Half of Filipino Catholics shunning church weddings

Hi, Let us get to the mathematics of it. The way I see it, the church charge only around PhP3000-5000 for a "specially" scheduled wedding and around half of that for regular ones. If the minister sees that one can hardly afford the price, then the wedding can go without the fee provided that the necessary documents (marriage license, pre-marriage couselling, banns, baptismal certificates, certificate of no marriage and other legal documents) are submitted. Preparing for these papers may cost around five thousand pesos depending on the circumstances. Now, the real "costly" items here are the wedding dress, the decorations, the photo and video coverage, the reception (venue, food, catering) and the extras that can hardly be counted as essential to a wedding, that can go as high as the sky is the limit. In the final analysis, it is not the church that asks for these excessive costs but a self-imposed burden by the wedding parties themselves. Why, I got married in a very simple church wedding, the marriage certificate, being NSO certified, is recognized here and abroad, with lots of money to spare on our very first day of being together. No video, no expensive wedding gowns, no excessive food, no fanfare, just the regular document processing fees which is equivalent to the cost of three lechons and a case of Fundador brandy.

Catholic Church wedding is really costly. I think majority of Filipinos today are getting married to a civil wedding because of money wise. I think there is nothing wrong in civil wedding because still it's legal. For example my cousin is getting married this coming October 18 and they decided to get marry on civil, they prepare it just this June. I know it's a bit fast but they really considered their budget.

Well reality bites and that is the common reason why they are not choosing to be solemnized under the church is because some churches charges quite high when a couple wants to be wedded on that certain church. I just hope that the church would realize this and would compromise to lower the fees so that people would start to come back being wedded in the church again. Mass weddings are good but of course some couples would not want to have it on mass weddings but of course would want it private of course. Having lower fees would encourage back couples to be wedded again in church.

I say, don't hold your breath expecting anything Catholic to be free! How do you think Catholicism got to be the richest organization in the history of the world? Well it wasn't because giving anything away! Of course the church would consider civil marriage alarming because the church hates anything that cuts into their profit.

aside from being costly, some couple get married out of the church because of the fantasy weddings by the beach,mountain hills,poolside,restaurant and more.. Some were indeed civil weddings while some aren't civil but wedded by a Reverend. But true, i think the regular mass wedding is a need especially now a days, young couples who wanted to be together can't afford even civil wedding. So the tendency is to live-in, which in the sight of God is sinful, and in the sight of the kids is very unpleasant because they might think it's how a "family" should be. It's alarming yeah :/ Some do reason out that they lived-in because they are still saving moneys for the wedding. But living-in caused them 1 kid, 2 kids or even more. So means more expenses in the future and means less savings. Then that's when they have forgotten about their marriage. yayy.. :]

Church wedding is often considered expensive just because this is what the public see. I don't think weddings, civil or church, should be en grande. A church wedding doesn't have to be expensive. It is simply asking for a blessing from God to bless the couple and the people present during the ceremony. Of course it is a celebration, but I don't think it has to say "expensive" all over. I think that Roman Catholic couples should be practical now a days. Expensive gowns and suits, and catered reception in a hotel or a restaurant are the factors that contribute to the "expensive church wedding". I think a traditional home reception is fine if the budget's really tight. Family, close friends and a few guests could be on your invitation list; people who really know and care for the couple. I also think that a church wedding is like a baby's baptismal. The parents choose godparents who they know will be able to take care of their child and will be able to guide the child to God.

Ours was a garden wedding. We're not Catholic and therefore there is no way we're holding our wedding in their church. But we do have church as well but we really chose not to held the wedding in there for some reasons. We also sought for advice from elderlies and they agreed that we just held a garden wedding instead in our church. In fact, our first parent Adam and Eve didn't had a church wedding. I believe they are in the garden of Eden so I don't think it is a requirement. What is important is how you value your marriage and your marriage vows as you did not only swear to your partner but to God as well. I've seen so many couple who got married in Church and there's no difference I believe. They will still live a life of a regular couple. I think that the type of wedding won't dictate how long your marriage will last. It would really depend on the couple. Going back to your post, yes I heard that it is really expensive to have a Catholic wedding because you spend money in church preparation and for the reception as well. This is actually one of the considerations we made. We really do not want to struggle financially after the wedding so we decided to make everything simple. As for the legality of marriage, I believe that there are countries that they don't acknowledge church weddings so if you're having a church wedding, you still need to have civil wedding before that. As for the mass wedding, I think the problem with this is that the wedding is like fiest when in fact it should be sacred and solemn.