costs of a small wedding in the phils

[Jeff S]

Yeah - piglet wants you to think he's a hard a$$ but beneath that chicharon is a heart made of manteca.

[JWR]

Hey Ray,
Ok I'll admit it..... I sent some money for internet to the girl I been chatting with for a couple months.  (Filipina) Going to go and see her in Nov.
So I read you think this is a bad idea.  If they can't afford to chat, you said move along.
My  friend works for an aid org. and I've seen photos of the work she does helping children in the provinces.  She seems honest and nice, so when she said she is saving for internet, I sent some money.
Ok let it fly.....I can take it.

[Bob_S]

Covering the cost of her communication is not completely out of line.  If you're paying for a "sick aunt" or "father is in the hospital", well, my dad has medical issues too, so please send me some money as well.  Western Union will be fine.

Though understand, you may not just be paying for her communication with you, you are also paying for her communication with other guys who are also promising to come visit her.  The one who shows up first wins the prize.  If you get a "Dear Joe, er... John" letter from her, don't whine about the money you sent.  It's part of the game, and you knew the rules.
But I hope it works out anyway.  If she really works for an aid org that helps kids, you may have a great find waiting for you.  Get there ASAP.

[piglett]

This JWR guy is starting to make Piglett sound like the last of the really big spenders!  No wonder they've used pig's hearts in human surgery--the guy said he wasn't gonna fork over another dime to the family and lately he's sending them things like fish finders and wood lathes!

well it's a wood hand plane not a lathe & i got the FIL a small one & a med sized one. also an LED light for the front of the boat & a few other goodies.
 
 
 
 

Some kind of bug have hit both piggy & jm, they are now big spenders - but for a good great cause.

Piggy, is the SIL still off your x-mas list?

yes lisa is only on my sh*t list & no other
next time i see her i intend to ask her to take a walk with me so we can clear the air. now granted the wench will never get 1 peso from me but i don't want there to be any hard feelings
once i get a few things off my chest it will all be good
after all i'll have to see her for the next 40 years     

[Ray]

Ok let it fly.....I can take it.

 

 
Have a good trip... 
 
 
Ray
 
 

[Jhengsman]

Filipinos do take these wedding traditions seriously. But sometimes a poor couple from the provinces will simply elope and have a private civil ceremony to save their family money, or to save them the shame if she is already pregnant.
　
Other Filipinos are too cheap or too scared to get married (because of the no-divorce laws) and simply shack up and raise a family. That way, if they get tired of their "wife", then can simply walk out and start another family without all the legal hassles of trying to get an annulment.
　
Ray
　

Those are the explanations given to explain the 38% rate of live births to unwed mothers.

[z_k_g]

Heruamen,

Just to chime in on the wedding costs.

My sweetie is in Visayan also I think they are the most beautiful! 

Our wedding discussions have centered around maybe 100 to 150 guests. 

I think cost estimates in American greenbacks will be around $15 (p400 to p500 in Pesos) per guest, that's a good rule of thumb I think (on the high end).  We will have church marriage in the province in Bohol with a nice reception following.

Hope that helps with your estimates.

Congrats and good luck!

Zulu

[z_k_g]

Hey Ray,
Ok I'll admit it..... I sent some money for internet to the girl I been chatting with for a couple months.  (Filipina) Going to go and see her in Nov.
So I read you think this is a bad idea.  If they can't afford to chat, you said move along.
My  friend works for an aid org. and I've seen photos of the work she does helping children in the provinces.  She seems honest and nice, so when she said she is saving for internet, I sent some money.
Ok let it fly.....I can take it.

JWR,

When you meet the right pinay covering the costs of communication is really the best way to go.

The real issue with sending money is not that you do it but with whom and the timing.

Once you are in a committed relationship assisting with communication costs should be a priority.  Without daily interaction an extremely long distance relationship is difficult if not impossible to maintain.

There are many or low to medium cost options you can pursue:

1. You should consider the International Roaming Smart Pinoy Sim ($20) already activated and an ulocked quadband 3g GSM phone ($100).  You can text each other, send her pasaload, and you will have your Philippine number and phone for your trips.  You will have the flexibility to load her phone when she needs it and monitor your phone expenses.

