Peter,
You asked down below about wedding costs. I thought I would start a new thread up here before the other one fell off the bottom of the page.
We have discussed this stuff before, so you can also try searching the Asian board archives for more info.
A very nice wedding in Cebu would run around P250,000 to P300,000 (around $5,000 - $6,000). That would be for the works with 300 guests or so. You can spend anywhere from $1,000 to maybe $6,000 for a church wedding, but I think for a smaller town you could get by for around $2,500 if you keep the costs down just a little bit, and she wouldn’t be embarrassed. I spent about $4,000 for a very nice wedding in Surigao with a little over 200 guests, but I could have gotten off cheaper if I had to.
Talk to her first, settle on an amount, and then put her on a strict budget. Give her a maximum limit, tell her that’s it, no more. Send her the money and let her handle everything. If she blows it all on clothes and ends up having a reception outside a sari-sari store with dilis and beer, that’s her problem :-), but make that clear ahead of time (STRICT BUDGET!). Tell her if anything is left over, you can use it on your honeymoon :-)
You asked about wedding dresses? 3 years ago in Cebu, a niece spent P25,000 for a custom gown. My wife ordered a very beautiful custom gown from the same shop for P15,000 including the full gown with accessories, 5 bridesmaid gowns, 5 flower girl gowns, and a nice dress for mom. She could also buy one off the rack for a lot less, or even rent the gowns.
Keep in mind that a $5,000 wedding in the Philippines is probably comparable to a $40,000 wedding here in the States.
Ray
