Wedding Budget in the Philippines | How Much does a Wedding Cost in 2022?

Ahhhh, weddings.

For many couples, this is the ultimate fairy tale dream come true. If you have been in a relationship for so long, at some point the topic of marriage will come up. Family and friends will always ask you, “Kailan ka ba magpapakasal?”

cost of getting married in the philippines

Weddings in the Philippines are such a big deal that a whole industry operates on fulfilling couples’ dream nuptials. Pre-nuptial shoots go viral. Elegant venues are very much sought-after. Out-of-this-world themes will garner many likes. That’s why some couples spend a lot trying to make their nuptials memorable, if not extraordinary.

But weddings are not cheap. That’s why some couples delay their marriage until they have saved enough money or they’re financially ready. Others take out loans.

How much is the cost of getting married in the Philippines? What can you do to prepare?

Getting married as a rite of passage

Romantic weddings in the Philippines

Fairytales and romance movies have done a great job of lodging into our minds the idea of a dream wedding here in the Philippines. You know the scene: a majestic location filled with decorations and lights, flowers lining up the aisle, family and friends clapping and smiling, the love of your life waiting for you at the altar, and you walking down the aisle in your dream wedding outfit.

For most people, their dream wedding is the ultimate love life goal. It is a culmination of months or years of a committed relationship, a celebration of love and happiness with the person you chose to spend the rest of your life with.

Religious weddings in the Philippines

Marriage is also an important religious sacrament here in the Philippines. Filipinos value the presence of God in their lives and would like to have their relationship in line with their beliefs. That’s why some couples tend to search high and low for the perfect place for their church wedding.

It can also be an advantage if you’re married to your partner, especially in dealing with the government. Some benefits of being married include:

GSIS, SSS or Philhealth beneficiary
Parental leaves and spousal support
Consent to medical treatments on behalf of your spouse
Guaranteed legitimacy of future children

Whatever your reason for getting married is, you must remember that a wedding ceremony costs lots of money. Even if you just want a simple ceremony, you must be financially prepared to cover all of your bases.

Cost of wedding in the Philippines

If you’re planning to get married, this question has definitely been popping up on your mind for quite some time now: how much is the total wedding cost in the Philippines?

Your budget of course will depend on how extravagant you want your wedding. It also depends on the number of guests, venue, etc.

Let’s look at your budget options for a wedding in the Philippines: high-end, mid-tier and budget.

Cost of a High-end Wedding

High end weddings in the Philippines usually start at a million pesos.

We’re talking about extravagant ceremonies at sought-after churches, destination weddings in Balisin Island, Batanes, or Las Casas de Acuzar, designer outfits from Michael Cinco and Edward Teng, impeccably catered reception, hundreds of guests, even imported flowers and decorations!

Cost of a Mid-tier Wedding in the Philippines

A mid-tier wedding in the Philippines can cost within the range of hundreds of thousands of pesos. That means you have to have at least ₱100,000.

With that budget, you can hold your wedding in a mid-tier church or a tourist destination near Metro Manila with a select number of guests. For your reception, you can avail of wedding packages that cover venue, catering, decorations, lights & sounds, venue styling, even rental cars and overnight accommodations.

If you went for a destination wedding, you can save even more by having your ceremony, reception and honeymoon at the same or nearby venues!

Cost of Budget Wedding in the Philippines

The ballpark figure is a ₱30,000 to ₱50,000 budget wedding in the Philippines. You can hike your budget to close to ₱100,000 if you have room to splurge a little!

For a low-cost budget wedding, you will have to limit the number of your guests down to your family and friends. You can DIY the whole affair or have your family and friends help you. But if you’re not that skilled in making your own wedding favors and such, you can always visit Divisoria; 168 has an entire floor dedicated to wedding items. You can even score wedding dresses as low as ₱12,000 complete with the 1st and 2nd veils, pillows, aras, cord, and candle decorations.

