How To "I Do": D & S style

As what we normally hear, marriage is the union of two persons, formed into one unit -- a day where couples exchange their vows and "I do's" in front of special people in their life. It could be as beautiful and as dramatic as one may opt. After all, it's THE day.

What's even better is that you can do it at a fraction of the cost of a Church wedding!

In the Philippines, one would think that a civil wedding it as easy as just exchanging vows and the whole shebang. There are a lot of things to consider when planning -- the time, budget, number of heads, and a other minor details that you'd like to include.

You could just sit and wonder, "where do I start?"

Careful planning and organization is the key. Never miss or skip steps in the process. You may think for a second that skipping a part of the process shortens it, when in fact it could be an essential element that could prolong your agony if missed.

Being hands-on with this "project", I was able to learn a lot about how civil weddings work, particularly here in Mandaluyong. I will just be enumerating steps of what we did before.

1. We got an application from for the marriage license from the Office of the Civil Registrar (OCR, new building, 2nd floor, left side). The staff are very friendly and accommodating to any questions you may have along the way! Go Mandaluyong! For the requirements and other details, click here.

• You may also inquire through Mandaluyong City's trunk line, 532-5001 local 234. The line could be busy most of the time, so patience here my friends. 

2. Prepared PhP170 for the notarial services, registration and filing fees.

3. While waiting for the marriage license, we attended the pre-marriage seminar. Details are here.

4. After getting the marriage license, we proceed to the Office of the Court of Clerk (OCC). This can be found at the Mandaluyong City Hall of Justice, ground floor. Prepared PhP330 for processing.

5. Attended the "raffle" to determine which judge will officiate the wedding. In our case, we had Hon. Carlos A. Valenzuela from branch 213.

Hon. Carlos A. Valenzuela: A very nice and good-natured person

6. After the raffle, we proceeded to branch 213 to get "your honor's" schedule. We booked October 26, since my family had to fly to New Zealand on the 27th. The only available time was 10:30 am. So we took it!

After all the steps, this was the only time when we started to book the hotel reception, the photographer, and the other stuff. In other words, the rest would be garnishes of the main course, or the icing of the cake!

Stuff you STILL need to know about civil weddings:

1. If you have a wedding date in mind, do not fully commit to it. You will have to book the date with the judge's secretary before making any reservations to your suppliers.

2. Couples should always be flexible with the schedule, instead of running into a hectic "hearing" date where you have to wait for your turn before you get inside. What is this, waiting for a Jollibee Kiddie party to finish before you can start yours? Or maybe unless you would prefer a distraught, haggard judge officiating the rites. Yes, on YOUR day!
 
3. Civil weddings are now strictly held in the judge's "sala" (court), so forget about out-of-town weddings, unless you are holding it in a provincial court.
 
4. The Mandaluyong City Mayor can officiate a wedding every Tuesday. 

5. There are NO weddings held on a weekend, just only during business hours. 

6. It takes about 7-10 business days before claiming the marriage license. You have to think of other things to do, like attending the pre-wed seminar than to sit around waiting for it. More information here. 

7. "Raffling" of judges are only held every Thursday at 1PM.
 
8. There is NO fee after the wedding although it is customary for us Filipinos to give a small token of gratitude for the judge and his staff, for accommodating such a special event. Besides, even if you invite them to your reception, most would not make it because of the office hours. In our case, we provided them with food and simple gifts. 

9. Getting the NSO copy of the marriage certificate may take long, depending on your municipality. In my case, I was able to get it in less than 3 months after my wedding date. Other municipalities may take longer.

What were the steps that you took on your wedding day? Was it the same as what we did here in Mandaluyong?

Getting a Marriage License in the Philippines

I remembered in one of our T.H.E/H.E.L.E (home economics) classes, the teacher discussed about marriage and its pre-requisites, which I did not really pay much attention to. Besides, who KNEW that one day it would come in handy?

