Wedding Budget Guide in the Philippines

You are 21-70 years old

You are a Filipino citizen

You have a valid government ID

A wedding is one of the biggest ceremonies and events in the life of a person, not just in the Philippines, but in the whole world. People take a long time preparing for it and spend a lot of money to have a decent and memorable wedding.

Today, we will help you sort this through, especially so if you are planning to get married soon. We will have coverage how to do a wedding budget in the Philippines, the wedding expenses list, and many more things.

Types of Filipino Wedding

There are several types of wedding ceremonies that you can choose, and it all depends on your budget.

Below are some examples.

💐 Church Wedding

Probably the most expensive one. You will perform the wedding ceremony in the church. The price also varies according to what your local church would charge for the venue. Also, the reception location is different.

💐 Hotel, Garden or Beach

This is not limited to these locations. It is really up to you to choose a venue. You can also do the wedding in the Philippines by the pool. In this case, it is not unusual that the wedding venue is also the same venue for the reception or party.

💐 Civil Wedding

This is the most affordable wedding ceremony. Here, you will get married in a government office. On some occasions, that marriage officer can also conduct this in your house. It is up to you to take your guests to a reception venue.

If you choose to conduct your wedding in the reception venue, you can either invite a priest or a government officer to do it there. Whether it is a priest, pastor or government officer, make sure that he is licensed to conduct weddings. This is an important part of the wedding budget in the Philippines.

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Basic Requirements of Wedding in the Philippines

All types of weddings have to be official in the eyes of the government. As such, there are some requirements that you have to prepare. Below is a Filipino wedding checklist for the Philippines that we have prepared for you.

• Certified true copies of birth certificates

You need to prepare this for you and your partner. You can only get this in the National Statistics Office (NSO).

• Affidavit of parental consent

This only applies if you or the partner is less than 21 years of age. If you are above this age cut-off, there is no need for this document. By the way, you cannot get married in the Philippines if you are below 18.

• CENOMAR – this stands for Certificate of No Marriage

It is a document proving that you have not been married before. Bigamy or getting married twice in the Philippines is illegal. You can also get this document of NSO.

• Certificate of Attendance in pre-marriage counselling

You can get this in your local municipality. You can also get this in a licensed church or in your Department of Social Welfare and Development.

• Community Tax Certificate

This is also called Cedula. You have to pay for this at the local municipality.

• Barangay Clearance

You can get it at your barangay office.

Civil Wedding Requirements in the Philippines

All civil wedding requirements in the Philippines in 2024 are the same as what a church will ask for. Prepare the original and photocopies of your documents. You will also have to prepare 1×1 photos. Finally, once you have all these, you can sign a marriage license application form in the local government office and then get your license to marry.

You can obtain a marriage certificate at the Civil Registry Office. It costs Php 330.00 to obtain the document. The documents are processed in about 10 days. You can get married after receiving the certificate within 120 days; after the expiration of this period, the document is considered invalid. Keep this in mind so that you can have your wedding in time and not spend extra money on a new certificate.

Once you have the marriage license, you can now plan for the rest. Requirements for church weddings in the Philippines are the same. But there are additional requirements for foreign nationals who are going to get married in the Philippines. Aside from the documents listed above, they also need to provide:

• A Divorce Certificate (if there was a case of divorce).
• Certificate of legal capacity to marry.
• Naturalization document (if the foreigner has taken Philippine citizenship).

Take note that it does not matter if you are having a civil wedding or a church wedding in the Philippines. All of these requirements must be prepared. If you are going to have a church wedding, your local priest or pastor can help you out.

When planning a solemnization event, keep in mind that the civil wedding cost in the Philippines also depends on who is conducting the marriage ceremony. For example, a ceremony conducted by a judge will cost the most. As a fee he will have to pay from Php 8,000.00 and up. Much cheaper is the work of the mayor — about Php 300.00 or even free if the event is held at the City Hall.

How to calculate the Wedding Budget in the Philippines?

So, how will you calculate the wedding budget? The civil wedding ceremony in the Philippines is really cheap – you will not spend a lot of money here.