Budget church or civil wedding costs can be less than ₱10,000, or you can opt for a kasalang bayan with other couples. Hold the reception at your home or at the venue where you got married.

Choose to rent or buy you wedding outfits, decorations, flowers and invitations from low-cost suppliers to save money. Your options for a wedding package may be limited but there are still suppliers that can work with the budget that you have.

You can also opt to shop with buy now, pay later options or get a cash loan online like UnaCash to extend your budget a little bit more.

Wedding costs breakdown in the Philippines

To help you calculate how much you need to for your wedding, here are the general expenses that you need to factor into your budget:

1. The Wedding Ceremony

Church weddings are more expensive than civil ceremonies, although some churches can officiate a wedding for less than ₱10,000. Big and historical churches like the Manila Cathedral, Minor Basilica of San Sebastian, San Agustin Church, Malate Church, Santo Domingo Church and Magallanes Church have higher rates.

Here are some church wedding prices in the Philippines:

Manila Cathedral: ₱32,000 with no aircon; ₱42,000 with aircon
San Agustin Church: ₱33,500
San Sebastian Church: ₱25,000 hourly with ₱10,000 down payment
Santo Domingo Church: ₱15,000 with ₱5,000 reservation fee
Malate Church: ₱5,000 to ₱24,000
Magallanes Church: ₱27,000 with ₱5,000 reservation fee and ₱10,000 down payment

Since a civil wedding is cheaper, you can set aside a minimum of ₱10,000 if you really have a tight budget. This can cover the payment to the presiding officer and reception costs. Of course, you have to increase your budget if you want to have a photo/video package, additional guests, HMUA, invitations, decorations and souvenirs

Marriage requirements in the Philippines

You need to have a few documents before you can get married in the Philippines. Requirements vary depending on whether you’re having a civil or church ceremony.

Here are the civil wedding requirements in 2022:

At least two valid IDs of the couple
PSA-issued birth certificate
1x1 photo
Certificate of no marriage (CENOMAR)
Certificate of attendance in pre-marriage counseling
Marriage license application form
Cedula
Barangay certificate

Additional requirements for foreigners:

Certificate of legal capacity to marry
Naturalization paper, if naturalized Filipino citizen
Divorce decree, if divorced

Church wedding requirements in the Philippines 2022

PSA-issued birth certificate
Baptismal and confirmation certificates
CENOMAR
Marriage license
Wedding permit
Marriage banns
Canonical interview
Marriage preparation seminar
Confession (done at the church)
List of principal sponsors and entourage members

Additionally, you need to secure written parental consent if you’re 18-21 years old and parental advice if you’re 21-25 years old.

2. Your wedding party

The number of guests can make or break your budget.

The more the merrier of course, but you must be prepared to spend more as well. Would you like an intimate celebration with family and friends, or an all-out bring-the-whole-barangay 200-person party?

Prices usually start at ₱100,000 for a 100-pax wedding, but if you opt for a small and intimate wedding, expect the cost to be lower. Venues can also charge higher prices depending on the menu and demand.

3. Wedding attire.

The choice is up to you if you’re going to have a custom-made wedding attire or if you’re buying ready-to-wear from the mall, Divisoria or online. Or you can wear a family heirloom for a touch of heritage on your special day!

You can spend ₱150 to ₱1,000 for a budget wedding attire, or reuse an old dress and rent one! For RTW outfits, expect to spend at least ₱3,000 to ₱20,000. Custom-made dresses start at ₱30,000 and could go upwards to ₱100,000++ or even millions of pesos for high-end designers.

4. Wedding rings

As Beyoncé once said, if you like it then you should have put a ring on it.

A wedding ring is probably the most conspicuous indicator that you’re already married. It symbolizes your long-lasting love and commitment to your spouse. Naturally, you will choose rings that are as strong as your marriage.

Wedding rings can be made of gold, silver, platinum or tungsten and can be engraved or topped with jewels of your own choosing. Prices start at ₱15,000 and can go upwards to hundreds of thousands of pesos. Popular shopping areas for rings are Divisoria, Greenhills, and Binondo.