But seriously, who would still remember any topic in elementary, especially those of no relevance at that point? I do remember though, that Mrs. Garrido and Mrs. Santos were the ones giving out the lessons in class.

Now, I realize its worth. There are not a lot of people who know the process. So hopefully this somehow helps.

One of the essentials, or rather THE essential, is the marriage license. This official piece of paper is your ticket to marry anyone, whether you opt to marry in church or the court.

Sample specimen (from http://linmarrdavao.com/images/Tribute/Philippine%20Marriage%20License%20Specimen.jpg):

I wasn't able to get a pic of the license, but this was indeed the same form we used. This form will be obtained from the Office of the Local Civil Registry (OLCR)

To get a marriage license, you need the following:

1. NSO Birth Certificates
2. Certificate of No Marriage (CENOMAR), also called Cert. of Singleness -- also from NSO
3. Parental consent -- ages 18-21; Parental Advice 22-25
4. Passport-size photos
5. Residence Certificate (CEDULA) -- of the person who lives in the municipality/city.
6. Pre-marriage seminar -- for more info on schedules, etc, click here.
7. Barangay Clearance
   
8. Marriage License Application form

Quick facts:

1. NSO Serbilis Centers release birth certificates on the same day, if requested on mornings. Otherwise, it is released the following business day.
2. It would take approximately 2 weeks to get the CENOMAR from NSO Serbilis Center.
3. Personal Appearance is required when submitting requirements, but claiming can be done by either one of the persons who applied.
4. Prepare PhP170 for the fees: marriage registration fee (PhP10) and filing fee (PhP50). This will be paid at the municipal cashier (ground floor of the new city hall building). The remaining PhP110 will be for the notarial services at the OLCR.
   
5. Seminars are conducted by the City hall's health department. A certificate will be given after. There is no fee, but donations will be appreciated.
   
6. Marriage License will only be released after you have submitted the certificate for the pre-marriage seminar, usually after 7-10 business days from date of application.

Since I married a foreign national, additional requirements are needed before getting the marriage license. You can find more information here.

Union of D&S (behind the scenes) -- 10.26.09

Planning a wedding is always very stressful for most brides (and the groom), especially those deemed as "bridezillas". I don't blame them because you can have your wedding once, so why not make it as nearly perfect as it should? It makes a whole lotta sense since we are formed in a crazy society where people are all boxed up (abu..hehe) as to what a perfect wedding should be like.

However, I didn't have to sweat a bit in orchestrating this wedding. I believe keeping it simple is the key. After all, what's important is the exact, actual exchange of vows. The rest are simply garnishes of a main dish.

D and I had to opt for a civil wedding due to time (and proximity) constraints. With less time before he gets deployed at some random undisclosed location, we simply couldn't afford to really plan a church wedding. The possibility of having canceled reservations from suppliers and contacts is extremely high, (and so would stress levels be!) because of the nature of his work. Maybe at a later time, perhaps we could do this church ceremony. A civil ceremony would have to do for now.

We had an agreement that I will be the one taking care of everything (filing, compiling, logistics) while he's in charge of the paperwork and finances.

After taking care of the legalities and finalizing the date, I had nothing left to do but to take care of the reception. It was already September when the date was finalized as civil wedding dates could never be arranged unless you know a judge who may be available to solemnize the rites.

D and I had to finally talk about the guest list. We have come to an agreement to strictly invite immediate family members only -- ensure that we still keep this as simple as it should. We also believe that it is not necessary to impress relatives, unlike when we invite friends. So less stress! With little time, we had to contact everyone with an RSVP. I even designed an evite for Multiply and Facebook relatives.

Save the Date!

I was in touch with different hotels within Mandaluyong to get the best rates for 40 heads. I didn't do ocular inspections as I was really not that particular with the how function rooms would look like. Bottom line, all function rooms are plain and boring. I was more focused on getting the best rate. Then I saw this promo from Legend Villas. When I showed D the packages available, he was sold to the idea of having the reception held there! Not only the place was accessible to both families, but everyone could enjoy a variety of dishes from the set buffet package.

