How We Started Our Forever

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Priest: Lei, do you take Ishmael here present, for your lawful husband, according to the rite of our Holy Mother, the Church?

Lei:  Yes, I do.

Priest:  Do you give yourself to him as his wife?

Lei:  Yes, I do.

Priest:  Do you accept him as your lawful husband?

Lei:  Yes, I do.

Priest: Ishmael, do you take Lei here present, for your lawful wife, according to the rite of  our Holy Mother, the Church?

Ishmael:  Yes, I do.

Priest:  Do you give yourself to her as her husband?

Ishmael:  Yes, I do.

Priest:  Do you accept her as your lawful wife?

Ishmael:  Yes, I do.

Priest:  Now, please recite this prayer:

Lei & Ishmael:  Grant us, O Lord, to be one heart and one soul, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.

Priest:  And I, by the authority of the Church, calling on all those present here as witnesses, confirm and bless the bond of marriage which you have contracted.  In the name of the Father, and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit.

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This is how we started our forever, by sealing our fate with the simple “Yes, I do”.

In those fleeting moments, we affirmed to God and to the public our love for one another. In return He showered us with His blessings.

Our “Yes, I do” didn’t end there. The truth is that we continue to utter those words every single day.

When problems started cropping up and the hardships are mounting, we say “Yes, I do”.

When petty arguments are brewing, we say “Yes, I do”.

For all of the good things and all the bad things that we will face, we say “Yes, I do”.

“Yes, I do”
“I love you”
And forever will be true
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Finally Revealed! Our Wedding Church: Shrine of St. Therese of the Child Jesus

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There is a church that always catch my attention whenever I go to NAIA – Terminal 3. This brown-painted church stood out from the condominiums and commercial buildings fronting the terminal. I never expected, back then, that that church will be the place where me and My Beloved Fiancée Lei will exchange vows and start our forever.

My Beloved Fiancée once said that she wanted our church to have the image of the crucified Lord to be at center. She saw the altar of the Shrine of St. Therese of the Child Jesus and she immediately fell for it. She decided from that moment that we will get married in this church.

A Little History of the Shrine of St. Therese

The Shrine exists even before condominiums and commercial buildings (like the Resorts World) started popping up in Villamor. It started as a chapel dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel (patron saint of Filipino soldiers). The Philippine Air Force chaplains developed and expanded that chapel and re-dedicated it to St. Therese of the Child Jesus on December 16, 1983. The church was spared from destruction during privatization of some parts of Villamor Airbase through a memo by President Erap.

The church underwent major reconstruction from 2005 to 2007. The church transformed from a humble church into a grand Shrine dedicated for the promotion of the spirituality of St. Therese to the members of the Military Ordinariate.

Location and Contact Details of the Shrine of St. Therese

The Shrine of St. Therese is just a stone’s throw away from NAIA – Terminal 3 and Resorts World Manila (see map above). Soon-to-be-wed couples who don’t have car can easily reach this church by riding the Nichols jeep near the MRT – Taft Station and then alighting near MMDA’s hideous looking globe. The Shrine can either be reached on foot or by riding a tricycle.


The Shrine office is only available from 9 Am to 5 PM, Tuesdays to Sundays. I made a mistake of going to the Shrine of St. Therese on a Monday. I wasted my time because no one was there to entertain me.

The Shrine of St. There can be contacted at telephone no.: 854-3024. You can also visit their website.

What We Saw Inside of the Shrine of St. Therese

What immediately caught my attention during our first visit is the immensity of this church. It can easily seat around 2,000 people. It is so big that the church seems to look empty even with my 100 guests.

The altar doesn’t have the intricate design as in the old Philippine churches. It only have a big (as befits this cavernous church) image of the crucified Lord with the dove (symbolizing the Holy spirit) at the top. I am glad that the Military Ordinariate didn’t follow the trend of placing the tabernacle at the obscure places.

The side walls of the church have (again) big stained glass artworks depicting the life of St. Therese. These stained glass artworks are good background for wedding photos.

The gardens at the side of the church are also good for wedding photos. Many our “dramatic” shots for the AVP were taken at the garden.

For the brides who are concerned about the church door, I can say that it is beautiful but not as intricate as the ones in Manila Cathedral. The good news is that the Shrine allows the door to be closed for the bride’s dramatic entrance. Actually, My Beloved Bride had that “dramatic” entrance.

The Shrine of St. Therese of the Child Jesus is impressive because of its size. If you have a small number of guests, make sure to instruct the photographer to focus his shots on your guests to avoid the empty pews.

