BridalPod

Philippines Ultimate Wedding Resource

Wedding Planning 101 | Philippine Weddings

No matter what the size and style of the wedding, wedding planning starts with the basics. To avoid getting overwhelmed with the process, it’s important to understand the timeline to plan a wedding and manage the to-do list from point A to point B. Planning a wedding needs the right information, organizational skill, team effort, and online Planning Tools which will definitely make the managing part easy and less stressful!

BridalPod will provide you with Planning Basics, your Step-by-step guide, PLUS the advanced Online Planning Tools that are designed to assist and give you the confidence you need in your decision-making. We’ve basically covered everything for you. Just set the wedding date, and we’ll do the rest!

This year, we’ve added ONLINE Wedding Fair where we’ve introduced our ‘Interactive Virtual Expo Hall’, a new industry trend. PLUS! It’s the only event in the country where ALL participating exhibitors are generously giving away 10%-25% discounts!

GETTING ENGAGED

 What’s Next After Getting Engaged

Enjoy & Celebrate. You don’t have to plan your wedding today! Before you tell your family and friends, take a moment with your fiancé and celebrate the milestone. Enjoy this time before you make an announcement and hear a barrage of questions. You’ll get caught up in wedding planning soon.

Share the Exciting News. Share the news with your parents first, no text messages! Then other family and friends. And expect what comes next. You have now a barrage of questions. Have you picked a date? What about location, local or destination? What style do you like? How can we help? Do you need suppliers I can get you in touch with? Did you make your Save the Date? When you get a barrage of questions, it’s overwhelming. Don’t worry, they’re just expressing how excited they are for you.
Exhale. You don’t have to know the answers to all of these questions right now. Enjoy and celebrate. We got you covered!
 

PLANNING BASICS

 Start Planning With A Checklist

Planning a wedding starts with a checklist that serves as the blueprint of all the things you need to do. It includes a timeline based on 12-18 month engagement which will guide you through your entire planning process. It will keep you organized and stay sane.

BridalPod has a Checklist with Timeline, part of our Planning Tools where the list of To-do’s + Calendar Timeline will be based on the wedding date that you will provide. You can customize, rearrange, and add more tasks if needed. No need to build it from scratch, nor a need to use excel. You can start and manage it online and download or print whenever you need it.

 

 Setting-Up A Wedding Budget

Dreaming of a wedding and preparing for a wedding are two different activities when we talk about the budget. But here are tips on how to discuss your wedding budget while keeping your dreams alive.

Budget. Setting a specific budget makes it easier to select suppliers. Keeping your wedding spending organized is key. Inquire to at least two or three suppliers about the cost of their services and compare. BridalPod has a Budget Manager, part of our Planning Tools where you can choose from our 5 Pre-set Budgets, or set your own and compare. And what is managing the budget without able to keep track of your spending? This tool will track your payments and let you stay organized and keep costs in line. The top details to check are: (Find the complete list on our Budget Manager)
  • The couples’ must-haves (dress, suits, the rings, accessories)
  • Ceremony and Reception Venues
  • Caterers
  • Flowers & Styling
  • Photography and Video services
  • Dresses and Suits for the entire entourage
  • Hair & Make-up
Determine the number of guests. Much of what you’re going to spend on your wedding depends on the number of guests you’ll invite.  Check the catering and restaurant choices you have and ask how much they are charging per guest.
Cut costs. Before you write down that final wedding budget, take a look again at the things you need to spend on and double check what you can do to cut costs. You may eliminate some elements you think will be redundant or switch to alternatives like sending invitations online instead of printing them.
Look for contributions. Help from your loved ones can be financial, labor, and other favors. All can help you cut down your budget. You may accept financial contributions. Some may volunteer to help in wedding organizing so you won’t need a wedding coordinator. Others can lend you décor, transportation, etc. for free or for a reduced rental fee.
Check your current financial situation and savings. Consider how much you two are earning and the bills you’re paying monthly. Will you have enough to set aside for the wedding? Or, is your current savings enough to cover the wedding expenses?
Take note of the time. Another thing you need to consider in determining your wedding budget is how much time will you two allot to save up for the remaining amount you’ll need.
Set aside a contingency fund. It’s always easier to spend than to earn money. And as such, the couple should also save up for just-in-case and unexpected expenses and hidden charges. 
Approach a loan with caution. Availing a loan is another way to get that remaining amount you need for the big day. But it can be your last resort since you do not really want to pay debts while adjusting to married life. Remember that your wedding is just one day to celebrate your union with your guests. You can still make that day special without being unrealistically lavish.

 

 Pick your Wedding Date

Here are the most important things to consider when you’re deciding on a wedding date.

