BUDGET WEDDING
ALMOST A YEAR AGO...
...i was also near breaking point. i was all over metro manila last year covering this and that WHILE AT THE SAME TIME i was arranging stuff for our wedding. didn't have a wedding coordinator (i have a limited budget) so i have to do everything on my own.
and for those who are asking me how on earth i pulled off a pretty respectable wedding under P150,000 for more than a hundred people *wink wink* this is what i can tell you...
The KISS principle. Keep It Simple, Stupid!
i was able to save a lot by keeping things simple, much to my husband's chagrin (he is more flamboyant that i am). i had to put my foot down on everything lest i lose control and let somebody else's idea of a wedding would reign. Other Half said i was a monster bride. who wouldn't be in my position at that time?
1. first, have a definite budget. i initially targeted P100,000 for everything so i canvassed around metro manila for venues and cost of feeding the guests -- and realized that it can't be done. so i told Other Half that we should do it in elbi since it's cheaper, it's where we went to school and where we met. later on i added P50,000 for incidentals. the key here is you should set a limit on how much you're willing to pay for things like a) food b)dress c) cake d) photos and video etc. etc.
then i sourced everything in elbi. it's a lot cheaper i tell you. it's a trifle inconvenient for the guests to go here (i am now in our house in elbi) but in the long run it's worth it. other people get married in calaruega and other ends of the earth pa nga eh.
1. i saved a lot of money by buying everything in divisoria. i had my embroidered wedding dress made there with the "princess" train, ultra long veil, pillows for rings and coins whatchamacallit (aras?) -- the works! whole package na siya for the same price as my husband's pina-barong from lumban, laguna. really. my mother-in-law told me that "sinong magaakala na ganito lang ang presyo nito?". i think my sister-in-law liked my dress. i can give you the name and number of my dressmaker. she's good and she was recommended to me by two of highschool classmates so subok na talaga.
2. i did away with the long entourage. just the essentials like the groom (of course!) cord and veil, candles, ring bearer and coin bearer, ninong-ninang, parents then me. yun lang. wala na yung achuchuchu na bridesmaids and groomsmen na dadamitan mo pa...
3. i told the abay to buy their own dresses. same thing with our parents and ninangs. just wear what you have so you can recycle. tipid pa. that's why i didn't have any definite motif and inaway pa ako ng photographer ko bat daw wala akong motif. sabi ko puti na lang para may freedom mga taong mamili ng damit nila.
in the case of my sisters -- kasi sila lang ang kaya kong diktahan eh -- bahala silang mamili ng isusuot nila na magagamit nila uli. gastos nila. i saved them the hassle of going to the dressmaker to have their measurements taken. it was only two or three days before the wedding that my sisters were able to buy their dresses from cinderella. nagkataon may parehong kulay na magkaibang sizes. when they bought the dresses, my ate called me up and said "o ayan may motif ka na. lime green". two days before the wedding. (kaya dear sister-in-law, pasensya na kasi wala talagang kabalak-balak na ganun ang kulay kasi biglaan na lang
) una nga balak ko anything goes na lang and bahala na si batman kung anong mangyari.it seems unconventional but i am an unconventional person in the first place. my gosh, you have to practical these days. why force people to go to a dressmaker to have their measurements taken for something they will only wear once eh busy busy ng schedules ng lahat ng tao? atsaka if they choose their own style, mas magagamit pa uli nila.
and i saved ourselves a few grand.
4. since sa probinsya ang simbahan namin, which is just a spitting distance (literally) from our house, mas mura siya compared sa lahat ng simbahan sa maynila. reservation pa lang sa mga manila cathedral-type churches P10,000 na ata eh. plus 1 year waiting. sa amin P5,000 lang ang lahat kasama na kuryente.
5. i splurged on the choir. paid P9,000 for the local choir since nakatipid naman ako sa church. a wedding will become more beautiful with choral music. sumintunado sila pero i didn't care na at that time. ihing-ihi na ako nun eh. i was past caring na. at least they sang the songs i wanted to hear on a wedding. plus sila yung kumanta ng songs during the mass.
i just had the choir play the cd i bought for the entourage music. can't remember what that was basta di siya katulad ng gasgas na gasgas na canon na pinapatugtog sa kasal. shucks, can't remember na talaga yung classical piece na yun. one choir member sang carol banawa's panunumpa for my wedding march with my mother.
6. i spent a lot of time looking for a caterer. what a wonderful caterer i found!
one february day, other half and i chanced upon the university social garden being decorated for the prom of my old highschool. the decoration was nice and it was kinda hip. i saw the possibility of having the reception there. i talked to the caterer and she happened to be just my age! we set schedule for the food tasting and menu inspection and voila! the food tasted good (sabi ng ate ko) we hired them. P430 per plate, with the flowers, decorations, tables, cutlery -- in short lahat. i initially estimated 100 people but i told my caterer that may increase so i told her i may have the final number two weeks before the big day. true enough dumagdag when we finalized the invitations. 150 people x 430 = P64,500.
not bad.
the cheapest i could get in metro manila is silahis hotel in QC parang P100,000 for 100 people.
(to be continued)