The Shrine’s Wedding Packages

The shrine of St. Therese offers two wedding packages which costs 40,500 pesos and 27,500 pesos. Both packages have basic flower decoration, officiating priest, commentator, royal-blue carpet, soloist/pianist, and use of the Shrine for 1 and a half hours. The only difference between the two packages is that the more expensive one is aircondtioned. We chose the 27,000-peso package to save money.

How We Booked the Shrine of St. Therese

The Shrine of Therese is getting popular for weddings. According to the Shrine’s brochure, more than 300 weddings are celebrated in the Shrine every year. That’s almost one wedding per day!

Due to this popularity, the dates that we initially wanted were already booked. Good thing that we managed to book a perfect date, which is 10 AM on a Saturday. We paid 13,500 pesos as down payment to block our chosen date. The full payment was given on our wedding day.

If you want the Shrine for your wedding, I suggest that you be flexible with your wedding date. It is highly probable that the date that you want is already booked. This is true especially for Saturdays and Sundays.  Pencil booking is not allowed. Paying the down payment is the only effective way of blocking off the day that you want.

Everything went well with our preparation for the wedding ceremony. Reverend Smith, the Shrine secretary, was very patient in answering our questions. As for the florist, we just told them that we only wanted the basic arrangement (to save money). We also contacted the soloist/pianist to inform him of the music that we wanted to be played during the wedding ceremony.

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I can confidently say that the Shrine of St. There is a great place for weddings. The church’s interior is beautiful. The altar, with the big image of the crucified Lord, is the perfect background for wedding photos. But more than physical structure of the Shrine, my positive comments goes to the people who runs the place. They were very very helpful during our wedding day. Their help made our special day more special.

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So what happened during our wedding day? Please read the next blog post.

For those who are inquiring about our wedding reception venue, please read my post about Golden Bay Restaurant.

The history of Shrine posted here was referred to the plaque posted on the wall of the Shrine.

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Our Wedding Experience in Golden Bay Fresh Seafood Restaurant

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I read (or heard) somewhere that wedding reception is more memorable than the (more important) wedding ceremony. Having experienced attending weddings as a guest and a groom, I can say that that observation was correct. This is the reason why we spent a lot of time searching for the best wedding reception venue.

My Beloved Fiancé Lei and I wanted our reception venue to be classy and affordable at the same time. We realized that renting the venue sans the caterer is more expensive than booking to a restaurant. So, instead of renting venue-only sites, like SM MoA’s The Venue, we decided to hold our wedding reception in Golden Bay Fresh Seafood Restaurant.

Golden Bay Restaurant is located along Macapagal Boulevard (see map below), which makes it very accessible.

I remember being impressed during our first visit to Golden Bay. Lei, on the other hand, immediately liked the big stairs. Lei told me that she want our wedding photos taken on those stairs.

(Source: Golden Bay FB page)

In short, Golden Bay Restaurant already got our approval at our first visit.

The Reception Set-up

Golden Bay Restaurant has one of the largest banquet halls in the country. Located on the second floor, their banquet hall can accommodate up to 1,200 persons. It is too large a venue for our wedding reception with only about 100 guests. Good thing that they can accommodate us in the restaurant area on the first floor.

Golden Bay's restaurant area. (Source: Golden Bay website)

Since I was busy being a groom, I was not able to take photos of the food and the whole reception area. But I can say that the place looks good. Our wedding coordinator friend and our florist made an excellent job decorating the place. Ms. Dina Araneta, Golden Bay’s assistant marketing manager, was also present to make sure that everything is flowing perfectly.

Our venue is at the inner end of the restaurant. Golden Bay just placed a divider between our venue and the rest of the restaurant. Thus, other patrons heard what’s happening during our wedding reception. What’s horrible is that they heard my sintonado voice when I “serenaded” My Beloved Wife. I hope that my singing didn’t ruin their dining experience.

Our "stage" during the reception.

The space given to us was ample enough for 10 tables with one extra table, photobooth, a space for Lei’s especially-requested chocolate fountain, and a stage for me and Lei.

Ms. Dina was generous enough to give us one of their function room that served as our holding room where we relaxed and retouched before facing the guests again. Good thing that no one was using the function room and another good thing is that they allowed us to use it without charge.

Menu for Our Wedding Reception

With the help of Ms. Dina, we managed to get a customized menu that almost fit our budget. I said almost because we went above our initial 60,000-peso budget for the food. Ms. Dina convinced me to upgrade to 72,000-peso customized menu because the food is much better.