We decided to go to the Legend Villas at the Lola Maria Restaurant when he came here last September to check out the food. He was instantly into it! I was really happy that we both liked it there...the ambiance, the service, the food! -- the many reasons why I was not that worked up about the wedding.

After placing the reservations, now what?

Since I had a lot of time on my hands, I was able to put in some add ons.

I will just blog about the festivities some other time. 

Did you get to have a stress-free, hassle-free wedding? Share now! :)

Pre-wedding preps on the go! -- 10.25.09

D had this craving for Filo food (again!). Being the loving w2b, we headed to the Powerplant mall to satisfy again the grumbling tummy. Went to Dencio's for a Filipino treat -- sizzling foodies.



After which, went to Lulubelle for another try at their fro yo. This time we tried the green tea flavored one, and mochi soon became D's staple topping for fro yo's.

After the treat, we then headed off to Wow Salon to have my hair and feet done. D also loves the foot spa treatment. Once there, saw mom, kyla and the twins, also having their hair done. Mom needed to add colour to hide the age (lol).

Mom and Kyla

The taming of the hair!

After that, went for a hearty meal at where else, R&J's!

With my tamed crowning glory

The following day would be the start of the rest of my life. Choz.

For complete pics:

Happy Birthday Lola with Estrel's Caramel Cakes -- 09.17.09

Lola's birthday was last year, and D was able to join the celebration. This was also the semi-pamamanhikan as D's Aunt and Uncle were part of this. Usually we'd celebrate lola's birthday with a dinner at some resto nearby the house. but, as "lolas" get tired from walking on a distance that younger people could easily manage, we held her birthdays at home. This year was D's first celebration with the Perezes, together with his uncle and aunt (his parents were still... abroad). in turn, this also was our "pamamanhikan".

Ever since we celebrated lola's birthday at home, we would order one. These made-to-order cakes should be ordered at least 2 days in advance, to be picked up on the arranged date. If you have no time to pre-order, they also have on-shelf cakes available, but in very limited quantities.

Lola is not really a fan for sweets, but she does like Estrel's Caramel Cakes so it's a real treat!














What makes this cake simply unique is the intricate icing flowers that adorn the cake.

Estrel's Contact Details:
Estrel's Caramel Cakes (Since 1947)
54 Sct. Tobias cor. Sct. Limbaga, Quezon City
Ph: 371-7938

For the complete pics:

Pre-marriage Counseling at the Mandaluyong City Hall -- 09.16.09

So what is this about?

Before getting married the legal way, couples must attend the family planning orientation, or known as the "pre-marriage counseling" c/o the Mandaluyong City hall's City Health Office (CHO).

Some people would "skip" it and go ahead with their wedding. We didn't. Aside from the fact that we have no choice because our license will not be released, Dave and I were curious as to how folks here conduct counseling in our hometown. We find this also as a "rare" opportunity -- rare in a sense that we can only do this once in our lifetime. After all, there is and will only be ONE wedding.

Here's a sneak peek on how this thing goes:

Pre-marriage counseling in Mandaluyong only comes once a week at a certain time (Wednesday, 1:00PM). The session is only good for couples aged 25 years old and above, but those who fall below this age category must instead attend the DSWD seminar.

Seminars are usually done in CHO. However, since we had quite a number of couples attending, the venue was moved to a courtroom-like area. I forgot though the actual name of the room. lol.

The first guy who spoke actually started to give an orientation about the process of getting a marriage license, and other how-to's.

What other people don't realize is that there are really important reminders out there that are not really new to most of us. However, hearing it from a 3rd party professional would get the message across the soon-to-be-wed couples.

City Health Officer teaches the "natural" method of family planning through a marker, 

similar to that of a rosary.

After discussions on reproductive health, different methods of family planning and the importance of foreplay before the intercourse (oh yeah, no holds barred on the terms used), the seminar ended at 4:00pm. Since everyone in the venue were deemed to be "mature" audiences, no censor was necessary.

