First things FIRST
Sure na jud ka niya?
Because you’d be waking up to that face every single morning and don’t want you regretting it for the rest of your life!
We decided to have a simple DIY wedding this pandemic, wanting to have most aspects according to our liking. We also think that we could save more (and I think we did) but we wouldn’t call it a successful DIY wedding without the help of our families and friends.
So, before getting further into this guide, I just want to express how grateful we are to our loved ones, especially to our churchmates, for everything -- from pre-wedding prep to carrying chairs right after! You guys are the best!!
Disclaimer: Some terms may have changed over time. This preparation was done from January to May. The city was under GCQ and was less strict and scary. Protocols could be entirely different now.
Disclaimer 2: If you’re not up to reading the entire article or think a DIY wedding is much of a hassle, check out a few Cebu Wedding Packages we highly recommend straight to the end of the blog. Scroll down ahead! 👇
Set a Budget First
Why not the date first? Well, if you have a special date you want for your wedding day, then that’s fine. However, you have to make ends meet.
In our case, we had to estimate how much we could save for a specific time and when it came closer to our anniversary month, then that’s when we decided the date. However, it wasn’t that easy. We wanted to go for June but we needed extra funds for emergency cash so we took up a few extra jobs to get around.
You'd be more stressed if emergencies or additional fees pop up and you wouldn’t know where to get the money from kay “wala na apil sa budget” So, you end up borrowing money…
And that’s a BIG NO-NO
IF possible, please avoid borrowing or loaning money for your wedding. I know you probably think it’s your last option. Well, it may be. But you don’t want to start your life as newlyweds with ANY LOAN to pay back. Honestly, that’s a bad way to kickstart a marriage.
Most weddings get postponed because of the budget (but, of course, there’s also other factors like schedules and community quarantine shenanigans)
You both know how much you’re earning and you can estimate how much you’re willing to set aside each month and save for the wedding.
But I’m going to tell you this straight.
However, there is still a “budget-friendly” wedding -- does not necessarily mean cheap but it means sticking to your budget instead.
So, weddings in Cebu during the pandemic this 2021 is a bit costly. Suppliers are still patching up from the bookings they lost last year. So, here’s a little secret. I’m going to tell you anyway because I really wished someone told me how much it really cost.
The expected cost of the average wedding in Cebu City is…
*Drum roll, please… *
It’s just around 100K to 250K. Easy peasy.
Nah. Who am I kidding? I mean, dang. Where do you get that kind of money??? Well, that’s when the saving starts. You estimate how many months it will take to come up with that kind of money given your salary rate and other income streams (sanaol kung naay 'other income streams’ lol)
💡 Tip: A "safe range" would be 100K to 200K for your wedding budget good for 100 people. This includes the unexpected fees, I hope.
I’ll be posting a separate blog for the expected budget for weddings in Cebu and a few wedding budget hacks. Stay tuned!
Set a Date
Okay, so you’re already setting a date. Well, most people go for the weekend since a lot of people has no work. While some people would like the weekday coz people would go to work and that means lesser guests coming LOL
💡 Heads Up!
In February, flower prices are crazy expensive because you know na. It’s the LOVE month. And in December, a lot of companies and families are booking function halls for Christmas and New Year. That means more competition for you and pricier options.
How about the day of the week you should choose? Here are the pros and cons:
MONDAY
✔️ You have free time to prepare on weekends
❌ Traffic. Might be working by the end of the week (unless you have a week-long leave)
MIDWEEK
✔️ Take the rest of the week off (straight to a long weekend for your honeymoon!)
❌ LUTAW ka sa work (certainly out of focus on your job) if you’re still working on the days before
FRIDAY
✔️ Road to long weekend na dis! Perfect day if you want to jump into your honeymoon the next day! But not really applicable to a DIY wedding because you’ll know why later…
❌ Again, LUTAW ka for the whole week at work.
TIME
Most people would go for afternoons. But if you want to be a bit different, go for the mornings! However, everyone on your team might start at 2 AM. Believe me, it takes half a day to get everyone ready for the wedding.
In two weddings I’ve attended (including mine LOL), if you start at 2 PM, you’d most likely finish at 7 PM. That is, if your program is short and simple.
HI LADIES! 🙋♀️🙋♀️
Okay, this is an odd thing to say...but I’m going to share this anyway!
Choose a date where you don’t, well, er, when you don’t have your period!! I mean, imagine your wedding night! 🤷♀️
Okay, moving on.
Process Government Documents
Sharing with you that I’m a member of one of the largest, thriving non-Catholic Christian religions. And when you get married, the church is the first place to go when you want to get your documents processed.
