data below from NSO | released: March 27, 2013

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Registered marriages in 2011 drop by 1.3 percent

There were 476,408 marriages registered in 2011 showing a decline of 1.3 percent from the previous year’s figure of 482,480. Since 2009, the number of registered marriages in the country has been declining.

The biggest decrease in the number of recorded marriages was in Eastern Visayas (Region VIII) at 18.8 percent. This was followed by Bicol and Caraga Regions with 9.2 and 7.9 percent decrease, respectively. On the other hand, number of marriages in ARMM increased by 79.7 percent compared with the previous year.

February is the favorite month for wedding

With a daily average of 1,799 marriages, February remained the favorite month for couples to tie the knot. However, the highest number of marriage occurred in the month of May with 55,529 or 11.7 percent of the total. April managed to rank fifth in 2011, with a daily average of 1,496 marriages, despite ranking first in 2010. August remained the least favored month for marriage as it accounted for only 24,763 marriages or a daily average of 799.

Women prefer to marry at an earlier age than men

There was a disparity between men and women when it comes to marrying age. The median age for brides was 25.3 while 28.0 for grooms showing that women prefer to marry at an earlier age than men. The highest number of brides who got married was seen at age group 20-24, while for grooms it was in age group 25-29.

It was observed that marriage involving teenage brides (58,320 or 12.2%) was more than four times compared to those with teenage grooms (12,882 or 2.7%). There were also registered marriages with grooms 50 years and older. Number of men who settled down at age 50 and over (16,585 or 3.5%) was more than twice that of women (7,012 or 1.5%) of the same age group.

4 out of 10 marriages are contracted through civil rites

Marriage ceremonies performed through civil rites reportedly got the highest proportion among all types of marriage ceremony. Civil marriages accounted for 202,614 or 42.5 percent of the total marriages. Roman Catholicism, being one of the most influential religions in the country remained to be the second in the list with recorded marriages of 171,046 or 35.9 percent of the total marriages. Marriages contracted through other religious rites including Muslim accounted for about 20.8 percent while there were 3,167 marriages solemnized under tribal rites.

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click the .pdf attachments from NSO servers for more detailed stats:

• TABLE 1: Number of Marriages, Percent Distribution and Percent Change by Region 2010-2011
• TABLE 2: Number, Daily Average and Daily Index of Marriages by Month of Occurrence 2010-2011
• TABLE 3: Number and Percent Distribution of Brides & Grooms by Age Group 2011
• TABLE 4: Number and Percent Distribution of Bride & Groom by Type of Ceremony 2010-2011

Every now and then I get asked what problems did we encounter during out wedding preparation. On top of my head, there’s none. I got a great team of suppliers and my event partner is attending our big day, which means I got all controllable bases covered. But thinking deeper, I remember one of the biggest issue that Mr. A and I have to overcome. Its what we called family politics.

I think every couple has their own version of family politics. For us, we had a hard time trying to make sure everybody is well-represented in our small lunch reception. We only listed 50 guests. Which would mean 25 from my side and 25 from Mr. A’s. When I was listing down names of my immediate family from my side, I didn’t even reach 25. So I have room to add some very close friends. As for Mr. A, he has quite a number and we really need to cut-down on our invites from his side. It was hard, painful and really a terrible feeling. Especially when you hear comments about why we’re doing this small wedding.

So why the small wedding? Its because I would want to be able to really talk to our guests, not just hi-hello-congratulations-thank-you sort of thing but exchange a few more stories about them and about us. Yes, the small wedding was my idea. Mr. A just fully supported it. I know that soon-to-weds always think about this, “its our wedding so we should be able to invite who WE really want to invite”. This is part of the family politics. Most people tend to ignore the couple’s request, thus the ballooning guest list.

Just like any normal soon-to-wed couple back then, we experienced this. The need to invite certain people because not inviting them will cause some rift with a parent’s relationship. Hay, such pains. There even came a time when I was secretly wishing people to back out of our wedding. So that we can include more in the lunch reception. However, we still won’t be able to please everybody. Somebody still needs to be cut.