Budget. Just like in travel, a wedding has its own peak and off-peak seasons. Check your budget once again if it allows you to book venues and vendors during peak seasons (like in May or December) or if you’ll be hitting your target budget better with an off-peak wedding date.
Your own schedules. You have your jobs, travel plans, and maybe health-related activities as individuals. Have a couple meeting to see your individual activities for your target wedding year. See how you could squeeze in the pre- and post- wedding activities to come up with a more possible wedding date.
Schedules of people who matter. Just think about their jobs, travel plans, and other activities. When are your guests usually busy or away on a holiday?
Venue. If you are planning a destination wedding, you’ll have to make sure that the venue is available on your preferred date/s and that you and your guests can all travel there smoothly. Popular and traditional wedding venues are booked in advance so always check the availability of these venues.
Season. It’s easier for the guests to travel and show up during the dry season (like in March-May) while December is also ideal since a lot of your loved ones can come home.
Suppliers. Just like a wedding venue, suppliers’ availability should also be considered since they are booked in advance and the good and popular ones are booked all year round. You may ask what months are not fully booked yet. Some suppliers also give out discounts during their lean months.
Important dates. You can choose dates that matter to both of you — your anniversary, his proposal date, or your first meeting. That way, it’s easier to remember.
Provide options. Don’t just choose one wedding date and expect everything to be available or ready for that date. Instead, get ready with at least three options.

 

 Create A Wedding Website

We now live in a digital age, trends in wedding planning are evolving. One of the newest trends which you should definitely give a try is creating your own wedding website. You can keep all the details organized in one place, online. It might sound like a lot of work but creating your wedding website is really a good idea because of these reasons;

  • Share information/details of your big day with family and guests made easy.
  • Include your Cash Fund Registry.
  • Use as Save the Date. You can announce to everybody all at once.
  • Use as Wedding Evite. Update it from Save the date to your wedding invitation.
  • Fast & Easy to create with just 4 simple steps when you use BridalPod Wedding Websites.
  • Free! Whenyou use BridalPod Wedding Websites.
BridalPod Wedding Website is part of our Planning Tools.

 

 Define Your Wedding Style

As a couple, deciding on a style or theme might be the first hurdle to overcome in planning your big day. Before anything else, you have to define your wedding style. Here are some examples of wedding styles that you can personalize. As you go through the list of themes, you can also start realizing how to make it unique for your own wedding.

Art-Deco. Travel back to the age of vintage glam, the era of The Great Gatsby, full of glamorous and lavish wedding ideas.
Bold-Modern. This theme is an eye-catching style featuring bold and vibrant colors paired with contemporary decor.
Classic. The traditional minimalist. This style is a classic example of ‘less is more’. Clean, limited to 1 or 2 colors and with minimal decor throughout, it highlights intimacy and elegance.
Eclectic. It can be a good choice for you if you have varied tastes as this is a playful mix of different styles and colors with no distinct aesthetic.
Retro. Relieve the glorious fashion style and a piece of nostalgia from the Vintage-inspired era of the 1950s or 1960s.
Romantic. You can be the prince and princess in your wedding as a romantic-themed wedding showcases elements from enchantments and fairy-tales.
Rustic. Outdoors-y or if you’re longing for that home provincial style ambiance can opt for the nature-inspired style with details like wood, stones, twigs & branches, foliage, etc.
Shabby Chic. The use of antique & vintage details adds a look of elegance and timelessness. Go nostalgic and bring back your treasured memories in a backdrop of antique-inspired elements.
Themed. This style can really make the wedding personal and special for you. The style is characterized by a specific theme; examples like movie, sports, travel, books, etc. that hold meaning for you.
Whimsical. Created with beautiful, over the top fanciful details, it can be a DIY couple achievement or a success story of the whole wedding planning team, and entourage.

 

 Create And Manage Your Guest List

When it comes to planning the wedding guest list, there are three things to put into consideration before adding names into your list – your style, budget, and venue capacity. Create a draft guest list before looking for venues as capacity will determine the size of the wedding venue. Start with your parents, grandparents, siblings with their partners, and their children. Then relatives and distant families. Try and keep it fair when it comes to guest numbers for each of your families. Followed by your friends and work colleagues and don’t forget their plus ones. Discuss early on in the process whether or not to invite children to your wedding, as this would add to the numbers in your guest list. Lastly, the bride and groom count as guests too, so don’t leave yourselves off the list when it comes to your final figure.