Golden Bay charged us per table and each table can accommodate 12 persons. This means that even if less than 12 people are occupying the table, we still have to pay for the whole table. They allowed us, however, to squeeze excess guests (of up to 6 persons) to other tables.

This is our menu for the wedding reception: Steamed Suahe, Minced Fish with Three Treasure Soup, Beef with Broccoli Flower, Yang Chow Fried Rice, Steamed Fish Fillet in Garlic, Sautéed Sze Chuan Diced Chicken, and Patatim with Bun. The dessert is Almond Fruit Cocktail. This customized menu already has Bottomless Iced Tea.

Steamed suahe

We also ordered one set meal for a guest who couldn’t eat pork because of religious restrictions. Ms. Dina also helped me to arrange set meals for the florists, photographers, and our make-up artist.

The comments made by our ninongs and ninangs, and all of our guests warmed our hearts. They liked all of the food in the menu. Everyone enjoyed every dish but star of the day is the Sautéed Sze Chuan Diced Chicken.

Patatim with bun (Source: Golden Bay website)

Golden Bay allowed us to bring our own wine without corkage fee. The same goes with our wedding cake and the chocolate fountain.

Commendable Service

Our wedding reception became great not only because of the delicious food but also due to the good service provided by the Golden Bay crew. The wait staff were always on their toes during the whole event.

Most commendable, for me, would be Ms. Dina who helped me since day one. She gave good suggestions during the planning stage, which made our wedding reception more enjoyable not only for me and my wife but, more importantly, for the guests.

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A ninong told me that he’s impressed that I was able to hold our reception in an “expensive” restaurant. I am very happy with that compliment. It means that Lei and I were successful in our plan to book a classy reception venue that still fits our budget. Well, I guess I have to thank Golden Bay Restaurant for that.
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Our Experience in Themes and Motifs Bridal Fair

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Following the advice of my office friend and kumpare, My Beloved Fiancé and I went to a bridal fair hosted by Themes and Motifs.

The fair area, located in World Trade Center, was crowded with suppliers and inquiring couples. The fair was almost like Divisoria because of the haggling that occurred all over the place.

(Source: Themes & Motifs)

We spent the whole afternoon walking to each booth searching for best deals. Of the time that spent in the bridal fair, we managed to book only our photographer. Other suppliers seemed to offer steep priced deals.

Our visit to Themes and Motifs bridal fair was not that fruitful. This doesn’t mean, however, that I dissuade any soon-to-be-wed couples from going to any bridal fair. There are benefits in going a bridal fair like:

1. Ideas – bridal fairs are events where wedding suppliers showcase their best ideas. We saw plenty of creative ideas for invitation cards, wedding gifts, cakes, gowns, and even photography. Lei’s wedding gown was actually copied from the gown that we saw during the fair.

2. Meeting the Best Suppliers – bridal fairs are events where the best wedding suppliers get together in one place. This set-up is very convenient for couples because it is easy to compare offers because suppliers are few steps from one another.

3. Discounts and Freebies – Since competition is stiff during bridal fairs, wedding suppliers try to outdo their competitors through discounts and freebies. You can take advantage of this and get the best deals out there.

Going to a bridal fair is not vital but the ideas, the discounts, and the convenience offered by such event should be enough reason for you to go. Take note that our Themes and Motifs bridal fair experience was not fruitful but we managed to book and photographer and saw and inspiration for Lei’s wedding gown.
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15 Essential Activities for Your Wedding Preparation

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On the 30th of July 2013, I posted the first wedding prep post which is about SM MoA’s The Venue. After more than a year of writing about our wedding preparation, I amassed plenty of information that are useful for you and others like you who are preparing for the Big Day.

This list summarizes our activities that we gone through as we prepared for the Big Day. I am sure that these activities will be applicable to your wedding preparation as well.

I suggest that you read each of the Wedding Prep blog posts one by one. But if you’re in a hurry then this list of 15 essential wedding prep activities will do:

Choosing the Wedding Church

Finding our church is our first step in our wedding preparation because other aspects of our wedding depend on the location of the church.  We checked the most-sought-after San Agustin Church (the church where my friend and fellow blogger Tin K got hitched), Binondo Church, and St. Peter’s Church located along Commonwealth Ave. But what got My Beloved Wife Lei’s approval is the Shrine of St. Therese of the Child Jesus. She immediately liked this church when she saw its beautiful altar.

Read my post about the Shrine of St. Therese of the Child Jesus.

