the little boys because from what I read of this particular superstition they have a real problem with that. So it is probably wise you are not doing the reception with the priest too if there are going to be any children around.

[DavenRoxy 1,073]

Perhaps it's just me, but I think expensive weddings, church weddings, are just a waste of money. The less spent, the better, because that leaves more money for NEEDS of the family.

I have a friend who's GF started making EXPENSIVE wedding plans just after they started dating. I told him to RUN AWAY!! He is new in the military, and she was planning a wedding and reception and honeymoon that would have cost him over $15,000... RIDICULOUS!! Good thing for him he broke up with her and her sayang ideas.

Why start off a marriage with a huge debt? I mean, if you have the money (cash) to spend, and won't miss it, then fine, have an expensive wedding. But if you don't already have 2 cars (she needs to drive to work right?), or if you have bills to pay off, then WHY spend lots of cash on a wedding? Dress up, take pics, and have the family around, but there are cheaper ways to do it. Or, since you are ALREADY married (in this case), anyone can act as the priest conducting the ceremony, including her mother or father. It's just symbolic for the family, right?

Me, I plan to have a friend conduct the ceremony (free), with very few friends (neither of us will have family present) attending. If we go with her plan, then there will be 4 people... her, me, our friend who marries us, and the helicopter pilot who is flying the bird. Pretty simple, and cheaper than a reception hall!!

[magdasal 19]

mine cost 120k pesos..so its like 3k dollars..but everything is all good..

There are a lot of variables there, but just about everything for a wedding is unbelievably inexpensive compared to here. The church fees you've been quoted are a 'special' price just for you...no way the locals pay anything like that for that kind of service from the church.

It should be in the 3 - 5k USD, depending on the number of guests and how many extras you throw in.

[Messybrownhair 251]

Perhaps it's just me, but I think expensive weddings, church weddings, are just a waste of money. The less spent, the better, because that leaves more money for NEEDS of the family.

I have a friend who's GF started making EXPENSIVE wedding plans just after they started dating. I told him to RUN AWAY!! He is new in the military, and she was planning a wedding and reception and honeymoon that would have cost him over $15,000... RIDICULOUS!! Good thing for him he broke up with her and her sayang ideas.

Why start off a marriage with a huge debt? I mean, if you have the money (cash) to spend, and won't miss it, then fine, have an expensive wedding. But if you don't already have 2 cars (she needs to drive to work right?), or if you have bills to pay off, then WHY spend lots of cash on a wedding? Dress up, take pics, and have the family around, but there are cheaper ways to do it. Or, since you are ALREADY married (in this case), anyone can act as the priest conducting the ceremony, including her mother or father. It's just symbolic for the family, right?

Me, I plan to have a friend conduct the ceremony (free), with very few friends (neither of us will have family present) attending. If we go with her plan, then there will be 4 people... her, me, our friend who marries us, and the helicopter pilot who is flying the bird. Pretty simple, and cheaper than a reception hall!!

It matters to some people.. I am the only girl un my family, my hubby is the only son, I am the first among my cousins to get married and my grandma is already old so our families all helped to give us a good wedding, and my family and grandma all flew to the US for it. We are not in debt for it, and it really was an amazing and memorable day.. we had a church wedding military style, and a reception at a tiny hotel in Vermont. I am not saying everyone should spend for his wedding, but everyone has his or her own reasons for choosing what kind of celebration to have ours was not by any means lavish but you know what I mean

[Messybrownhair 251]

Ps. We paid $300 for the church here in the US so $400 for a church in the province in the phils is way too much

[DavenRoxy 1,073]

Of course, it matters to some. And worth it, if so. But in the case above, where a young couple (he is PV2) are just starting out, I think it is foolish for them to incur over $10,000 in debt before they even start out life together. Just my idea.

Now that I am thinking about it, IDK if my GF wants a big wedding... maybe I should ask her now, before it's too late. If she opts for an expensive wedding, would anyone be interested in buying a Filipina fiance, cheap??

[Mark&Fatima 14]

We got married just last month in Montalban (now Rodriguez) Rizal in a civil wedding. Our total was 8k for the resort (Villa Virginia Resort) and 39k for everything else (50 guests, catering, flowers, cake, make-up, emcee, sound system, invitations, gifts)..so 47k pesos for everything. It took a lot of looking around, comparing prices, and of course negotiating to get that price. Good luck to you!

[TravellingNomad 12]

when my wife and i got married, we spent about $200. the priest married us at the kitchen table and we invited friends, families, and neighbors to the reception right outside on the front patio. we had around 8 or 10 dishes and fed about 40-50 people. all the food that was served we cooked or prepped ourselves the night before. oh yeah, that that amount also included our oldest son's baptism cost. although both of us wanted to church wedding, she did not want to have an expensive wedding. i'll tell you this though...it was the best $200 i've ever spent!

Mark&Fatima - your wife's from Montalban? i have cousins near there (Ampid & San Mateo) and we're from Parang, Marikina.

Edited August 18, 2011 by TravellingNomad

[Scott and Mhay 57]

We only paid around $3000 for everything. That included the dress, 5 sponsor's dresses, dress for nanay, the venue, catering for 250+ people, decorations at the reception, 2 rooms at the venue, and the photographer. We only paid 2500 php for the church...that included flowers & choir. This was all in baliuag bulacan.

[Crisostomo Ibarra 1]

... If she opts for an expensive wedding, would anyone be interested in buying a Filipina fiance, cheap??

If she resembles Maria Clara, I'll bid. I won't mind having Padre Damaso as my father-in-law.

Edited August 18, 2011 by Crisostomo Ibarra

[rlogan 2,036]

It matters to some people..

It does, and that is what's so tragic. Because when you think this over soberly, fifteen thousand dollars is a staggering amount of pizza or beer. I buy them frozen, three meat pizza for five bucks each, so that's three thousand pizzas. This is a solid decade running of pizza every day except Sunday. A century of pizzas once every two weeks. I don't drink alcohol, having not learned to drug myself with it in a socially beneficial way, but my money would have been spent on Old Milwaukee by the case, which is well under a dollar a beer. So we are talking over twenty thousand beers. This is a lifetime of beer for someone drinking a beer every day.

Even a thousand dollars - or a hundred - or the next ten bucks: should you spend it on pizza and beer or waste it instead?