But of course, we need to take action of the problem. The solution that we came up with was having an after-party at night. At that party, our parents, family, can invite whoever they want to invite. And they did. Everybody was happy and satisfied. We also made sure that the after-party goers are still attending a wedding reception-sort-of. We still had the program and games. We also got Ramon Bautista, Tado Jimenez and 3rd Avenue to make sure the party will be rocking. The after-party was still very special. It was still very us.

So what’s the point I’m getting at? It is not only the suppliers, contracts or weather that soon-to-weds need to think about. The heaviest part for me is this family politics. It is the most draining problem that I can think of and have experienced. So as family and friends of engaged couples, let us try to help them out a bit more on this aspect. Let us support them by also hearing out the side of the couple and respecting their decision. As invited guests, let us RSVP. That guest list, the privilege of getting invited, is a BIG DEAL. As the husband-to-be, support your bride, she would most likely be more emotional and would really be needing a strong pillar by her side. As the bride, before bursting into word wars and what not, let us take a deep breath, run through your thoughts again and make sure to be more level-headed on such occasions. But if you really can’t contain it, there is always W@W as your 24/7 sound board.

Photos courtesy of J Lucas Reyes

about: Michelle (ni Jay) has been an overseas bride based in Queensland, Australia.  She planned her wedding long distance with the help of the internet. She maintains a wedding blog called the veRy long engageMent. ~Abet & Benz

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Time and time again, I read blogs from married or engaged people how they planned their wedding with the help of W@W. And everytime, I nod as if someone was looking at me and asking for my approval. I am a W@Wie. Aside from uttering “I am proud to be one”, I can also say that W@W has helped me in so many ways.

Photo by BlackTie Project

I am a W@Wie. When I became a member in 2009, my wedding date was still unknown. During that time, I may have had visited the eGroup about once or twice. My ideas for a wedding “that’s bound to happen soon” was very limited – it only came from a handful of wedding magazines as well as one friend who got married several months earlier. I had a promise ring from my then-boyfriend-now-husband for when I left the Philippines to work overseas.

I am a W@Wie. During the last quarter of 2010, I got more involved with the eGroup. The wedding date was still to be determined, but I was sure then that it would be very soon. The date on my W@W signature changed from “???” to “June 8, 2013” and lastly “June 8, 2012”.

I am a W@Wie. Whilst debating as to when (and where exactly) the wedding would be, I realized that there were a lot of things (and feelings) to consider to make this wedding happen. Every time I had something in mind, whether they were ideas or rants, a post in W@W almost always help. W@Wies are friendly and helpful. They listen to your stories, they give advices, they pray with you.

W@W is a blessing. Friends who read our wedding blog would already know that W@W was where we found most of our wedding suppliers. Prior to becoming active in the eGroup, we only had 1 supplier booked. We had ideas for the wedding but were unsure as to how we could make those happen.

With Kris Matanguihan of Kris Matanguihan Videography

W@W is a blessing. My then-boyfriend-turned-fiancé-now-husband was already overseas as well when we came to a decision as to when exactly we get hitched. With both of us out of the country, and our siblings busy with school or work, wedding planning was still left in our hands. Aside from Google (or Blackle), Weddings@Work became my search engine.

W@W is a blessing. From choosing church + reception venues and deciding if to order paper straws or not, W@W has a ready answer. When you’re stuck with a DIY and needs a breather, W@Wies sympathize with you. Whether you have a budget of PhP XX,XXX or PhP X,XXX,XXX, you will feel at home with W@W.

W@W is a blessing. Not only did W@Wies recommend their suppliers, they also gave reviews on how those suppliers performed at their own weddings. Prior to booking providers, I already had an idea of what they were like pre & post-wedding. I made a list of who I want, showed the list to my then-fiance, and after doing his research (and making him read reviews too), decide on who we book. It was a long process as we didn’t want to miss anything, but it was worth it.

With Marco Malaca of BlackTie Project

W@W is a blessing. More often than not, all our transactions were done via email. About once or twice, we met with shortlisted suppliers and booked those who we felt at ease with, or with whom we felt that “this-is-it” feeling. Through all these things – email transactions and meet-ups, I would still consistently check W@W for recos or reviews.

