THE WEDDING CEREMONY
THE PHOTOGRAPHER: -
This
is one of the areas of service where there was the biggest variation in
price from the most expensive to the least expensive. Our so called
"wedding planners" were all talking of a figure around 45,000 pesos to
get a photographer to cover both the wedding ceremony and the
reception. This was to cover an unlimited number of still photographs
and a video record of the actual day - an album was to be included for
the still shots and an edited DVD would be made of the whole event.
When
we decided to plan the day ourselves, we had top quote of 35,000 pesos
which included an "imported" photo album to contain the pictures.
After searching around we found a local photographer that Elsa had used
before who offered us the same package for 7,000 pesos, although we
added a further 2,000 pesos for a guest's signature/message board. The
worry with using any photographer is that if they are no good or
something goes wrong on the day, you can't just go back and do it all
again - bad photos will be all the memories you will have of the day.
Our chosen photographer was there in person, on time, with a small team of assistants and the results were very good. We paid a 50% deposit and didn't have to pay the balance until we were satisfied with the results. Elsa has uploaded the entire DVD of the day on to You tube so you can judge for yourself the quality of our "cheap" photographer - just search for "cebu1231" - be aware there are 12 ten minute episodes lasting nearly 2 hours.
THE WEDDING DRESS:-
The appearance of the bride in her beautiful wedding dress is one of the most important and emotional moments in the entire wedding for the woman, and a very moving moment for the man also. The woman feels so special and beautiful in her gown and every bride has a different idea of how she wants to look - the man may have some input into the choice, but it is important to remember it is her day!
However, while there are many choices concerning the type of dress the dress you may want, there are 3 basic choices about how to obtain it:-
Buy ready made - most wedding stores have a range of ready made gowns and books showing the designs they can make up for you - prices that we encountered started around 15,000 pesos and went up to prices way beyond that.
Designer gowns - there are many well known local designers in Cebu, who specialize in wedding and evening gowns that will design and make anything you want - we only looked at one designer and the price quoted was 25,000 pesos
Rental gowns - Most wedding gown stores offer dresses for rental and the price will vary according to the style chosen and how many times the dress has been worn before - the first use of a dress is priced at a premium. Elsa's beautiful wedding gown was part of a rental package which included the dresses for 1 Maid of Honour, 4 Bridesmaids and 3 Flower Girls - also included in the package were accessories such as flower baskets, cushions, garter, etc. The price of this complete rental package for the bride and attendants was 10,000 pesos.
THE GROOM'S CLOTHES:-
In a traditional Filipino wedding, the groom will wear a "barong", the embroidered formal garment of the Philippines It is very lightweight and worn untucked over an undershirt. You can buy a decent looking new barong from about 1,000 pesos but you can spend an aweful lot more for a top of the range one. Renting a barong starts at around 250 pesos.
What the groom chooses to wear is a matter of personal taste and I have attended different weddings in Cebu where the grooms wore a kilt, a western- style lounge suit and even an Hawaiian shirt with shorts. It's up to you!!
THE CLOTHES for the ENTOURAGE: -
As with the clothes for the Bride and Groom, the choice of style, whether to buy or rent and the budget available is a matter of personal choice.
We chose to rent and paid 10,000 pesos for the following:-
The Wedding Gown for the Bride
8 gowns for the 5 senior and 3 junior female attendants
8 barongs for the 5 senior male and 3 junior male attendants
We didn't use the included barongs and paid an extra 1,250 pesos for 5 "first use" barongs
THE WEDDING RINGS: -
This
is an area of personal choice and the rings chosen will be different
from one couple to the next depending on style preferences and budget.
Without giving away how much I spent on our rings, the price range for
an engagement ring is from about 10,000 pesos up, and for a pair of
wedding rings you can count on spending a minimum
of 20,000 pesos. The wedding rings are usually tied to a satin cushion
and brought to the celebrant during the wedding by one of the male
junior attendants. Alternatively, the best man can just keep them in
his pocket until he is asked for them.
THE BEARERS:-
We
had 3 male "Bearers, aged between 10 and 3 years old, to bring items
needed for the ceremony to the celebrant. They carried them on satin
cushions, each one slightly different so as to carry a particular item.
Each wore a small barong like the groomsmen. One carried the wedding
rings which I have discussed earlier, the other 2 carried the items
below:-
The "Arras" - The groom gives the bride thirteen coins, or "arras", blessed by the priest, as a sign of his dedication to his wife's well-being and the welfare of their future children. Symbolically, the groom is promising he will be there to protect her and will share all his worldly possessions with her. They are traditionally gold or silver, but gold or silver plated coins are now common as well. They are usually brought to the celebrant on a cushion by one of the junior male attendants (bearers).
The Bible and the Wedding Contract - our special family bible brought by one of the bearers to the priest, who blessed it.
THE FLOWER GIRLS:-
To
match with the 3 male bearers, we had 3 "Flower Girls" who went up the
aisle before the Bride, throwing rose petals on the red carpets to
highlight her entrance. They were aged between 8 and 3 years old and
looked fantastic in small versions of the gowns worn by the bridesmaids.