The key concern is the food, wedding ring, gown, and venue. Yes, you also have to consider the decorations like flowers and all that. As a result, a wedding budget in the Philippines can go up to Php 100,000.00 or more. To be able to calculate this, you need a wedding planner for notes on the wedding budget in the Philippines.

Here are the things you need to think about:

✅ Gown – you can rent it or own; it is up to you. Rentals for both the bride and groom can go up to Php 10,000. Owning it can cost you upwards of Php 50,000.

✅ Venue – the price varies. Typically, venues are rented between Php 5,000 and Php 10,000 per day.

✅ Food – prepare at least Php 300 per plate. Mid-sized weddings cost Php 500 or Php 1,000 per plate in a restaurant or wedding venue.

✅ Cake and others – wedding cakes can cost between Php 5,000 and Php 10,000. If you want, you can also have the all-time Filipino favourite called Lechon (roasted pig) which can cost at least Php 7,000.

Now, there are some couples who want to party and have a band. If you do this, you will need to prepare another Php 20,000.

If you want a simple civil wedding package, then you will have to prepare at least Php 20,000–30,000 wedding budget in the Philippines for the food and venue, which you can do for 20 to 30 people.

However, this cost is unlikely to include spending on clothes. And this is an important and quite expensive part of the wedding ceremony. To have enough money to buy decent clothes and accessories for the bride and groom, you need to have at least Php 50,000.00 wedding budget in the Philippines.

To give you a clear understanding of the costs and the average cost of a wedding in the Philippines, we have prepared a detailed table.

Php 300k Wedding Budget in the Philippines

A wedding budget of Php 300k gives the bride and groom a lot of choices. For example, this money will be enough to hold a church wedding with a large number of guests and a lavish banquet. Or you can have a civil wedding on a yacht, which usually accommodates up to 50 people and hire a catering service that will serve the guests right on board the fancy boat. Don’t forget about the DJ, light and sound design and then your wedding for Php 300k will be unforgettable.

Php 100k Wedding Budget in the Philippines

Organizing a memorable wedding for Php 100k is quite possible. But there are a few things to consider: Narrow down the guest list. This will allow you to spend more money on the celebration itself.

Get married out of season. For example, don’t choose December — the peak of the holiday season. Or Saturday — the most popular day to get married. In this case, you will definitely manage to book a place for the celebration at a lower price.

Have the ceremony and the reception in the same place. This way you can save on transportation costs. Rent wedding clothes and accessories. This will significantly reduce the cost of the event. And the dress and suit then will not be dusty and take up space in the closet.

Php 50k Wedding Budget in the Philippines

Even though Php 50k is a small amount for a wedding in the Philippines, you can still make the day unforgettable. First, consider all those points we mentioned above about peak season, dress rentals, and reduced transportation costs. Secondly, try to find a cheap or even free place for the celebration. For example, maybe one of your relatives or acquaintances has a fairly large garden or a site near the swimming pool. There you can hold the ceremony and the celebration itself. You may have to reduce the guest list and refuse to invite distant relatives and casual acquaintances. And to save money on the DJ and music, you can ask one of your guests to make a suitable playlist in advance.

Php 20k Wedding Budget in the Philippines

A wedding ceremony with a budget of Php 20k does not involve a large scale and number of guests. It may be better for the newlyweds to opt for a marriage ceremony and a town hall, which the mayor can hold for free or for a small fee.
The celebration itself can be held on the beach or in a restaurant with an inexpensive menu, but cozy atmosphere. Decorations for the event can be made with your own hands, you can make gifts for guests and relatives. You can ask one of the friends invited to the wedding to take photos and video of the event.

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Simple Church Wedding Cost in the Philippines

Church wedding costs in the Philippines in 2024 are much more expensive. If you arrange a church wedding, you will have to pay for other things like church decoration, cars, and so much more.

The simple church wedding in the Philippines will cost Php 6,000.00–15,000.00.

For this money, the newlyweds will get a wedding ceremony with a small number of guests, a choir, and simple floral decorations for the aisle and altar.
Those who want to invite more guests, decorate the church with gorgeous flowers and hire wedding photographers will have to pay Php 300,000.00 or more. Of course, this cost may include clothes for the bride and groom, food, and so on. In any case, the price of getting married in a church is several times more expensive than a civil ceremony.