2. Use yahoo messenger.  I would suggest that she get Smart SIM and a 3g phone that supports Uzapp messenger.   You can yahoo chat for 5 pesos per day unlimited on Uzapp.  I sent my sweetie an inexpensive Android phone LG Optimus T from TMobile $50 that I got on craigslist.  Once you get your Smart Pinoy Roaming SIM you can also download and install Uzapp and register  using your philippine number.  You can chat with her on Uzapp and yahoo using this method. 

3. Other communication methods such as cash for cafe fees, broadband at home etc. get expensive real quick.   I would avoid these because you cannot control these costs.

4. For internet and her schoolwork, I got my sweetie an hp netbook ($200) and and a smart bro broadband usb adapter (p350 used).  For about $30 usd (p1500) load per month she can get unlimited broadband internet and with her netbook we can video chat, skype or regular yahoo chat whenever and wherever she happens to be whether in the city or province.  Plus she uses it for her school work  and downloading music etc.

I will repeat, these communication options should be for a woman with whom you are in committed relationship.  I am not suggesting that you provide this for a pinay you are casually involved with.

Hope this helps.

Zulu

[piglett]

i have to jump in & make a quick point here
if you give a woman a high dollar phone you have now made her a target. my wife has a very cheep pink phone.
our own Cbear (who almost never posts these days) made that mistake. he got his then girlfriend a really nice phone
(i think he paid $300 /-) but she could only pull it out at home or at friends/family's houses. why? because it would get snatched up on the mean streets of Manila. robberies happen often & pulling out (bait) will only make your girl a target.
 
pig

[thekfc]

It is not just Manila but anywhere - big city, small town, around the corner, down the block, etc,. They have to be cautious by not displaying their "toy" in public thus bringing unwanted attention.
 
We engraved my wife niece's name on the phone we will sent her.  One of my wife's sister sent us money to buy her a tablet (Nook Color) and she requested the same.
We will be sending her a better tablet than what she wanted. We have a Xoom, HP Touchpads, Galaxy Tab, G-Slate & Asus Transformer - we are leaning towards the Galaxy Tab & G-Slate as both tablets are unlocked and she will be able to use her sim card in it. One of the Touchpad is my experimental tablet. 
 
Back to the original topic.
I think that H will be fine with the $4,500 (197,000 PHP) be budgeted.
 
Anyone who is planning a wedding in the Philippine should factor in the following cost (not all will pertain to you & there will be costs not listed that you will incur):
Wedding Gown
Barongs
Bridesmaid dresses
New clothing for bride's mother & father.
Photographer/Videographer
Food/catering including Lechon Baboy.
Wedding cake
Church rental
Reception facility
Document fees
Vehicle for bride
Vehicle for wedding party
Invitations
Wedding rings
Flowers
Entertainment/Music

[Ray]

 
Just to give you a rough idea, these are some more of the itemized cost estimates for a wedding in 2000 in Surigao City when the exchange rate was around P40/USD, so you’ll have to adjust for current prices and exchange rates.
 
This was for a traditional wedding in the cathedral with the reception at the best venue in town. She made her own ‘giveaways’ or souvenirs.
 
The invitations were outstanding and the video was much better than anything I’ve seen in the States so far.
 
The photographer charges a set fee and you buy the blank film. Then he gives you the undeveloped film after the wedding. The pictures were excellent and we keep the negatives.
　
　
Complete bridal gown and
  5 bridesmaid gowns, custom made..$375
Bride’s shoes….………………..………...........35
3 flower girl dresses……………………........30
Tailor made barong (for groom)….………22
Clothes for 5 groomsmen……………….....50
Clothes for 3 ring bearers………………….26
Home service hair stylist/makeup for
  the women……………………………….........75
Invitations (100 @ P45 ea)…………...…110
Church fee………………………………............35
Organist, singer, and choir………………..22
Church decorations/flowers………………85
Altar flowers, candles, labor……………...37
Wedding cake…………………………….......125
Photos……………………………………............75
Video………………………………………...........85
Car rental with driver (2).…………………75
Hotel reception for 210 guests, 5 course
  meal, roast pig, 2 live doves,
  executive suite, etc…………….….........750
Two extra roast pigs………………………..75 (sorry pglett) 
Souvenirs for guests………………………..25
　
　
Some of these items will require a negotiated advance deposit, usually 50% for custom dresses, food, reception venue, cars, church, flowers, etc.
　
There are also wedding accessories (candles, cord, veil, coins, etc) for a traditional kasalan (Filipino wedding) that can purchased as a package at most department stores in the malls. The giveaway souvenirs for the quests are also traditional.
　
Ray
　

[thekfc]

That is a nice breakdown Ray.   

