Filipino Wedding Guide
Almost everybody has a dream wedding plan in their head: white wedding dress, a barong, that first dance, leaving for your honeymoon in that stunning vintage car.
It’s simple to get caught up in the romance of it all, but there are many things small and big that you might not think to consider when preparing for a Filipino wedding. With a wedding, the details can make or break your special day.
Below, you can find a comprehensive checklist to help you ensure you have caught up about and planned for each part of your Filipino wedding: from the earrings worn by your flower girls to the ribbons on your wedding car.
We hope this checklist and guide will help you have a memorable wedding day!
Wedding Venue and Reception
When selecting the location for your Filipino wedding and reception, you should take several things in mind. Here are some of them:
- Maximum capacity
You will perhaps book the wedding and reception venue before considering the final number of guests. Check if the venue can accommodate the number of individuals you like to invite. The last thing you like is a venue that’s too small for your guests to fit comfortably. Right?
- Meal options
Nowadays, everybody seems to have a dietary restriction or another. Whether they are allergic, vegan, or gluten-free, you lie to speak with the caterers to ensure your guests with special dietary requirements are taken care of.
- Bar and alcohol
Many venues enable you to pay a flat rate fee for a bartender and have an open bar for guests. That means you pay for all the alcohol or have a cash bar where your guests purchase the alcohol themselves.
Ensure you ask the venue manager the options you have and the type of alcohol you like to serve.
Brides and Bridesmaid
There is more than meets the eye, especially when dressing up a few ladies for the big day. Here are the things you should not forget.
- Hair and makeup
Ensure you have a hair and makeup specialist and that you have had scheduling appointments to make sure what hairstyles will work best for your theme. Things will unavoidably go wrong, so you want to ensure you schedule the hair and makeup person to come early.
- Wedding dresses
Other people prefer their bridesmaid dress similarly. Others offer bridesmaids more flexibility, enabling them to pick the style and cut or even enabling them to wear any dress they would want of a specific color.
You also need to check mother dresses. A Filipiniana may be a good option in this matter.
- Shoes
There are other approaches to choosing shoes for your bridesmaid. If you are not choosy, you can ask them to bring their own. Just specify the color and type, like silver stilettos.
- Garter
This is for the bride.
- Earrings and necklaces
Some accent jewelry or accessories for the bride can be a lovely addition.
Groom and Groomsmen
When looking for a Barong Tagalog, it is essential to send along a woman because many men think that simply an old Barong will be enough. But it’s far from the truth.
- Are you renting or buying?
Sometimes, it can cost nearly as much to rent as to buy a Barong Tagalog. However, you may be able to rent a nicer Barong for the same money as renting as you can buy.
The Cake
There’s no doubt that the cake is the wedding reception’s centerpiece. However, like everything else, it needs some work.
- Type
Consider if you like the entire cake to be the same flavor or whether you would want various flavors on every tier. For instance, a three-tier cake with carrot, fruit, and chocolate cake caters to every guest.
- Knives
You can simply use a knife or purchase particular wedding knives for the photos and occasion.
Flowers
When choosing flowers, there are many things to keep in mind. That includes the color of the flowers, the size of the bouquet, and the price as well. Here are important aspects you should remember:
- Centerpieces
People often use flowers as centerpieces on the reception table. Is your wedding ceremony happening under a canopy? You can decorate those, too.
- Bouquets
These are for the bride, bridesmaid, and flower girls.
- Corsages
For the groom, groomsmen, and the mother’s bride.
- Additional bouquet
Do you plan to throw the bouquet at the end of your wedding reception? You must think about whether you like to toss the bouquet you used in the wedding ceremony or have another bouquet made up for the tossing.
The Wedding
When preparing the garden, hall, church, or other location for the wedding, you need to ensure everything is suitable and organized.
- Flowers
These are decorations at the venue’s front or the canopy where you are to be wed.
- Chairs
Do you plan to wed outdoors or in a hall? You may need to rent seats. Ensure there are cushions, especially if it’ll be a long ceremony. Avoid metal chairs if you’re getting married outside, as it can get hot under the sun.