The Head Secretary will give you a checklist of requirements that you need to fulfil and pass so that you can finalize the officiating Minister and officially set the date and locale (church) of your wedding.
In other religions, I’m not exactly sure how the process goes. But one thing I’m sure of is you must secure your Marriage License first, which you can do in these steps:
Hold on. Marriage License? Thought it was the Marriage Certificate? Here’s the difference:
- Go to Cebu City Health to ask for the list of requirements and protocols
- Get your requirements ready
- Birth Certificate (New version from PSA, not NSO)
- Certificate of No Marriage (CENOMAR)
- Cedula with signature (for the current year)
- Barangay Certificate
- Certificate of Attendance in Pre-Marital Counseling & Family Planning Seminar (right after getting a schedule)
3 . Once your requirements are screened, get a schedule for the Pre-Marital Counseling & Family Planning Seminar. Note: It took us almost a MONTH to get our schedule for the seminar.
4 . After the seminar, pass the Pre-Marital Counseling certificate and its duplicates and fill out the information for your marriage license provided by the staff.
5 . Make sure your wedding date is within the license validity. Marriage licenses expire in 4 months from the date of issue.
EXPIRATION DATES YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
Make sure not to file for your license too early or too late. Still, give it a little allowance just in case there’s going to be another community quarantine changes.
Check out the document RATES here (but this was taken last March-April and prices change without prior notice). Expect these price ranges or more, just in case:
Wedding Package? DIY Wedding? Or Both?
Here's why we chose a DIY Wedding
- We want things to go according to how we dream it to be. (We’d really love a garden wedding!)
- We want better control of our funds (without the hidden ‘hidden’ fees)
- We wanted an intimate wedding (getting a package means more people)
- We have an amazing group of friends and family who are more than willing to help (We are so blessed to have them!)
But if you have to choose a DIY wedding, you would have to face the consequences. That means making sure your checklist is specific and complete. There’s also:
- Getting in touch with suppliers and making follow-ups (this is super tiring and time-consuming. You’d spend most of your time chatting with them and making sure everything is all set!)
- Making giveaways on your own (which is kinda fun! Got to bond with my cousins)
- And don't forget the AFTERCARE. You'd be picking up chairs after the reception and returning gowns the day after (because we did -- and it was tiring. Still, we got our security deposits back and used it for our very first groceries together! Yey!)
Tools to Help you with the Wedding Preparation
Expense Manager: Mobile App
You can categorize your budget. Keeps track of all your expenses and has no limit to how much you can input! It’s an offline app so need to worry about using any data!
Pinterest
Get amazing ideas for your gown, reception design, and even giveaways on Pinterest!
Google Sheets
Helped me a lot in sorting out the guests, checklist, program flow and everything else in between. I’m more of an Excel girl but jotting things on a notebook works too!
RSVPify
Save the trees and go digital! Create a digital invitation with RSVPify by easily sending your guests a link! You can’t publish on Free Trial so we took out the Preview link and shortened it as a custom link. Premium account is around Php 500 if you’re willing.
Canva
You can create the layout of your invitation on Canva. There are wedding templates there that you can easily choose from.
Wedding Guide: Checklist to Start Planning your Wedding in Cebu
This one is a pretty rough list. It’s basically the first few drafts I had when making a checklist. I tell you, the list gets longer and more specific and messier and more confusing until you just don’t know what to do anymore 🤣
Alright, this has been a long post but hey, it doesn’t stop there!
I’ll be sharing who our Cebu wedding suppliers are and a few other great options in a separate blog! These are budget-friendly choices with great quality 👌 But of course, we have different tastes… So, I’ll leave the judging to you 😉
If you want to know how much each ‘element’ costs when having a wedding in Cebu City, stay tuned for the next blog too!
Affordable, Quality Wedding Packages in Cebu
We know a few of the people behind these amazing teams and that's why recommend these wedding planners:
- Dream Wedding and Event Planner by Girlie
- Genteel Events N Styles • Cebu Events Planner
- Beckett's Events & Services
- JUST FÈTE Events Planner and Organizer
THANK YOU SO MUCH for getting this far on the blog! I’m NOT an expert in wedding planning. But from one (previous) bride to another, I know how it feels. And it’s not easy. But the entire experience can be very fulfilling as long as you always put Got in the center of your plans and in your relationship. During all these preparations, PRAY constantly. Ask for guidance, patience, and strength, and most importantly, for a God-centered marriage. The wedding is for a day while the marriage is for a lifetime. Entrust these sacred and precious moments to Him.
So...hopefully, this helps! Good luck! ciao xx