[Ray]

 
Hey Zulu,
 
Congrats on your engagement!
 
Are you thinking of posting a trip report? I hope so...
 
 
Ray
 
 

[z_k_g]

Thanks Ray,

I'll post a trip report soon

Nice wedding detail by the way!

I totaled your list to $2112 for 211 guests.  Thats $10 per guest or 430 pesos per guest depending on the exchange rate.

Those are similar numbers to what I came up with so I think we are in the ball park with cost estimates for Heruamen or anyone else considering a wedding in Phils.

Zulu

[Ray]

I totaled your list to $2112 for 211 guests. Thats $10 per guest or 430 pesos per guest depending on the exchange rate.

　
Zulu,
　
Actually, the only items on that list dependent on the number of guests is the food & drinks, souvenirs, and invitations.
　
After the standard charge for the reception venue at a nice hotel restaurant, including setup, executive suite for one day, wait staff & kitchen staff tips, only the food portion was charged based on the number of guests eating.
 
If I remember correctly, the cost of the food portion came out to right around USD $2.50 per headed, or P100. That was for an excellent 5-course lunch with a small pig and non-alcoholic beverages included. I think I also paid an additional fee for each beer served but there were only about a dozen guests drinking beer.
 
Counting the 2 extra pigs, the cost per guest was somewhere around $3.50/head for food, drinks, souvenirs, and invitations. Try to match that in the USA!
　
Ray
 
 

[piglett]

hey Ray good thing you didn't have my wife's family there,
good god those boys can drink some beer.
 
 
pig

[thekfc]

In my wife's family neighborhood, Saturday is sing-a-long day. They would set up a Karaoke machine in the street (which they partially close) and then sing & drink unto Sunday. 

[Ray]

hey Ray good thing you didn't have my wife's family there,
good god those boys can drink some beer.
 
 
pig

 
The guys in my wife's family can drink with the best of them, but wedding receptions aren't considered a place to get smashed. My wife thought it was a weird idea I had to bring some champagne for the reception, so I dropped it. Saved some money... 
 
The wedding reception was only about 3 hours because the place was booked for 3 weddings that day.
 
After the reception, I changed clothes and retired to the hotel bar for a few rounds with some of the men of the family.
 
Later that night, there was a birthday party for my new brother-in-law at his place with plenty of drinking.
 
The next day after the wedding, there was another big party at a cousin's house where the beer & booze were flowing freely. We finally sneaked out of there after lunch to head off on our honeymoon starting in beautiful Butuan City.
 
When we got back in town after 2 weeks, some of those guys were eager to continue the celebration so I brought a couple of bottles of Tanduay Superior 12-year-old over to the island for more partying on the beach.
 
The next day after that was Easter Sunday and practically the whole Catholic Church came for an anual Easter beach picnic on the island at the wife's house. They brought about a dozen gallon-jugs of tuba and that's where the real serious drinking began.
 
Visayan men take this stuff seriously. I would put my wife's family up against your wife's family any day pig!   
 
 
Ray
 
 
 
 

[piglett]

 
The guys in my wife's family can drink with the best of them, but wedding receptions aren't considered a place to get smashed. My wife thought it was a weird idea I had to bring some champagne for the reception, so I dropped it. Saved some money... 
 
Visayan men take this stuff seriously. I would put my wife's family up against your wife's family any day pig!   
 
 
Ray

i don't know Ray
we had 6 cases of beer the day before the wedding
1 was polished off by the 2 uncles roasting the pig down on the beach. i guess pig roasting is thirsty work
 
the 5 cases remaining went really fast when our sponsors started cracking them open. then i see one of my new brother inlaws with the bottle of wine that Marily & i had received as a wedding gift. i guess he didn't want it to go bad or something so he cracked er open & started drinking it. Marily looked at her brother & then at me , i just gave her the "oh well it's open now " look & let him have at it. i hope it tasted good, i will never know.
 
 
pig