With Sha & Jerdz Marinas of K Photography Manila

With the team of Hearts and Bells

W@W is a family. Being overseas, we weren’t able to attend any Christmas Party, or any Summer Lakwatsa. The most memorable time I had with W@W was when I was finally able to attend an EB. Less than a week before our wedding, I found time and allotted half a day for a meet-up with co-W@Wies and of course, Mimma Benz – without whom there would not be any W@W. It was a joy meeting them in person and putting faces behind their names and signatures. Those were the people who helped me plan our wedding; those people whom I was exchanging messages with for the past 17-or-so months since wedding preps kicked in.

Photo by Mimma Benz at Mary Grace, Greenbelt June 2012

W@W is a family. Now that our wedding is over, I still find time to post and reply and answer queries from brides (and grooms, occasionally) when they’re stuck with their planning. I owe a lot to W@W, for if not because of this eGroup, I would not be able to find wonderful suppliers who made our wedding a success.

The Team of Events Malditas

With Jieza Gotauco of k. by Cunanan Catering

The team of My Photato

With Norvin Gumayagay of NM Digital Enterprise

Photo by Eddie Boy Escudero

announcement: Today we start posting user-driven content by sharing stories contributed by our very own W@Wies (members of the W@W eGroup).  We would like to thank Joed See for getting the ball rolling. ~Abet & Benz

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Photo courtesy of Larry Leong for Imagine Nation Photography

I’d like to share with you a short story of weddings, friendships and details.

Once upon a time, a madly-in-love couple named Abet and Benz, created an online community for brides and grooms. They called it Weddings@Work. This is a support group for couples planning for their wedding. This is where you will find new friends who can easily relate to you and your woes in choosing between fuchsia and baby pink, tiffany chair or ghost chair, suit or barong, the list just goes on and on and on.

I’ve discovered this group online and it was just an exhilaration when I was able to share my simple wedding dilemmas and get an affirmation and new point of views. Not just a nod, and okay or a hmmmmm. It felt like, these are my people!!!! We were able to share our wants and dreams, workarounds (a.k.a. DIY) to achieve the wedding feel that we want but still within our budget.

Lately, it’s been going outside the confines of cyberspace. W@Wies, as we call ourselves, are now meeting up, going to each other’s weddings, helping out on DIYs, and a whole lot more.

Photo courtesy of CamZar Photography

Photo courtesy of Paul Vincent Photography

Photo from Mimma Benz at #wawbooth SM Megamall February 2013

Photo from Marie Francisco taken at Cucina ni Chef September 2012

Photo from Edward and Gracey’s Wedding December 2012

Photo from Didda Abet taken at Blue Leaf Banyan November 2012

The latest trend going on right now in the community is what we call, the Travelling W@W Love Items. These items have been shared by a W@Wie for the W@W community to borrow and use. Other W@Wies can use it as additional details on their wedding day or on their engagement and post-nuptial shoots.

Photo courtesy of Manny and April Photography

Photo courtesy of CamZar Photography

Photo courtesy of Black Tie Project

Photo courtesy of Noel Salazar of Imagine Nation Photography

Photo courtesy of Jaja Samaniego

Photo taken from Ersus-Jhellie’s Wedding March 2013

Photo courtesy of Macromedia

Photo from Jake-Jenny’s Wedding January 2013

The idea is simple, its really a pay-it-forward system. Not only do we maximize the items but we are able to share our love through these items. Weddings are expensive and items like these are really helpful to add that nice touch to your photo booth pictures, weddings preparations, entourage march, and even getting presents. ^_^

Now, isn’t it fun to be part of this community? As for me, all I can say is I’m really happy and proud to say that I’m a certified W@Wie!

Photo from Mimma Benz at #wawbooth SM Megamall February 2013

[this blog originally posted at Joedshares]

about this episode: We’ve chatted with another barkada of wedding suppliers.  In this episode, we have James Limsoc (photo), Ian Celis (photo/video) and John Marvi de Guzman of Cinemaworks (video) with their respective partners — Malou, Rhea, and Wellen. Aside from their individual careers, we also talked about their individual rolese in the company, and their relationships, up to the wedding plans of one of these couples.  It’s a fun episode.

postscript:

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