Looking for the Wedding Reception Venue

The venue for our wedding reception is the next big item on our list. We wanted the venue to be as affordable as possible but still with class. We first checked out SM MoA’s The Venue but we were turned off by its steep price. The Philippine Air Force (PAF) Aerospace Museum is awesome but their cancellation policy (and the possibility of last minute cancellation) scared us. We also went to Enderun, Park Metro, and Villamor Golf Club.

Of the many venues that we visited, it is Golden Bay Seafood Restaurant that gave us the best deal. Read about our wedding experience in Golden Bay Restaurant.

Processing Church Requirements and other Required Documents

(Source: Wikipedia)

We spent many days to fulfill the requirements asked by the Church and the government for our wedding. The most important of these requirements is kumpil (Sacrament of Confirmation) that I received in Quiapo Church. We attended two pre-wedding seminars: one in our church and the other in the munisipyo.

If you are planning your wedding then makes sure to allot time and money for these requirements. To avoid the long lines, I suggest that you request your birth certificate and CENOMAR online. For the baptismal and confirmation certificates, you have no choice but to visit your parish church.

Read my post about the Sacrament of Confirmation or Kumpil if you need more info about this sacrament.

Finding the Ring(s)

(Source: Suarez Wedding Rings)

Our wedding rings are important items for the wedding ceremony. So went to the malls and to Binondo Chinatown (where we encountered matapobre jewellers). I even inquired through email. After the long search, we found our wedding rings in Suarez Wedding Rings in SM Mall of Asia.

Our wedding rings are just simple bands but it symbolizes our “forever”, making it more precious than other fancy wedding rings with big precious stones.

When looking for wedding rings, I suggest that you visit as many shops as you could to compare their prices and design. Remember that the more shops you visit, the more choices that you will have.

Hunting Down that Wedding Gown Couturier

Lei's wedding gown from Divisoria

We just scoured Divisoria for Lei’s wedding gown, my suite, and attire of the whole entourage. We talked to couturiers in 168 Mall and 999 Mall but we hired the one in Yangco Market. Unfortunately, our couturier made a bad job for Lei’s wedding gown (imagine the added stress to my bride!). My Beloved Wife had no choice but to fix the gown by herself.

If you decided to have your wedding gown made in Divisoria, I suggest that you choose your couturier well. When you canvass for wedding gowns, you must consider both the price and quality. Low price usually means that the quality is sacrificed.

Searching for the Best (and Affordable) Wedding Cake

Our wedding cake from Salazar Bakery.

The wedding cake is the centerpiece of the wedding reception. That’s why we did our best to find a very good but affordable wedding cake. We visited Red Ribbon Bakeshop, Goldilocks, Bakerite, Bakers’ Fair, and Salazar Bakery. The winner is Salazar Bakery and I am confident to say that their cake was delicious.

Asking for Wedding Invitations in Divisoria

We tried to make wedding invitation cards but we realized that it will take great effort (and creativity), and plenty of time to make 50 pieces or so. So, we decided to just ask a shop in Divisoria to make our wedding invitation cards.

Canvassing for Flowers

 

We had a great adventure to Dangwa, the flower capital of Manila. A fixer became mad at us when he couldn’t convince us to order flowers from him. Our visit to Dangwa was fruitful because we got our florist (and avoided that dubious fixer).

Dangwa is great place to search for florists. There are plenty of flower shops, which will give you the opportunity to compare prices and offers. I suggest that you visit at least five shops so you can have plenty of options. As for the fixers? Avoid them like the plague.

Booking the Make-up Artist

Lei was the one who hunted the make-up artist. We didn’t visit any boutique because she did most of her search in the Internet.

Lei was impressed with our make-up artist during the trial make-up that she hired her immediately. Her offer was airbrush make-up for the bride and traditional make-up for the other members of the entourage, including the flower girls. The negotiated price for her service is 10,500 pesos.

Booking a Hotel for Wedding Preparations

(Source: PCG Auxiliary)

Lei’s house and my house are very far away from our church so we had no choice but to find a hotel where we can do our prepping for the Big Day. After doing some Google search, we decided to visit Heritage Suite in Makati, Avitel Hotel, and Copacabana Apartment Hotel.

We selected Copacabana because of its proximity to the church and the size of its suite. Since Copacabana is an apartment hotel, we got rooms with living area and kitchen. The space was ample enough for the make-up artists and photographers to do their work. The only problem that we had with this hotel is that they prohibited us from taking photos at the hallway and the lobby. We defied this prohibition and our brave photographers took beautiful photos and videos of my lovely bride.