5. Wedding reception

Prices for reception venues start at ₱20,000 but there are venues that can host your wedding party for less.

You can save on reception costs if you host on your own property. You can also hold your wedding and reception in the same venue! Some reception venues also offer wedding packages that cover catering costs, decorations, lights & sounds, flowers, rental cars and honeymoon accommodations!

6. Wedding planning/coordination

You can DIY your wedding but it can be very stressful. You have to sample caterers, make sure that attire and hair & makeup are sorted out, look for suppliers, manage the guest list and book accommodations.

Lucky for you, a wedding planner can take that stress away and make your wedding day as hassle-free as possible! You can hire a planner to handle things from start to finish or you can get a coordinator that will take care of everything on your wedding day itself.

To find a wedding planner, you can join wedding expos and events groups and compare their fees and portfolios. You can also join event groups and visit wedding-specific websites.

Wedding planner prices in the Philippines range from ₱20,000 to ₱235,000 while coordinator prices start at ₱2,000.

7. Wedding Hair & Makeup

When scouting for a hairstylist & makeup artist for your wedding, check their fees, portfolio, expertise and comments from past clients.

8. Wedding photo and video packages

Why not avail of a photographer and videographer to immortalize your wedding day bliss?

A wedding photo & video package in the Philippines costs around ₱30,000 to ₱100,000 and can even go upwards if you’re having a destination wedding. Photo & video packages usually include same day edits (SDEs), on-the-day coverage, engagement shoots and digital copies. Packages can be customized and add-on services are available so talk to your supplier.

In choosing the right photographer & videographer, you need to consider the following:

Their fees
Their expertise/theme
Their portfolio
The venue
Your budget

9. Wedding decorations and souvenirs

Your wedding decorations will depend on your theme and location. To help you brainstorm and finalize, create an image board through Pinterest or a physical cork board. Image boards can also help you narrow down your theme if you haven’t decided on one yet!

Once you’ve decided on your theme and decorations, share them with your planner, venue and supplier. In general all venues are in charge of the decorations, but you can add or customize your own if you want. Your planner can also get in touch with other suppliers if needed.

10. Honeymoon

After the wedding, it’s time to unwind with your spouse and go on a much-deserved honeymoon! Top destinations include Tagaytay, Boracay, Palawan, Baguio, Cebu, Batanes, Bohol and others.

To save on accommodation expenses, look out for hotels and resorts offering honeymoon packages. You can also take advantage of seat sales if you’re going on a honeymoon at a later date.

Wedding Budget Checklist

Here is a sample checklist that will give you an idea of wedding expenses in the Philippines.

Item	Price Range
Wedding Ceremony	₱10,000 - ₱100,000
Marriage Requirements	₱3,000 - ₱5,000
Wedding Guests	Starts at ₱1,500 per head
Wedding attire	Starts at ₱1,000, can go upwards to a million pesos for custom-made designer attire
Wedding Rings	Starts at ₱10,000 per pair
Wedding Reception	₱20,000 - ₱200,000
Wedding planner/coordinator	₱20,000 to ₱235,000 (planner) Starts at ₱2,000 (coordinator)
Wedding Invitation	₱40 to ₱1,000+ per piece
Hair & Makeup	₱7,500 to ₱30,000 (packages)
Photo & Video Package	₱15,000 to ₱300,000+
Wedding Souvenirs	₱15,000 to ₱300,000+
Honeymoon	Starts at ₱10,000 for local destination packages

How to reduce the cost of getting married

It’s okay to admit to yourself that you probably don’t have enough money to have a high-end bonggang wedding. After all, you don’t want to put yourself in debt just to have that destination wedding, designer dress or 500-person reception.

Be honest to your partner if you can’t afford an expensive wedding. What’s more important is that you and your spouse can celebrate your love surrounded by the people most important to you.

1. Having a budget wedding

The most surefire way of reducing the cost of getting married is by having a budget wedding. Talk to your partner about your finances, set their expectations, and list down the amount that you’re willing to spend.

