Philippine Beach Wedding

as you may or may not know, i'm engaged...

maris and i are still debating whether to have the wedding here or be "gaya gaya" and have the wedding in the PI like russ. on that note, russ, who did you work with in the PI to plan your wedding? was it more of a headache or less of a headache? did you have to book the rooms and put a downpayment on them? or was it every guest pays for their own stay?

reason i'm asking is because we went to a destination wedding once (dominican republic) and the deal that the couple made was an all inclusive deal for about 80 guests that they had to put up front and the guests paid them back. not sure if there are more overhead headaches in planning a destination wedding as opposed to a wedding here.

just trying to gather all information i can before going back to the PI in june when we can have a chance to scope out some places. he he he...

Headaches will be there... just different types.. haha... welcome to the club!

yea... i'm trying to get a headstart on it just so i can minimize the headaches... shit we didn't even go through the guest list yet...

Buko.....dude, i SERIOUSLY hope you have your wedding in the PI!!!!!!!!! that would be da bomb diggits!!!!! as far as planning goes, it just so happened that i had a cousin who lives in Cebu, who happened to be a full-time wedding planner. she knew all the ins and outs of all the local church's rules etc..., plus she knew all the local entertainment vendors, etc.. etc.. if you do your wedding in the PI (and i hope you do), i would suggest looking into getting a local wedding planner. their prices are relatively cheap for their services, plus they end up doing alot of the legwork that you cant do being that you live here. i think Kim and i ended up paying $300 for my wedding planner cousin (that was including a generous tip). she did an excellent job...in my opinion. if you have family in Manila that offer to do alot of the legwork for your wedding, i wouldnt suggest you go that route.......and the reason why i say this is because, you will end up needing alot of legwork done, and there is only so much that you can ask your family to do (after all, it prolly is a favor from them). so try to go the wedding planner route.......you can look them up when you go to the PI in June. wedding planners definitely help you out and makes your "headaches" as you said, less. especially for a destination wedding, i cant stress that enough. as far as the hotel rooms, we never had to pay money up front for the rooms. most people stayed at the Shangri-La (which was where our wedding was), and all they wanted was an accurate figure as to who was staying there. all in all, having a wedding in the PI is much less than what you would pay here.......at the time Kim and i were planning for our wedding, the "average" wedding cost for a NJ wedding (at that time) was $40,000. for our wedding, Kim and I paid a little less than half that amount, and that was with Airplane tickets included. i remember back then, i put in a little bit of overtime at work, and i was able to pay off the reception at Shangri-La in 2-3 paychecks.....(about 1-1.5 months). again, Manila may be a bit more expensive, depending on where you plan on having it......so plan to spend a bit more just because its in Manila. the thing that makes a PI destination wedding that more special is that it will end up being a huge family reunion for your family. like for me, personally, i know for a fact that most of my cousins (who did go to my wedding) will not go back to the PI again (boyet knows my cousins, and he can vouch for that)!.....so the fact that they went to my wedding made it all that much more special. i hope this helps, and Buko....dont hesitate to look me up if you have any other questions etc.., even if you wanna give me a call meng.

thanks for the info russ...

yea, i have a lot of family there.

yea, manila is expensive and won't be as nice as cebu. but both our grandmothers are in manila and i'm pretty sure they won't be flying out to cebu or anything. my cousin who got married a year ago said he spent like $10K for a wedding and reception for 180 guests. and i bet the food was better than any catered thing you would get here. ha ha ha...

thanks man... we'll give you a call if we have any questions.

dats true man.....dat flip food was the bomb diggits!! especially the lechon!!! by the way, kim said if your fiance (ooh, you like that??) anyway, kim said if Maris has any questions at all to either e mail her - kadg777@aol.com or she can give her a call 732-841-7789. dude, there are some really nice hotels and the like in Manila!!! plus it has much more of a vibrant night life!! it should be a good time (assuming that i am invited) hehehe!!!

what nightlife might you be referring to? ha ha ha...

yea, i'll definitely feel more at home in manila (i don't speak visaya)... and if we do decide to have it in manila, i'm sure me and my bros will be more than happy to show you guys around...

thanks for your wife's (oooohhh... you like that) info. i'll let my fiancee know...