Just right after the entire thing, we received the certificate.

Next, we would be getting our marriage license!

Couple's Foot Spa at Wow Salon -- 09.15.09

Dave always wanted to have his feet done.

When I first met him, with matching pinkish merthiolate-made toes (sorry baby, can't resist!), I knew that he would enjoy pampering his feet.

So for this day we became Spartans as we trudged Greenhills. One of our pitstops everytime we visit the mall is DnD because of the super-sulit siomai all-you-can. As a dimsum-lover, this is a steal! :) 

After a sumptuous fill, we walked around some more and tried to ride an FX that would go to Ortigas. How convenient it was! For only PHP10, you could get to Galle, The Podium, Megamall or even Shangri-La via crossing. So we decided to get off at Megamall since Dave has this craving for Mang Inasal. 

Sooner, we found ourselves walking towards Crossing (yes, we love walking together!) so that we can get to that tricycle terminal near Bermuda (Hahaha!). We asked the trike driver to drop us off at McDo Barangka (fyi, this was where we first met! Hehe! Mush much?!). From McDo we walked a few meters to Wow Salon.

This is a salon that Dave and I frequented because of the super affordable services, but no short in c-h-e-a-p from the satisfying results for each service availed. My family also would come here for our regular haircuts and treatments.

Their foot spa is an amazing PHP250, which is a combo of a foot soak, foot scrub, foot rub, a quick massage and a pedicure.

A colorful mural of all the services jazzes up walls on the foot spa area

Nothing beats spending time with your partner on simple pleasures like these. No matter what activity you both partake, but it's how you did it together counts.


Complete photos here:

Trip to the US Embassy and elsewhere -- 09.14.09

Like what was mentioned earlier, Dave went back to the Philies to have some paperwork done. Part of the many things we needed to do was to wake up on the break of dawn to get to the US Embassy, Manila. 

You see, since he became a naturalized US citizen only last May '09, the requisites for marrying a foreign national is not really as complex as it seems. The difference is only in the form of paperwork to be submitted. Also, make sure that the marriage is well-planned for smooth execution -- no shortcuts here, and it should not be something that you would just jump into, I may add.


For instance, in our case, we need to go down to the US embassy for him to get a "Legal Capacity to Marry". Actually, I don't have to be there for him to get this piece of paper. I only tagged along so that I know how the process goes. 

All I knew was we have to be early as the lines in the embassy could already be long by 5AM. We were correct! There were already about 20 people in queue at the gates by 5:00AM! Good thing, Dave already has a "blue" passport, which only means that he has a separate queue -- and he was first! Yay!

Things to know when going to the US Embassy, Manila:

1. Plan ahead - Some offices in the Embassy could only accommodate requests on a certain date or time. Sometimes, only a certain number of people can be accommodated. Be sure to contact first the Embassy for schedules, or check their website.
   
2. Always bring your passport. No passport, no entry -- simply put.
   
3. Be at least an hour earlier or 2 if you have an appointment.
4. If you don't have an appointment, it is advisable to go as early as 5:00AM to avoid long queues, and to avoid missing cut-offs for quotas or times.
   
5. Cellphones/cameras/electronics are not allowed inside. They are to be left on the counter upon entering the gate. You will be leaving another valid ID to deposit your gadgets. 
6. Gates open at 8:00AM, but they let in a few people by 7:30AM
   

I ended up waiting at the Yellow Cab pizza, which is open 24 hours, since I forgot to bring my passport. Dave then had to fall in line. 

Once I've finished the Charlie Chan Chicken pasta I ordered, I went to Starbucks just right across to have some morning coffee. By that time, it was already 6:00AM and Dave was still on queue. We were just exchanging text messages until the time he went inside the embassy, which was around 7:30AM. 

By that time I got really bored that I had to read ALL the magazines inside Starbucks. If you ask me whether I remember what I learned, I'll just answer no. Haha! 

