Weddings have become too commercialized these days. There’s a lot of add-ons to what has been a simple gathering of witnesses to a holy vow between a man and a woman. Quennie and I had been very practical since we started working while supporting our family. When it comes to money, we tend to very careful where it goes since we know how hard it is to earn them.
Thus when we started planning for our wedding, we started on a budget and started looking what needs to be in the wedding and what will not be necessary. Our list may be quite odd since some seems to be necessary these days. If you insist that they are essential to a wedding, we don’t mind accepting donations in cash or in kind. Hehehe.
1. Wedding Video - How much does a wedding photo and video package cost? We were surprised how expensive it can be. Some would charge a minimum of 10,000 just to have a video coverage for the wedding. We decided not to have a video coverage. Why? We don’t think its worth it. My cousins had videos during their weddings. It was during the era of VHS tapes. Now, nobody cares to watch them again. And how many weddings have you attended and got to see the video of the wedding again? I haven’t seen any lately. Unless my wedding will be telecast live on air, I don’t think its worth having a video coverage. Actually, my father used to work as an engineer at an AM radio station. Why not have a live coverage over an AM radio. That might be the first ever! I wonder how that will actually sound like?
2. Fancy Wedding Albums - They used to be simple enlarged pictures during the wedding placed on a special album. Now, it looks like a magazine with different binding options. We were even offered a 15,000 wedding album with fiberglass cover to make the memories really last. Sounds nice but no thanks. For one, those fancy albums have a drawback. They are heavy. Very heavy. You take pictures so that you can let your friends and family see them and to capture those once in a lifetime memories. But these albums make them hard for you to carry. You wont go too far with them. Also, we have seen some layouts from photographers in Bacolod and they don’t look like its worth 15,000. So, no thanks, again. If we want to share the pictures and to keep those memories for a long time, here’s our solution: Post them on the web. It reaches a wide audience. The webpage will last longer than printed pictures. Comments are logged. Best of all, it’s free.
3. Bridal Car - This is still being discussed. We might get one if we find a nice white VW Bettle in Bacolod. But we wonder if we need one since the wedding venue and reception is just on the same place. The only time we need the bridal car is to move Quennie from the hotel to the venue. If the distance from the hotel to the venue is about 10kms, I could even ask her to do a Bridal Fun Run instead. And you pay around a thousand for something you use in less than 20 minutes since driving in Bacolod is a breeze. We think it’s just there for the pictures and the tradition. And why can’t I have a Groom’s Car? A sports car perhaps. I’d gladly pay for that.
4. Live Orchestra or Band - I agree that these really add a lot to the ambiance. But since we are planning to have garden wedding and it is near the sea, we don’t think that we can get the ambiance and effect we wanted with a orchestra or a band. The noise of the wind and the roaring sea would compete with the music. And maybe the noise wont be a noise after all. Wind. Sea. We might just have the ambiance we wanted. Just pray it wont rain.
5. Fancy pen, knife, fork, plate, toast glasses, unity candle, etc - Customized wedding accessories are now common. We saw them on bridal fairs but never bothered to ask. They are nice but they don’t really mean that much on a wedding. It something the wedding can go on without.
Call us kuripot, especially me. But I would rather concentrate on how to make the marriage the biggest event of my life than just making the wedding a big event.
And of course my list of wedding essentials…
1. The groom - He might be late. So make sure he arrives on time. Hahaha…
2. Ninongs and Ninangs - Thanks in advance.
3. Friends and Family - more than 200 of them on our list. Please bring your own food, drinks and utensils. Just kidding…
Anyway, for more updates on our wedding preparations, you can visit our weddingannouncer.com website here. Take the quiz if you like or just browse through our pictures. Check back once in a while to get updates as we get closer to our big day.