Filipino Wedding Checklist

What about the checklist, you say? What things do you really need to prepare? In this section, we will provide you with some things you have to think about.

✔ Documents – these are government documents that we have discussed earlier.
✔ Wedding rings – pick a wedding rings for you and your spouse.
✔ Photo and video – hire a professional videographer.
✔ Food – think of the type of food you want to serve.
✔ Wedding Dress – the wedding gown and dresses for the bridesmaids.
✔ Hair and Makeup – find a professional stylist.
✔ Wedding Cake  – find a good pastry chef.
✔ Venue – this is the venue for the wedding and the reception.
✔ Car – the bridal car that will take you at the hotel to the church to the venue.
✔ Giveaways – things you give to your guests as a memento.

These are the things you have to plan for. The most important are the documents and the wedding ring. That’s definitely enough of your wedding budget. The rest are things that you can do without. In the Philippines, you only need a few witnesses to make the wedding legal.

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Tips for saving money on wedding expenses

There are some ways by which you can save money on your wedding, and below are some of them.

• Do it off-season – do not get married in the summer because venues are more expensive; also, do not get married on a Saturday as it is the most favoured day so venues are also expensive.
• Get reasonable – be reasonable with the things you will spend on like the wedding ring. Get something that you can actually afford.
• VIPs only – invite only those people who really matter to your life; your wedding should not be a feast for all.
• One venue only – ditch the church wedding if you could; get married in a location you will also have the party.

When getting married, you are starting a new life. It is alright to spend and borrow money, but make sure it is an amount that you can pay within a year. So you must learn how to do a wedding budget in the Philippines.

Other Wedding Expenses You May Overlook

No matter how carefully you calculate your wedding budget, there can always be unexpected expenses that you have missed. To prevent this from happening, study the list below:

• Accessories. In addition to clothing and shoes, a wedding look wouldn’t be complete without earrings, necklaces, watches, belts, and cufflinks.
• Additional catering costs. Some catering services use disposable tableware in their service or charge extra for using china or glassware. Not always the cost of service includes the services of a bartender or waiters. So that these costs do not become an unpleasant surprise, clarify these points when placing an order.
• Furniture and decoration. Of course, tables and chairs should be included in the rental price, but they do not always match the style of the wedding. You will have to buy new chair covers and tablecloths for the tables or even completely replace the furniture at your own expense. Consider these costs in advance.
• Parking. It’s great if there is free parking near the wedding venue. Otherwise, you’ll have to pay for parking for guests’ cars or bring them to the ceremony site on a hired bus.
• Pay for overtime hours. If the celebration lasts longer than planned, you will have to pay the waiters, bartender, photographer, and other service staff an additional fee.

Digido Loan for Wedding Expenses

If you think you are short on cash, you can file a loan for your wedding needs. One name you can rely on for a wedding loan in the Philippines is Digido. It is an online facility that grants loans with no collateral required.

All you have to do is to go to the company’s website and apply for a loan for wedding expenses. The company will ask you for some documents to verify your identity, after which you will get approved in as short as 4 minutes.

The beauty of what the company’s offers is that they provide wedding loans with no guarantor. You can also apply for a personal loan for wedding expenses.

With Digido to help you out, you can have the wedding that you have dreamed of even if you are short on cash.

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Summary

As you can see, a civil wedding in the Philippines in 2024 is the best option if you are on a tight budget. There really is no need for a judge fee for a civil wedding in the Philippines unless you want a judge to be the one to marry both of you.

If you were to get married today, identify how much budget you will need by asking around – at gown shops to make-up costs to reception. The actual cost of paying for the ceremony is affordable: the documents are cheap, and the payment of officiating persons are also affordable.

What you will be spending on are the wedding ring, the reception, and the food. But do not worry, Digido is always here to give you a helping hand if you need money.

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Authors

Digido Financial Writers Team

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Digido Financial Writers Team is a team of experts in the field of finance and credit, specializing in writing articles for Digido blogs.

Anna Kireeva

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Anna is a marketing communications professional who specializes in digital marketing strategies and long-form content.

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