Best Time of the Day to Get Married

What is the best time to conduct a wedding ceremony? Most wedding ceremonies take place in the afternoon so that the reception time will take place at night and the after party breaks until dawn. But not every couple follows this tradition. 

If you are wondering what time you would want your wedding to happen, whether breakfast, lunch or dinner is the best time for a wedding for you, check out these advantages of each time of the wedding:


Sunrise Wedding (5am, 6am)

 Pros
If your wedding venue is strategically located facing the East, then this is the perfect time for you to say "I DO" with a feeling of a bright tomorrow awaits you as the sun rises and greets your wedding with a soft light to begin the day.


Cons
This is probably a dreaded time for most Filipinos. It can be too early for most people especially that in the Philippines, Filipino Time is usually 30 minutes late and conducting a wedding ceremony at this time will pose a major setback in preparations and arriving on time.

Your wedding suppliers may have additional charge for setting up very early or the day before for your wedding.

The Solution: This is best for an intimate wedding of about 50 guests housed in one venue the night before. Everyone should be in the same place for easy call time and gathering of the guests and entourage at early dawn. 



Morning Wedding (8am, 9am, 10am, 11am)

Pros
These time slots are best for people who want to enjoy the rest of the afternoon and night with their family, friends and guests who may have come a long way to attend their wedding. The wedding ceremony and reception will usually end at the most 2pm so there is plenty of time for an afternoon or dinner bonding with out of town guests without going beyond the time indicated for supposed "first night" of the newlyweds.

Cons
If your wedding will be held in the city, expect morning traffic. And if your wedding falls on a weekday or holiday rush, expect more traffic. Aside from working people and students rushing to get to their designated places, the holiday rush may also bring out more people out in the streets to get what they need in time for the holidays - think Christmas. Whew!

The Solution: Choose a hotel near the church or choose a location where the distance between the ceremony and reception will be bearable to transport. Avoid choosing dates that people are still at work and special holidays when people will be roaming the streets - like parades and Christmas holidays.


Afternoon / Sunset Wedding (2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm)

Pros

Most weddings are held in the afternoon because primarily it gives the couple and their families and friends to have enough time to prepare and run errands that may be needed during the wedding - like buying socks or belt because they forgot to bring theirs on the preparation site. Wedding suppliers will also have enough time to do their tasks at their most working mood because these are the time slots when normal working hours is conducted.

Cons
If you are having an outdoor wedding specially in the Philippines where the climate is tropical, these time slots may still be a little humid with the rays of the sun too strong to stand in. Sometimes, rain might interrupt the ceremony.

The Solution. Provide umbrella for the guests and entourage witnessing the ceremony. Choose a location where there is a canopy of trees or a garden tent to shield the people from heat and moisture.


Sunset Wedding  (6pm, 7pm, 8pm)

Pros
These time slots are best for people who want to get the party going all night. Sunset weddings are romantic and dreamy specially if held in the open with the night sky full of twinkly stars. If you start the ceremony about thirty minutes before the sunset forecast, you may have a cozy sunset rays just in time for your first official husband-wife kiss.

Cons
This is not so appealing to the some people specially the older ones and those with infants and children since it can start too late and end too late which can alter their sleeping routines. Some older people and children may not have the energy to finish through the night.

The Solution: Prioritize the elders and children during the program so that if they wanted to go home ahead, they would already have participated on their part of the program.



Depending on the location, venue, weather and type of people attending the wedding, every wedding is a perfect time to celebrate at any given time of day. But of course, you must put in mind that your wedding is a mix of two families and friends and so it is also crucial to consider your attendees to have a comfortable and fun experience during your wedding.

In all time slots, it is best to check the weather forecast for the day before, during and after your wedding so you would know what to expect.

Happy Wedding Planning!

Tete-a-tete!

Wedding Costs in the Philippines

I have seen a lot of wedding themes and attended to some of the simple elegant to the extreme elegant wedding events. With the extremely elegant type, all I can ever say is that this couple is filthy rich! I researched the internet for a detailed cost of weddings in the Philippines and found very few informative sources about it. So I decided to help many of the wandering brides-to-be on preparing their wedding budget without draining their life savings.

For the majority of people in the middle class with meager income, weddings are sure disaster to the finances. Weddings in the Philippines will cost  as affordable as P50,000 pesos (USD $1163)* to as much as 1Million or more! Of course, it will depend much on the choices of the couple on their ideas for their wedding. The more intricate their ideas, the more expensive it would take.

The cost of weddings in the Philippines in this present year has tripled in the last 10 years. If your idea of a beautiful wedding is holding it in the first class hotel function rooms then prepare yourself for a snowball of expenses in the wedding reception. The most affordable rate for a first class hotel reception would probably be P550 pesos (USD$13)* per head count to as much as P1200 pesos (USD$28)* per guest. However, it is customary that the groom will shoulder most, if not all, of the costs in Philippine weddings. Nowadays, the couple usually decides to split the wedding costs or to assign to which side will the expenses be shouldered.

As a wedding and events planner, my belief is that people don't have to spend so much on extra wedding details because THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE WEDDING EVENT IS THE  CEREMONY OF COMMITMENT and not the decorations and other stuff. The essence of every wedding is the celebration of union of two lovers who willingly and decisively commit to each other.

Not that decorations and other stuff are not important anymore, sometimes, the real purpose of the wedding is diverted to how the families have spent on outside things to IMPRESS THIER GUESTS AND IMPROVE THEIR SOCIAL STANDING IN THE SOCIETY instead of being present in the occasion and enjoying the celebration of love. But still, I leave that to the couple and their families who will spend their hard-earned money on things they want to do in their wedding.

You don't have to end up a poor rat after the wedding. There are many ways to achieve your ideal wedding event without breaking the bank. Keep in mind that the true essence of the wedding event is your commitment to each other. All else are negligible details. But if you have that extra cash, you can always indulge your fancy how ever you may please. After all, it's your money and you alone can decide how to spend it.

So here's an estimate of the expenses that wedding costs in the Philippines:

Gowns and Tux Rental - 2,500 - 8,500

Wedding Officiate (Pastor or Priest) - 1,000 - 3,000 

Photo/Video Coverage - 10,000 - 35,000

Food (100 guests) - 45,000 (450/head)

Florist/Decorator - 30,000 +

Wedding Planner - 20,000+

Cake (5layers) - 5,000 - 10,000

Souvenirs (80 pieces) - 10,000 - 12,000

Invitation Cards (80 pieces) - 8,500 - 12,000

Emcee - 2,500

Wedding Singer - 1,500

Wedding Singer with band - 3,500

Van Rental - 3,500/day

Hotel Accommodation - 1,500 - 2,500 / night

The wedding costs in the Philippines is an estimate of the possible expenses. Actual wedding costs may vary depending on wedding supplier and location.

I hope this article has helped you and would help a lot of couples planning to tie the knot this year and the future lovers in the years to come.


For a detailed costing on your ideal wedding in the Philippines, email me at leahjacobe@gmail.com.




*(USD$1=PhP43)