After this, we decided to go home and relax for a while (actually naligo kasi we didn't have time to take a bath that morning coz we were rushing! Haha!).

So we then went to Trinoma and tried Steak Sizzlers located at the 2nd floor food court. The meal was very filling and very affordable.  I think the sizzling steak below was probably at the PHP100-130 range.

After walking around looking for a wedding band, and several pictures taken later, we decided to get some fro yo (frozen yogurt). And since we were already in Trinoma, the best way to satisfy this urge is to run down at Red Mango! 

Now that's some craving! 

For complete pics: 

Bridal Shower -- 09.05.09

Bridal Shower -- 09.05.09

I never thought I'd be having a bridal shower.

After visiting the themesandmotifs bridal fair (previous album), Roby told me that we should "pass by a friend's place" before calling it a day. She said that it had something to do with the wedding. I was told to drive by Amber Golden Plate Restaurant at Filmore where she picked up some food to bring her "friend". It actually looked quite fishy that Roby got a LOT of food. There was pancit, barbecue, and that yummy pichi-pichi. Now I started to get hungry and asked if it's really okay to eat at her "friend's place". It should be fine she said.

Of course, nahiya naman ako and thought "Okay lang kaya yon?" not suspecting a thing at all yet, we headed off to Astoria Plaza.

Total surprise.

It was Charm who opened the door. Katie, Mye and Cha were already inside! Like OMG! While waiting for others, we showed them our loot bags from the Bridal Fair, including those wacky photobooth sessions.

The arrival of other guests soon got the party starting as to wonderful food from Amber's were there. A party ain't a party without the flowing booze! How I missed drinking!

Bridal shower parties would not be complete without games and more surprises! We first had the relay which involves a lotion, a cucumber and a condom (see a visual?).

Next, there was this "How well do you know Dave and Shelley game" participated by Qtie, Raunche and Renchie Lou. The questions asked were insane and probably rated PG so answers and questions won't be revealed here (lol). It eventually turned into "How well do you know Dave" as the questions all had to do with him!

After Renchie had won the quizzie, we had another game where we 3 teams need to design a bridal gown using only tissue paper. Riot as my team was running out of ideas. Even if Raunche was supposedly on the queer side, he said he wasn't "blessed" with kalandian skills. So we lost (haha!).

A bridal shower wouldn't be called such if there wouldn't be a dancer! Oh, yes, dancer. There was dancing for a while, and then it ended up with a kwentuhan instead as the dancer was incredibly too young to molest (joke!). He is actually Daddy Monchie's "friend" (thanks dad! :D).

The night ended up in giving away souvenirs and gifts. Thanks to all the wonderful people who gave their best wishes before calling it a night!

In short, the bridal shower was a night that I will never truly forget not because of what happened during the event, but to the people who were present to give me a send-off before entering married life. Even if I were to get married a month later, I am really thankful and touched to feel extra special before my special day. Thanks girls! :D

Bridal Fair '09 -- 09.05.09

Posts that are way overdue (3 months ago pa to...hehehe!)

Thanks to themesandmotifs.com for the banner pics of the wedding expo :)



Even after resigning, my officemates proved to be very great pals!

Meowie, Roby, Pat and i went to this bridal fair to get as much ideas as we can, as we are all brides (and groom) to be's..

Before going to the PICC tent, we already made our registration online so that our entrance will be a smooth one once there. since we were already listed, we were given neat eco-bags to have our fill of goodies coming from the suppliers at the event.





i didn't know that cameras weren't allowed at the event so there were just a few shots made. sorry po...





Instead, we took advantage of the different photobooths, ate a lot of samples from the choco fondue (yum!). and took some snaps of the bridal cars outside the tent.



 
I must say sa fondue, Roby was doing all the talking to a supplier while the rest of us were munching away. Naubos na ata namin ang mallows and fruits. lol

 


Truly memorable and fun.

However, ndi pa dyan nagtatapos ang araw na ito. abangan ang susunod.

full album here:
bridal fair '09 -- 09.05.09