When looking for hotels for your wedding preparations, I suggest that you Google search first before going to the hotel. Ask the hotel staff for the prices, available promos, and restrictions before booking any room. For other tips, I suggest that you read Bridal Book’s tips for finding a hotel for wedding prep.

Shopping for Wedding Souvenirs

There are only two places where we searched for wedding souvenirs: the shops under the bridge near Quiapo Church and Tabora Street in Divisoria. We didn’t buy any item from those places because I already bought wedding souvenirs from the beautiful island of Guimaras.

Posing for Pre-Nup Shoot

Our pre-nup shoot is included in the package that we got from our wedding photographer. We enjoyed an afternoon of posing like artistas in my alma mater, UP – Diliman. Our pre-nup photos were shown during our wedding reception and it made our families and guests smile.

When preparing for your pre-nup, I suggest that you create your props. This will not only save you money but will add personal touch to your photos. It is also recommended that you do your trial make-up during the pre-nup so you’ll see if the make-up will look good in the photos.

Shopping for Offertory Items

The Church wedding ceremony is included within the celebration of the Holy Mass so we were expected to bring mass wine, hosts, flowers, and fruits as offertory. These items are not hard to find. We bought wine and the hosts from St. Paul’s at SM Mall of Asia.

Organizing the Big Day

One thing that I wish we had during our wedding preparation is the constant help from other people. Other couples have their maid of honor and the best man always ready to be tapped for help. We didn’t have such privilege since the maid of the honor lives in Davao while the best man is a busy man. We also didn’t want bother our families. Our limited budget prevented us from hiring a professional event coordinator.

Lei and I were the ones who did all of the legwork. We personally searched and negotiated with suppliers. We prepared the wedding reception programs. I even acted as the wedding coordinator at the hotel and the church. Good thing that a generous friend (who is a professional event coordinator) helped us for free.  My office friends also helped by acting as emcee, ushers, and event hosts during ceremony and the reception.

 You should not imitate what we did (although we managed to pull it off). Ask help from the maid of honor and the best man because that is their duty. Make your wedding preparation a family affair so that you can rely on plenty of helping hands.

Making Spiritual Preparations

Being busy during the wedding preparation should never be an excuse to ignore the spiritual aspect of the ceremony. God will be present (whether you like it or not) on your wedding day. So it will be best that you personally invite Him. Start praying as a couple. Be serious about the required Sacrament of Confession. Practice the virtue of patience, temperance, charity, and even chastity (I bet you that these will be very useful after your Big Day)

I realized prior to our wedding day that we need God to make our marriage work. Only He can assure us that we can avoid the threat of marital shipwreck (that will haunt us until our death thanks to the unceasing effort by the Devil).

Of the many tips that I posted in this list, I think that last bit is the most important.

The altar is waiting and we're ready.

An office mate said that I will never want to experience another ordeal of wedding preparation. I nodded my head in agreement months before our wedding day. I felt so stressed and exhausted but all of that went away when I heard her “I do”.

So to all couples out there, make the most out of your wedding preparation. Don’t despair when problems start cropping up. The wedding day is just the icing on top. What’s more important is your commitment to love one another till death.
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Wedding Gowns in Divisoria and the Bad Experience with Our Couturier

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My Beloved Wife Lei saw a wedding gown during a wedding expo in World Trade Center. She immediately liked that wedding gown and wanted to wear it on the wedding day. Unfortunately, the gown was designed by Edward Teng and his price is way above our budget.

Online wedding forums directed us to Divisoria for affordable wedding couturiers. According to the forumers, there are plenty of affordable couturiers in Yangco Market, located between Tabora and Ylaya Streets.

We visited three places when we searched for a couturier for Lei's wedding gown, namely; 168 Shopping Mall, 999 Shopping Mall, and Yangco Market.

168 Shopping Mall

168 Shopping Mall, known for cheap items from China, has a wedding section at the 4th floor. The place have gowns, suits, barongs and attire for the whole wedding entourage. The shops have couturiers and they accept made to order wedding gowns.

We didn't hire any of the couturier in 168 Shopping Mall because their prices are more expensive as compared to other places. Despite of this, we keep on going back to 168 Shopping Mall to shop for other items like Lei's wedding shoes, the dresses for the flower girls, and her accessories.

168 Shopping Mall is very crowded due to the crowd and the habit of shop owners to place their goods on the already narrow corridor. When shopping for wedding supplies in this mall, you should bring patience, patience, and more patience. Of course you should also bring your expertise in haggling.