- Cushion s
These are for the bride and groom kneeling at any stage.
- Chair decorations
Either on the back or pews of chairs. Others prefer to string tulle or ribbon along the chairs close to the aisle to mark the aisle off too.
- Unity coins
Also known as arras, these are wedding paraphernalia used in typical Filipino weddings.
- Location
Where do you prefer to hold your wedding? Do you want a traditional setting like a church or prefer a more contemporary vibe, like a garden or beach wedding?
Other essentials you need to on the wedding day include the wedding veil, a unity candle, rope, and of course, the wedding rings.
The Wedding Reception
After you have picked and paid for the reception venue, you need to ensure everything is organized and ready.
- Music
You can do the conventional route and hire a band or DJ, or you can use your music and create a wedding playlist of your choice. Do not forget to pick a special song for your first wedding dance as well.
- Table decorations
Whether it is some artfully arranged stones or a floral masterpiece, you like to have some decorative items on your guests’ tables.
- Wedding photo album
Do you like your wedding album or some kind of picture of the two of you accessible for your guests to sign?
- Wedding gifts
Do you like to have a wedding registry? Do you have any preference in gifts you do or don’t receive? Where will the gifts be placed?
- Table plans
Do you already know where everybody will sit? You could choose to let others sit wherever they would want, or you could organize the tables in a way you think would be ideal.
The Wedding Photographs
- Location
Decide if you will have your wedding portraits taken after or before your ceremony, where you’ll take the official photos, whether you’d like candid or more casual photos taken during the reception too.
- Props
Are you planning to have any special memorabilia, keepsakes, or other items in your photo shoots?
- Video
Will you have a professional wedding videographer? If not, you can hire a friend to be your videographer.
Transport and Car
- Bridal car
This is important for transporting the bride and the bride’s father to the wedding ceremony. It will also be used by the bride and groom on their honeymoon.
- Bridesmaid’s car
This is for transporting the flower girls and bridesmaids.
- Groom’s transport
It will take the groom and groomsmen to the wedding before the start of the wedding ceremony.
- Guests without transport
Older relatives or guests without transport may need accommodation and transport arranged. If the reception is far from the ceremony venue, you may also like to consider organizing transportation for all guests simply to cut down on confusion and ensure everyone gets there on time.
- Car ribbon
These could be sourced from bridal shops, sewing shops, or even online.
Important People
- Ninang and ninongs (Principal Sponsors)
These are the people whom the bride and groom admire and respect. As in the early days of the church, they are sponsors of the couple, attesting to their readiness for marriage and freedom to marry. These people often wear traditional clothes like Barong Tagalog for the ninongs and Filipiniana for the ninangs.
- Ring bearer
This is a young boy between 4-8 years old who has a special connection to the groom and bride. His role is to bring the rings down the aisle to the couple and often wear a Barong Tagalog as well.
- Priest or officiant
This is the person you should not forget. Make sure you check with them first. Others would like to join you at the reception while some consider it more professional not to.
- Wedding planner
Most people hire a wedding planner to get rid of the stress out of handling all the preparation details. Wedding planners also have contacts in the business and know the cheapest and best places to make arrangements for your wedding.
- Emcee
A Filipino wedding is not complete without an emcee. The master of ceremonies plays a vital role in a wedding. Their job is to ensure everything runs perfectly on the wedding day and introduce the coupe and wedding party at the reception. They also introduce guest speakers and tell some anecdotes.
- Photographer
Depending on how much you like to pay, you can have your photographer takes images during the wedding preparation, during the wedding, reception, and when leaving for the honeymoon.
- Organizers and ushers
You’ll need people to perform last-minute setups, arrange last-minute details, ensure things run perfectly, and have users ready to help people get to their seats, both at reception and wedding.
Your wedding day is a very important event, something you don’t want to ruin simply as you forget an important thing. Remember everything mentioned above so you can have a memorable and successful Filipino wedding.