Now, after drafting your guest list, managing it is one of the biggest logistical tasks of your wedding. When the average wedding size is 250 pax, sorting through wedding guest list can be a headache. BridalPod has a Guest List Manager, part of our Planning Tools that will help you to;
  • Send invites or reminders
  • Receive RSVP’s that will ‘auto-update’ your guest list when guests reply.
  • Track attendees

 

 Start Your Wedding Registry

BridalPod is transforming the wedding planning experience for the millennials with its Online Planning Tools, Wedding Websites, and here’s next Wedding Cash Fund Registry!We now live in a digital age, wedding planning should be exciting. If you haven’t created your wedding website with us, well, you should. Why? Because in a few weeks or so, we’ll launch our Cash Fund Registry!

This is definitely something to look forward to. So, stay tuned!

 Hiring A Wedding Planner

Wedding planning takes a great amount of time and energy. Most getting married couples opt to hire a professional planner especially when both are running busy careers. What to consider in looking to find the perfect wedding planner for you.

Experience is key. Credibility is what makes someone sellable. Be sure that the one you are looking up is good with working with clients and has the reputation to bring out the best results. You can start by choosing as many good event planners as possible and then trickle down your list until you find the one you are most comfortable doing your wedding with.
Budget for a Planner. With credibility comes quality. Keep in mind that popular event planners could be more on the bigger budget side as they are in demand with many couples. However, you can still balance everything out by asking for discounts and other barter arrangements.
Type of Planner. While every planner is different, most professionals fall into one of two categories: a full-service wedding planner, or a day-coordinator. So how do you know which type is right for you? Here, everything you need to know about each.
  • A Full-Service Wedding Planner. Attends on both the small and big details, turn your dream wedding into reality. Assists with every aspect of your wedding, from helping you find and book suppliers to managing your budget. Your planner will be by your side throughout the planning and on the wedding day itself, working with your venue, suppliers, guests, and bridal party to make sure the day runs without a hitch and on schedule.
  • Day-Coordinator. Some brides like to have complete control of wedding planning, but managing suppliers, guests, and set-up on the morning of the wedding can be completely overwhelming. This is where a day-coordinator comes in handy. While a day coordinator will not be involved in the details of wedding planning, the team will ensure that your ceremony and reception stay on schedule. Basically, the team makes sure everyone and everything is in the right place at the right time. Day-coordinator usually manages supplier arrivals, assists guests with ceremony seating, assists the bridal party in the ceremony, oversee the décor set-up, and make sure timeline is followed and on track.

 Ceremony & Reception Venue Options

Your dream wedding includes a dream destination but with a lot of factors to consider like the location, its perks and your guest count, finding the perfect place can be dizzying. But take a deep breath and read through these tips to help you get married in the venue of your dreams.

1. Budget
Here or abroad? Indoor or outdoor? This seems to be the first line of questions that you have to check off your list. With so many locations claiming to be the best wedding destination, choosing one can be dizzying. To break down your options, consider how much you are willing to spend for the venue itself and the expenses for your guests. Also, consider avoiding peak dates as it can be more expensive and it will be a more hectic week for the staff so they may not focus on your wedding alone.
2. Weather
This is the trickiest factor to consider. Every couple wants a storm-free ceremony and sometimes, no matter how many months you have been forecasting, the weather can still be as unpredictable as ever. Since there is no way to stop rain, make sure that your outdoor venue has an indoor back-up or tents are available as an alternative.
3. Guests
Some like their weddings to be intimate while others want it to be grand. Do some ocular inspections at your prospect venues to make sure everyone will fit, including the back-up area. Your guests’ comfort should be a priority so also consider the proximity of the venue and if it is a destination wedding, how much they will have to spend to be there on your special day.
4. Package
Venues offer packages that will already include your ceremony, reception, accommodation and even catering services all in one place. This is the easiest option for you as you need not to spend on transportation that will bring your entourage to and from different locations. Guests and even suppliers will also appreciate the convenience of staying put.
5. Perks
Choosing a place that provides multiple services is a jackpot. Not only are your venue concerns taken care of but also your food, audio, and visual system. Some packages include styling and even your wedding cake. You need not to contact an army of suppliers to help you out and since it’s your special day, you would want to be as hassle-free as possible.

 Picking Your Wedding Rings

When it comes to picking your wedding bands there are things you’ll need to consider. Here is a list of 4 things to know.

Shape and Size. You want a wedding ring that is comfortable, so getting the right size for your ring is important. Most women will know their ring size but not in the case for the men since they don’t usually wear rings. When deciding on the best size of the wedding ring you want something that is tight but not too restrictive. If you are planning on wearing your wedding ring with your engagement ring, be sure to pick something that fits snuggly with it and complements it.
The Metal. There are traditional choices for your wedding band – gold, silver, and platinum. Pick the one that represents your personal style, and of course, your budget. If you plan to wear your wedding ring all the time, you will want something that is durable and doesn’t scratch easily.
Plain or Diamond set. The big thing to consider here is your style. Do you want to go with the more glamorous and fashionable diamond set wedding ring or go with the traditional plain metal finished ring? Whatever you decide, be true to your own style. Diamond set wedding rings will be more expensive so be sure to allocate budget to this should it be something that you want. If you’ve decided to go with a diamond set, you should look for that diamond set that will complement well with your engagement ring. Diamond set wedding rings are becoming a trend and popular both for men and women.
Insurance. Engagement rings and wedding rings can be a big investment, especially for young couples, so be sure to insure your rings to protect them from damage or loss.