999 Shopping Mall

999 Shopping Mall, located just beside 168 Shopping Mall, has a wedding section at the basement. We only talked to Stephen of Jazz's Bridal Boutique. His frank way of talking almost convinced us to hire him as our couturier. Lei, however, decided to look for a better deal in Yangco Market.

Tutuban Center once has a wedding section that got burned around two years ago. I think that shops from Tutuban transferred to 168 and 999 Shopping Malls.



Yangco Market

Our final destination is the Yangco Market, located between Tabora and Ylaya Streets. This place surprised me because I never expected that there is a whole street in Divisoria dedicated to suppliers for weddings, birthdays, and baptism. Tabora Street have souvenirs, invitation cards, and accessories. The  Yangco Market, beside of it, has rows upon rows of wedding gowns.

Yangco Market is the bagsakan of various cloths. That's why mananahi from every part of Metro Manila visit this market. Those who want to make their own wedding gown can buy the cloths in this market. This market also has shops that sell lace.

Couturiers in Yangco Market are praised by many in online wedding forums because they can make quality wedding gown at affordable price. They can also sew based on the printed Internet image of the gown that the clients want.

We found our couturier in Yangco Market. Lei showed her Edward Teng's design and the couturier promised that she can make it. She offered 10,000 pesos for Lei's wedding gown. We also hired her to make bridesmaids' gowns, the dress of the flower girls, my suit, our fathers' barong, and our mothers' gown. She asked 5,000 down payment for the wedding gown.

The price is really cheap and so we expect that Lei's wedding gown will not be as grand as that of Edward Teng or other famous fashion designers. That mananahi, however, promised that she can make a good copy of the Edward Teng's wedding gown and the wedding gown will look fine. That mananahi broke her promise the wedding gown and other dresses were poorly made.

Lei's wedding gown.

After one month (and two fitting sessions) we picked-up Lei's wedding gown and my suit. I sensed that Lei didn't like her wedding gown. She had plenty of complaints about it. Even the gowns of the bridesmaids and mothers were poorly made. Unfortunately, the couturier avoided us and she suddenly stop answering my text messages.

I personally did not expect that the mananahi can copy Edward Teng's gown. My minimum expectation is that the gown will be of good quality because that's what the mananahi promised. What's worse is that the more simple dresses for our mothers and the bridesmaids were poorly made. We felt that the mananahi just tricked us with her sweet promises.

We were wrong in making full payment when we still have complaints for the wedding gown. We lose the leverage to force the couturier to fix her sloppy job. Lei couldn't do anything but fix the gowns by herself.

May our experience be a warning for those who are looking for couturiers in Yangco Market. Be very careful and don't be tricked by the low price. Low price usually means low quality.

Also, don't give the full payment when you're still not satisifed with your gown. Couturiers will not hide from you as long as the money is still in your hands.

What happened to us really sucks but we managed to rise from it. Lei's quick fix saved us from more tensions and stress. We also learned our lessons, especially when dealing with suppliers of any kind.

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Do you have questions about Lei's wedding gown? Or do you want to know the name of this dubious wedding gown supplier? Place your questions and comments at the comment section below or you may send a private message to my Facebook page.
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Filipino Wedding Traditions

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Wedding is a very important part of the Filipino culture. That’s why it’s not surprising that many traditions were attached to it. And since the Filipino culture is a sort of a hotpot, our wedding traditions are mixtures of Chinese, Spanish, American, and distinct regional influences.

During our wedding preparations, and even on the wedding itself, we encountered many Filipino wedding traditions. Many of these are logical but some made me scratch my head in wonder.

1. Marriage Proposal

(Source: Bridal Guide)

Our wedding preparations began when I asked Lei’s hand for marriage. After five years of boyfriend/girlfriend relationship and subtle hints from Lei, I decided to put our relationship to the next level. With a ring in hand, I proposed to Lei in Sonya's Garden.

I think that the concept of marriage proposal came from the Americans. Since time immemorial, the Filipinos concept of marriage proposal is the pamamanhikan.

2. Pamamanhikan

Pamamanhikan is a very important Filipino wedding tradition since it involves the couple's parents. Even before the Spaniards came to colonize the Philippines, Filipinos practice pamamanhikan. This is where the parents talk about the wedding and, also, of the dowry.

Our parents didn’t talk about the wedding during our pamamanhikan. It turned to be the first meeting between me and Lei’s parents. We brought food, including my father’s special laing. Our pamamanhikan is very important to my mother-in-law because it proved that I’m serious in marrying her daughter.

