I am Filipino-American (dual citizenship).My fiancee is American. How do we plan a Philippine church wedding?

Question

We do not know if we should have a civil marriage in the US before the Catholic wedding in the Philippines. Would that make things easier?

Answer 1

These are things to consider when having the marriage in the philippines: There are so much red tape, corruption, and scammers.  So beware!  Make sure that you know someone close to you, related to you, who could help you out with the planning.  

It is not like here in the US were you put a reservation for something and you expect the service or product on the contract date.  I have a relative who put down money for a reservation and was scammed!

Secondly, even if you knew people, they will also have to go through many obstacles.  For instance, securing a church or a reception hall.  They will have to go through some red tape or may need to bribe someone to secure those.  Remember, until now Philippines still got a lot of corrupt officials!!!

Lastly, getting married in the Philippines means no Divorce.  I wish you and your fiance' the best but if things don't work out (knock on wood) between the two of you, your only choice to end a marriage back there would be either an annulment or separation.

Best wishes to both of you!!!

Answer 2

Simply put - No, a civil marriage in the US will not help you with a Catholic ceremony in the Philippines...simply because the Catholic Church does not recognize "civil" marriages, either in the Philippines or US.

Planning a Philippine church wedding is the same as planning it anywhere in the world - paperwork, fees and reservation - how easy it is depends on how elaborate you want the wedding/reception to be.

If you don't have a lot of time, A reputable wedding planner can easily help you out in sourcing suppliers and making reservations.

You can check out the weddings@work webpage/yahoo group (just google it) for more info - its a help site where tips are shared for those brides and grooms

Answer 3

If you guys can have a wedding in the US go for it.   You can have a shortened version of it in the US and do the rope thing and light the candles (I'm assuming it'll be a Catholic wedding).  The grooms men can wear the burong (sorry did I spell it wrong).  You don't have to have a high mass either.

Answer 4

Me too, but my fiance is all filipino. We figured it would be much easier and cheaper to get our marriage certificate here in the US, have a small wedding, and then go all out for a big wedding in PH.