Once you’ve set your budget, choose whether you want a civil or church wedding. Civil weddings tend to be cheaper, but there are churches in the Philippines where you can get married for affordable fees.

If you want a wedding package, you can find cheap and affordable options at wedding fairs and bridal expos. Walk around and talk to suppliers to know their inclusions and rates. Don’t be afraid to show them your plan and haggle if needed! You can even get discounts if you pay in half or full.

2. Divisoria

Divisoria has been the go-to of many brides and grooms for the ultimate budget wedding. You can get everything at a fraction of the cost here: gowns, suits, shoes, decorations, souvenirs, packages and others! Haggling is the name of the game here so you can save even more than going to the mall!

3. Online stores

If you don’t have the time to go to Divisoria or just aren't fond of big crowds, you can shop for affordable wedding items online! You can find wedding suppliers like designers, photographers, event planners and venues on Facebook.

Don’t settle on one supplier just yet: it’s best practice to talk to multiple suppliers and gauge which one offers the best value for the money.

For small trinkets such as decorations and souvenirs, you can find sellers on Shopee and Lazada. You save more if you buy in bulk so ask the seller if they offer wholesale pricing.

4. Compare costs

As we’ve said earlier, don’t just settle on the first wedding supplier you find. When you find yourself in a wedding expo or Facebook, talk to multiple suppliers first to see their services and fees. You can get discounts if you put a huge down payment or, in the case of venues, you hold the wedding and reception in the same location.

The same can be said for shopping at Divisoria or online. Take note of prices from multiple sellers and ask if they can offer you discounts or items in bulk. Don’t be afraid to negotiate prices if needed.

Planning is key to reducing wedding costs!

If you want your wedding to be as low-cost and hassle-free as possible, better make a plan and stick to it! Your plan should include your budget, breakdown of expenses and a time table.

We cannot stress this enough. You and your partner must be on the same page regarding the wedding budget. Be honest if you cannot spend more than you can. It’s not a good idea to go into debt just for a wedding, especially if you have so many plans as a married couple.

Bring out your planner and list down the venue, reception, honeymoon, souvenirs and outfits. Calculate the allocated budget for each. Finalize your entourage and guest list.

If you opted for a planner or coordinator, speak to them about your wedding plans and budget. They will be the ones to meet with vendors, coordinate with the venue and transportation, and oversee things until the big day.

No matter how big or small your wedding will be, it helps a lot to plan ahead of time!

If you’re too short on budget, remember that you can always extend your finances and pay in installments through UnaCash.

Frequent Asked Questions

1. How much does a wedding cost in the Philippines?

Depending on how extravagant you want your wedding, you would be spending at least ₱100,000 up to ₱1 million and higher.

2. How to plan a wedding on a small budget?

Score great items for less from Divisoria (they have floors and floors full of wedding dresses, decors, and accessories). You can also DIY some of the things you'd need such as invitations, favors, signs, and even the coordination if you're up for it!

3. How much do wedding rings cost?

Wedding rings can cost from ₱10,000 and go upwards to ₱50,000 for a good and decent pair. An individual ring can cost as low as ₱7,000 or up to millions, depending on where you'll be getting your wedding rings.

4. How much do civil weddings cost?

For just processing the requirements for a civil wedding, you may want to set aside ₱10,000 to ₱15,000 to pay for the documentary requirements and officiating judge. Add a little bit more if you want to cover the costs of your wedding attires and reception.

5. Where to get budget for wedding in the Philippines?

Here are some of ways to get a budget for your wedding:

Savings: save up for the big day!
Sponsorship: you can ask elders or members of your family to sponsor items from your wedding like venue, dresses, rings, etc. to alleviate the total cost you will have to shoulder for your day.
Loans: banks and other online lending apps like UnaCash offer low interest personal loans that can help you extend your budget for your wedding.

Written by: Alyssa Divina | Edited by: Karla Maolen Visbal