THE PRIMARY SPONSORS:-
Before we started planning the wedding, I had never heard of "wedding sponsors" and I thought they would be helping me to pay for part or all of the day. I had visions of the aisle of the church lined with ads promoting their restaurants, dress shops, etc - I even thought they might want me to wear a placard on my back as I walked down the aisle. However I was soon put right and no money passed hands.
We chose three couples to be our Primary sponsors It was explained to me, apart from being the witnesses who will sign the marriage contract, they are to undertake the role of advisors, quasi-guardians and spiritual mentors to the couple throughout the course of the marriage. I think it is similar to the role that godparents promise to take on during the baptism of a child.
After
the celebrant has declared the couple "man and wife', or during the
ceremony, they will be the one's to witness the signatures of the
couple and the celebrant.
THE SECONDARY SPONSORS:-
These are usually good friends or important people known to the couple and each would normally have a different function during the ceremony, which I have detailed below; but because we were married by a Baptist Pastor, we did not use them in any of these roles.
The Candle Sponsors - will each light wedding candles which are positioned on either side of the bride and groom. When lit, the flames from the candles symbolize the presence of God within the union. that, apart from the duties they will perform at the actual wedding,
The Veil Sponsors - they place and pin the veil, made of white tuille on the groom's shoulder and then over the bride's head. This symbolizes the union of the couple, "clothed" as one.
The Cord Sponsors - tie the couple with a silk cord around their necks in a loose figure of eight shape. This symbolizes the infinity of the bond of marriage.
THE MUSIC:-
Being a musician myself, this for me was one of the most important things to organize for the ceremony. Of course, our primary sense is sight and everyone is straining to catch sight of the wedding party as they enter the church, but the music played during the ceremony sets the mood and emotions of the gathering. The music you need to choose can generally be broken up into 3 main parts:-
The Entrance (Processional)
- we had 4 different pieces of music - one for the entrance of the
celebrant and sponsors, one for the entrance of the groom and
groomsmen, one for the entrance of the maid of Honour and other female
attendants and one for the entry of the bride. Each was subtly
different in style, pace and impact to reflect who was being
"announced". Click on the song title to listen to our choices.
The Celebrant, etc - "Spring" by Vivaldi - light, bright, joyous and celebratory
The Groom, etc - "Air on the G string" by Bach played on electric guitar - classical, strong, proud and masculine.
The Bridesmaids - "Canon in D major" by Pachelbel - light, dainty and peaceful
The Bride - "Trumpet Voluntary" by Clark - a graceful fanfare announcing an important event
The Interlude Music - this is the music that is used as a "fill in" during the time when the couple are signing the marriage Contract. Depending on the celebrant, you will need up to 10 minutes of music to cover this lull in the proceedings, when often the couple are out of sight of the wedding guests. Many couples use this as an opportunity to use a Wedding Singer - the right music can make this boring time, interesting. These were our choices:-
The Exit (Recessional) - the end of the ceremony should be a time of joy and celebration, and your choice of music here should reflect this - aim for something upbeat, joyous and celebratory. We chose
"The Wedding March" from "A Mid-summer Night's Dream" by Mendelssohn
THE WEDDING SINGER:-
Using a wedding singer during the ceremony is a matter of personal
choice. For me, the appearance of a "performer" takes the spotlight
away from the most important people on the day - the couple who are
being married. We did however get quotes that ranged from 500 pesos to
1500 pesos for one or two songs. If you want one, I'll willingly sing
three songs for you for 1,000 pesos.
THE WEDDING CO-ORDINATOR:-
As
I say on the previous page advertising my services, we decided to do
without one. We wanted to have more say over how much money we
spent,and felt that all of the co-ordinators we interviewed where
trying to make money out of each of the different parts of the
wedding. We were promised "wonderful" flower arrangements for 35,000
pesos but felt that the co-ordinator would pay the florist 15,000 pesos
and keep the rest for themselves. This fine because they needed to be
paid for their services, but they were taking a "cut" from each and
every one of the service providers we needed - with their fees on top,
they stood to make 50,000 to 100,000 pesos of our money.
Elsa and I can save you an awful lot of time, money and frustration in your search for these type of service providers - florists, photographers, bands, cake makers, etc.. We looked at using local wedding planners when we first set out to organize the wedding, and had quotes for the day of between 250,000 and 450,000php. Our wedding for 100 people at White Sands Beach Resort actually cost us about 150,000php
It is difficult to set a detailed fee structure for this service as some couples will want more involvement with the planning and some might want to leave most of it to us. The basic rule of our Wedding Planning Service is that we will provide receipts or quotes for each service provider we use, and will guarantee that we will not receive any payment from them in return for recommending them.In short, we will provide the best, quality service within your budget, at the lowest price we can negotiate with no "add ons" for us. Our fee will depend on what you want, but will be a separate, declared amount.
As an indication, we would charge 30,000php for a fully organized wedding. This would provide all the co-ordination prior to the actual day, organizing and controlling both the ceremony and the reception, and providing the Master of Ceremony services.