 Search For Wedding Suppliers

This is the nitty-gritty of wedding planning. Finding the best wedding suppliers for you and coordinating with them will take much of your wedding preparation. And for good reason. These people will be responsible for providing the services and products you need for your big day. BridalPod has a Supplier Manager, part of our Planning Tools, where we made it easier for you to find, contact, and get updates from suppliers. Start saving and adding suppliers to ‘Your Favorites’ that you find from our Supplier Directory listing. You can build your Supplier list by category. Add favorite Suppliers to your shortlist. For a comprehensive supplier listing, please check out our Supplier Directory! These are the wedding essentials, no matter what the size or style of your wedding.

Wedding Invitation 
Bridal Dress
Groom’s Attire
Brides Squad’s Dresses
Groomsmen Attire
Flowers and Decor
Catering
Photos and Video
Hair and Makeup

 

ONLINE PLANNING TOOLS

 About BridalPod’s Planning Tools

  • Mobile Responsive & Mobile Friendly Design  –       
  • Customizable – Manage, Add, Edit, Share, Upload, Download.
  • Innovative – Advanced and sophisticated system integration of all our planning tools.
  • First & Only in the Philippine Wedding Industry
  • FREE!
Designed to help you go through wedding planning with ease. Manage everything all in one place with the convenience of mobility. The best part is, you can have this All-Access Pass account when you sign-up with BridalPod for FREE!
Wedding Gift Registry and Wedding Websites are integrated with the Planning Tools (Checklist, Budget, Guest List RSVP, Supplier Manager)

 Checklist with Timeline

  • Includes a 12-18 month Timeline.
  • Customizable Calendar Timeline based on wedding date.
  • Complete with 94-Preselected Tasks.
  • Customize, rearrange, delete or add more tasks if needed.
  • Print and download options are available.

  Check It Out

 Budget Manager

  • Itemized Wedding Cost Details + Contingencies.
  • 5 Pre-set Budgets – Estimates based on latest Industry Rates.
  • Compares Prices – Estimates & Actual Bookings.
  • Tracks Payments – Accounting of Payments and Balances.
  • Monitors Spending – Keep cost in line in Real-time.
  • Print and download options are available.

  Check It Out

 Guest List & RSVP Manager

  • Collects Guests email addresses.
  • Sends invites & reminders.
  • Tracks Guests RSVP + Number of Attendees.
  • Updates in Real-time when Guests reply.
  • Bulk Uploads via CSV file of an existing guest list.
  • Print and download options are available.
  • ***NEW!RSVPs via Wedding Website 

  Check It Out

 Supplier Manager

  • Links to BridalPod’s Supplier Directory.
  • Find, contact, and get updates from Suppliers.
  • Saves Suppliers to “Your Favorites”.
  • Builds Supplier List by Category.
  • Adds Suppliers from Bookings. 
  • Collects Supplier contact information.
  • Collects Supplier Rates/Contract price.
  • Print and download options are available.

  Check It Out

 Wedding Cash Fund Registry

  • The ONLY wedding website in the country that offers this service.
  • Our group gifting concept allows for multiple contributions.
  • Automatically appears in the couple’s Wedding Website.
  • Includes 5 curated funding goals {from 50K-100K each}

    Check It Out

 Wedding Websites

  • Fast & Easy to create with just 4 simple steps.
  • Selection of customizable templates.
  • Includes wedding details to share with family and guests.
  • Includes Wedding Cash Fund Registry.
  • Includes Online RSVP for wedding guests.
  • FREE. NO monthly hosting fee.

  Check It Out

 ONLINE Wedding Fair

  • SAVINGS! Enjoy 10-25% Discounts.
  • Available Nationwide & Abroad.
  • NO PRESSURE BOOKING.
  • Adequate time to evaluate packages.
  • Contact suppliers via our platform – avoid UNWANTED Emails.
  • NO TRAVEL TIME.
  • NO HASSLE.
  • FREE!

  Check It Out

 
  • LET’S START PLANNING!
    Get started with a FREE account on the #1 site for wedding planning. Set the date, and we’ll do the rest. Our advanced Online Planning TOOLS  will help you plan a wedding stress-free!

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