Since, pamamanhikan is a serious Filipino wedding tradition, couples should prepare for it. Bridal Book has good tips for pamamanhikan.

3. Groom and Bride Not Seeing Each Other Before the Wedding Day
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Lei’s mother was aghast when I entered their room in Copacabana Apartment Hotel just few hours before the wedding ceremony. She said that I am not allowed to see my bride because it will bring bad luck to our marriage.

I had no choice that time because I was the wedding coordinator and the groom at the same time. It was my duty to check if the bride and her family were doing fine.

I can’t get my head around this Filipino wedding tradition. Oh well, the deed was done so we'll just wait if “bad luck” will come our way.

This superstition is not unique since many Europeans and Americans follow this prohibition. The source of this wedding tradition is a mystery.

4. Pinning Bills
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Lei said that she want the guests to pin bills on our clothes during our first dance. I think that the person who invented this Filipino wedding tradition is very clever. This tradition pits the guests against each other in pinning the highest amount. In short, the newlywed couple wins.

5. Showering the Newlywed Couple with Rice
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Filipinos cannot live without rice. We eat it during breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even at merienda. Thus, rice became the symbol of prosperity. Rice is showered to the newlyweds to bring them good fortune.

Our wedding church prohibits this Filipino wedding tradition. A shower of rice, petals, and confetti means paying additional fee. What we did is to use bubbles instead of rice.

6. Veil and Cord Should not Fall to the Ground
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The wedding ceremony was interrupted when the matron of honor approached us to prevent the veil from falling off. Good thing that our priest was good-natured and let the interruption pass.

Lei's sister, who is the matron of honor, said that their two aunts never ceased in bugging her about the veil. They said that bad luck will happen if the veil falls. Thanks to my sister-in-law, another reason for bad luck was averted.

7. Plenty and Delicious Food
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The Filipino wedding is expected to be a feast. Our pre-Hispanic ancestors celebrated weddings for many days. It is still the same in these modern times. Filipino wedding is the event where the best dishes, especially the secret recipes of the clan, are prepared.

Guests will forget what happened during the wedding ceremony but they will never forget the dishes served during the wedding reception. This is the reason why many couples are more worried about their wedding reception than the more important wedding ceremony. The food must please the VIPs, the relatives, friends and all the guests lest you hear the hushed criticisms.

The issue of food is where Lei and I had a major confrontation. Lei want to save as much money as possible but I want to serve the best dish that we could have. It was balancing act that ended successfully. I'm very glad that the marketing staff of the Chinese restaurant were we held our wedding reception was very understanding. We managed to set a menu that is excellent although we spent a little over the budget.

There are more Filipino wedding traditions that I didn’t include in this post. There’s the breaking of plates (which we never did) to avert bad luck and other superstitions that would either bring good luck or bad luck. Since the space is not enough, I hope you, Dear Reader,  will share the Filipino wedding traditions that you know in the comment box below.
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How We Got Our NSO Birth Certificate and CENOMAR

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Aside from the church documents, our wedding church required us to submit some documents issued by the government. These documents are our birth certificates and certificate of no marriage (CENOMAR) from the National Statistics Office (NSO).

The NSO birth certificate serves as the proof of our birth. Important details from the birth certificate include the name of our parents and our birth date. The CENOMAR, on the other hand, serves as a proof that the NSO has no record of our previous marriage, if there was any. CENOMAR is used as a proof that the person is unmarried, according to the records of NSO.

The common way of getting the NSO birth certificate and the CENOMAR is by going to the NSO main office and then queue for a day. It’s a big hassle.

We didn’t want to waste our time in NSO main office so we just ordered our NSO birth certificate and CENOMAR through e-Census. Our NSO birth certificate and CENOMAR were delivered to us after 5 working. Ordering these certificates online is truly hassle free!

For a step-by-step guide in ordering your NSO birth certificate and CENOMAR, I suggest that you read this article: NSO Birth Certificate Delivery.

We paid 315 pesos per copy of our NSO birth certificate and 415 pesos for the CENOMAR.

These online ordering services are truly helpful for soon-to-be-married couples because the time that might be used in going to the NSO main office can now be spent in other aspects of the wedding preparations.
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Purposes of Documents for Church Wedding (Part 2)

(Source: From the Eastern Front)

 In the first part of this article I talked about the importance of baptism and confirmation (kumpil) and why these are required for a church wedding. Now, I’ll be talking about the importance of other documents, namely, wedding banns certificates, parish priest’s permission for the bride, and certificate for attending a pre-Cana seminar.