peace patis...

dude, you guys definitely have to show me around Manila. i dont usually hang out in Manila when i go back home. its pretty much just my 2 hour layover before my flight to either Cebu or Bohol. although i did hang out there for about 2 days 3 years ago...i didnt really get to experience alot of Manila cus i was with Kim and my mom. so, to make a long story short......you sandiego's have to show me around your stomping grounds if you decide to do your wedding in Manila.

russ wedding was fun.. i concur..

i dont know Kev.........you seemed to spend alot of time in your hotel room with Sheryll (if you know what i mean) to really take all of Cebu in.....hehehehehehe!!!!! just kidding Kev, Kim and I were soo glad that you came down for the wedding. we gots to do it up again in Manila, Kev!!!! Its all about the Tanduay baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

tanduay gold? ha ha ha...

there's also red horse (maris' personal favorite), san miguel strong ice, san miguel pale pilsen, etc. we can hit up the beer houses in manila if you like. usually me, my bros and my cousins just pick a no frills grill house that serve mad good pulutan and just order up drink after drink after drink... just BS'ing the whole night away... aaaaahhhhh, good times...

you're making this manila wedding sound better and better...

alright Buko!!! thats my aim.....to make this wedding-in-Manila idea sound better and better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! oh and dont forget the San Mig light. i tended to drink alot of that too. actually for me it was really Tanduay, and San Mig light. i dont think i really tried the rest. but i will for your wedding Buko. thats sounds good to me,..... a night on the town in Manila hitting up the local pubs!!! ofcourse peeps will be staring at us the whole time cus we are so damn big!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

oh and you can't forget about GINEBRA...

nice... BukoJuice all around... ha ha ha...

thanks for the call russ... sorry i couldn't pick up, i was on the road with no headset...

that information was pretty helpful. but we're getting mixed information. you're right, it could be a church thing. let's see what strings my family can pull out there... he he he...

in any case, maris asked me to ask you what made you guys decide to have the wedding in the PI? maris might give kim a call sometime to just talk details about it.

thanks again...

what made us want to have our wedding in the PI?? a couple things......one, is obviously cost. like i said, you'll be spending atleast half as much with a Philippine wedding as opposed to a US wedding (unfortunately, your guests will have to pay for plane fares though). two, is that my mom and dad retired in the PI, and my dad can't really travel that much anymore, especially long distances in a plane. so that was a major factor. obviously i wanted my mom and my dad to be there for my wedding. lastly, kim and i figured that it would be really nice to have everyone in the PI. we both have family members that have not gone back to the Philippines in ages......especially in my family!! so our wedding would also function as a big family reunion!! dude, i am telling you.....it is really special to have your family/friends in the PI for your wedding. i know you guys may be wondering who would go? can my family/friends afford to go? etc..etc..etc.. in the end, the people who you really want there, will be there! your close family and friends will not miss it, you can bet on that!! ofcourse some people won't be able to make it for some reason or another. but for our wedding, practically all my extended family was there, my close friends were there with there kids (ie. you guys), and some of kim's coworkers even made the trek to the PI.......and these people are white!!!!! in the end we had a bit over 100 peeps at our wedding. which are you guys leaning more towards??? a U.S. wedding, or a PI wedding???????

thanks for that info russ. i'm leaning towards a PI wedding... but the logistical planning is killing me. i'd like to have a beach wedding but being that my grandmother won't fly, it'll have to be a manila garden wedding. not as much fun, but cool...

if we do have the manila wedding, we would offer guests the option to come join us at a beach resort for some relaxation. but like i said, it's all dependent on how we would want the wedding set up. when june comes around, we're definitely going to take some time to check out some venues.

stay tuned...

Its me kim .. Russ mentioned you have some questions.. Tell marissa to call or email me anytime. headache is not even the word. wedding planner is key. If your planning to have it in manila you'll be spending more than if you have it in an island. there's just so much to talk about its so much easier if we talk on the phone or meet in person. kim

Xopenex wrote:Its me kim .. Russ mentioned you have some questions.. Tell marissa to call or email me anytime. headache is not even the word. wedding planner is key. If your planning to have it in manila you'll be spending more than if you have it in an island. there's just so much to talk about its so much easier if we talk on the phone or meet in person. kim

thanks kim... i'll let maris know.