Wedding Bann Certificates

Being true to marriage vows is the great desire of the Church when it comes to Catholic marriages. Thus, the Church requires that the upcoming marriage is announced in the parish church of the bride and the groom. Through the wedding bann, people who have knowledge of impediment to the upcoming wedding may inform the Church and stop the wedding from happening.

I paid 500 pesos for my wedding bann while Lei paid 300 pesos that includes the parish priest’s permission.

Parish Priest’s Permission for the Bride

Based on what I read from the University of Notre Dame Campus Ministry website, weddings traditionally takes place in the parish church of the bride. As courtesy, our church required us to submit a permission letter from the priest in the parish where Lei reside.

Certificate of Attendance for Pre-Cana Seminar

It is the duty of the Church to teach her flock of the truth. It is also her duty to teach soon-to-be-married couples about the will of God when it comes to marriage. We spent a whole afternoon attending the pre-Cana seminar. There are lectures that are enlightening but it was disappointing because most of the lecturers didn’t go deep and just talked about their experiences in their marriages.

We didn’t pay anything for the pre-Cana seminar because it is an initiative of the Couple for Christ (CFC) group of the parish church where we had our wedding.

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It is very easy to get lost during wedding preparations but there are requirements that are more important than others. For soon-to-be-wed couples, I suggest that you allot time for acquiring these church requirements. Ignoring these requirements might prevent your dream wedding from happening.
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Purposes of Documents for Church Wedding (Part 1)

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One thing that many couples complain about is the sheer number of documents required for a church wedding. Aside from the documents required by the government for marriage registration, the Church required us to submit our baptismal certificates, confirmation certificates, wedding banns certificates, parish priest’s permission for the bride, and certificate for attending a pre-Cana seminar. Obtaining these documents took more than a day in our wedding preparation schedules.

I read somewhere in the Internet someone claiming that these documents “are means for the Church to earn money”. I don’t know if that person has an axe to grind against the Church or just ignorant.

So, to set things straight, I’m posting what I know about these church documents and why they are important.

Baptismal Certificate

(Source: Tom Mahony website)

Marriage is a sacrament in the Catholic Church and it requires that at least one one-half of the couple marrying in the Church is a baptized Catholic. The Baptismal Certificate serves as a proof of that baptism. Baptismal certificate may be obtained from the parish church where you were baptized.

Our church required us to obtain copies of our baptismal certificate containing the remarks: “For Marriage Purpose”. This meant that the baptismal certificate hidden by Mother in the baul will not be accepted by the church. We had to get recent copies.

There is no standard price for baptismal certificate. It really depends on the parish church. I paid 50 pesos for my baptismal certificate in our previous parish church in Quezon City. My Beloved Wife Lei paid 100 pesos for her baptismal certificate from their church in the province down south.

Confirmation Certificate

(Source: Wikipedia)

According to the Catechism, the Sacrament of Confirmation perfects baptismal grace. Through it, the Holy Spirit root us more in the divine filiation, incorporates us more firmly into Christ, and strengthen our bond with the Church. In short, Confirmation or Kumpil gives us the opportunity to receive more grace that will make us better Christians.

Married life is never easy. It demands strength and dedication for us to be always true to our wedding vows. In light of our Catholic Christian faith, marriage demands more grace and firmer faith in God. This is the reason why the Church requires couples to receive Kumpil first before getting married in the church.

Lei is fortunate because she was able to receive Kumpil during her teen years. I was not able to do that, so I have to receive Kumpil in Quiapo Church. Lei paid 100 pesos for her Confirmation Certificate. I, on the other hand, paid 430 pesos for the whole process of receiving this sacrament.

Receiving baptism and confirmation are important for Catholics. These two sacraments prepare would-be-couples spiritually so that (hopefully) they’ll be more open to the grace from our God. The certificates are just documentary proofs that these sacraments were received.

“But Ish, but Ish,” some of you might say, “but these certificates came from the church. They should be free!”

I agree, these certificates should be free IF the paper used was obtained by the church without paying for it, that the parish priest don’t need to eat, that the parish church are exempted from paying electric and water bills. Keep in mind that our churches run because of donations and payments received from all of those requesting for these documents.

Hopefully, I enlightened you a little regarding these certificates. In the second part of this article I will tell you the importance of wedding banns, parish priest’s permission for the bride, and certificate for attending a pre-Cana seminar.
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