Xopenex wrote:i dont know Kev.........you seemed to spend alot of time in your hotel room with Sheryll (if you know what i mean) to really take all of Cebu in.....hehehehehehe!!!!! just kidding Kev, Kim and I were soo glad that you came down for the wedding. we gots to do it up again in Manila, Kev!!!! Its all about the Tanduay baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

that's why i said it was fun HAHAHAHA.. "i did my puyat .. all night long.. to the early morn.."

Buk's, what the dilly with your wedding plans? did you ever decide to do it in the PI, or are you waiting to make that decision when you check everything out in the PI this summer?? when are you going again.....June?? dude, i wish you guys were going there 1 month later (July)....then we couldv'e met up for a night on the town in Manila. like i said, i dont really hang out too much in Manila when i go home. i pretty much just land in Manila.....then go direct to Cebu or Bohol. anyway, which are you leaning more towards.....a PI wedding, or a good ol' US of A wedding??

we'll have a decision after the PI trip. we're still weighing out the pros and cons...

he he he... sheesh... you'd think you were getting married with all these "hurry up and decide" questions... ha ha ha... j/k... it's all well in hand xop, just stay tuned...

he he he...

hey Buk's ....... any new word on the wedding planning?? got the e vite for your engagement party....i hope it's not supposed to be a surprise cus it didnt say anywhere on the e vite that its a surprise.....and if it is, sorry for ruining the surprise for you and Maris. anyway, just wondering how everything is going with the planning. you'll be leaving for the PI soon right?? when's your trip again??....i know its sometime in June. what airline you taking?? we will be going to the PI also....but about a month after you. too bad we couldnt have planned it so there would've been some overlap.........then you could've showed us around your stomping grounds (Manila).

nice... no it's not a surprise...

i think we've pretty much made up our mind. but we'll have to check on a couple of things before making the official announcement...

yea, we'll be leaving for the PI on june 25th and coming back on july 14th. we're flying cathay pacific...

yea, we'll let you guys know as soon as a final decision has been made...

damn man.........we miss you guys by 2 weeks!! we get there on the 28th of July. you guys gonna be in Manila the whole time, or you guys gonna hit any other part of the PI???? i'm looking forward to my trip to the PI this summer. i havent been there in about 15-16 months. will be nice being the tall guy again....no matter where i go, will be nice to eat at all those pinoy retaurants (forgot all their names now....the only one i remember is Max's Chicken), will be nice to eat/drink: halo-halo, mango shakes, and humongous prawns (aka shrimp), will be nice to be in an atmosphere where everyone is polite, as opposed to here where everyone is freggin rude!!! ahhh..........can't wait. you guys ever notice that the Philippines just has this certain smell?? i know everytime i arrive in the Manila airport, i could smell the "Philippines aroma/smell" in the terminals as i go to customs/baggage claim. its hard to describe....but its definitely there. its just this certain aroma that is vintage Philippines.........anyway, my cousin Joe and I both noticed that smell in past trips. funny thing is, i am going to Hawaii for a wedding from July 24th - July 28th, and then immediately going to the Philippines after Hawaii......but i am looking forward to the PI trip much more than the Hawaii part of the trip.

ha ha ha... yea, i understand the whole PI aroma. i smell it too when i get to the terminals... that's when i say "I'm HOME!!!"... ha ha ha... as wayne said on a trip we took back in 2001, i'm a totally different guy in the PI. a different swagger per say, guess it's the air...

yea, we'll be hitting up boracay, olongapo and maybe the banaue rice terraces. but we'll see... yea, we usually just chill out in manila since that's where my family and maris' family stay...

yea, too bad we'll miss each other by a couple weeks... yea, am excited as well... haven't been back since 2005. am due... it'll be a nice time to recharge...

this time around i've asked my uncle to take us to the authentic eateries. granted i love max's, shakeys, chow king, jollibee, etc., this time around we'll do the exotic cuisines. looking forward to it... maris loves seafood so we'll be hitting all those places this summer. and my uncle knows where all the great places to eat at are. he's a foodie like us. ha ha ha... so am definitely looking forward to the trip. don't know about the weight gain though. ha ha ha...