Saving and paying for the wedding of our dreams has been a beautiful journey… at least for me and my now husband, Mahal. It really pushed our boundaries to the limits. There were times we thought we wouldn’t be able to deal with all the anxiety that came with it but every time we remind ourselves why we’re doing it, we start feeling calm again and we go back to enjoying the process which actually started when I turned 44 Feb. of 2022, then got engaged April of that year, then got married civilly November of that same year, and finally had the beach wedding of our dreams last May 5, 2023. 

For me, personally, having achieved our dream beach wedding was not just a one-day thing like what most people say where many splurge money and some end up regretting it or worse, incurring huge debts. This is why my younger self wouldn’t have agreed to pay for what we paid for, just to get married. My younger self valued marriage more than the wedding day itself. Well, my now 45-year old self values my desires, my dreams, my life partner, his dreams, our relationship, our son, our family, our marriage… that’s why we did what we did… which felt like the longest wedding celebration in history, lol! It is not even finished yet because we haven’t had our beach wedding honeymoon series yet… just our engagement honeymoon and civil wedding honeymoon series. 😉 And whenever we hear our 7-year old son say that our wedding (he always refers to our wedding as the wedding of us three, so cute!) is the best experience and event he had experienced in his entire life every chance he gets, THAT, to us, is priceless in itself and makes it all the more worth it. I’ll share with you his wedding speech below.

Even if time turned back, we won’t have it any other way. After all, money is just money. We can always earn it back. Heck, we’ve already earned it back. We spent for a dream we were sure we can afford and we wouldn’t have done it otherwise. I feel like we’re financially wise like that… to only spend for what we can afford to pay for in cash the moment it needs to get paid, not sooner, not later. This is why for me, having planned for our dream beach wedding has been a long process of knowing myself, of getting better, of getting in touch with what is okay with me and what is not; and how strong and resourceful I can be to make this little long-time dream of mine happen with the help of my husband. No one else helped us pay for it. It was just me and my Mahal and I’m so proud of us! 

Here’s a little candid video of our son making a wedding speech. It wasn’t part of the program but the emcee ended up calling him because he insisted on making a speech. So cute!!!

Having said all that, it took quite a while for me to publish this 2nd post of my Beach Wedding Series here on my blog, well, because I was having second thoughts whether I should divulge this kind of information or not. Some might consider it tacky or inappropriate but then I thought, this is my blog, I’m not hurting anyone, I’m not pretending to be someone I’m not, and I’d just like to share the information to help those budget-conscious couples like us have their dream intimate beach wedding without breaking the bank. However, I’m aware that each one of us has different notions as to what breaking the bank is or what their dream beach wedding should be like for that matter. For us, a few years or so ago, we would have really considered the total amount we spent on our wedding as breaking the bank! But as time went on, and as God has blessed us in so many different ways, plus we shifted our mindset to really prepare to splurge on one of the most important series of events of our lives (because life is so short and when are we going to do what we really want, right?) Hence, the series of decisions we made for our dream beach wedding. And we had zero regrets since. Our dream came true; we received so much more than we planned; and we just really felt God blessed us so much on our wedding day and afterward. 

If you haven’t read my first beach wedding post, head there first to have an overview of how to plan for your dream beach wedding. Then go back here to take a look at the expenses we’ve incurred.  

I just want to give you guys an idea because personally, when I was thinking about our own dream beach wedding a few years back, we thought that a certain budget would be enough only to find out later on that we were very far from that amount. Good thing we decided to take a year to plan everything which gave us the much needed time to spread out the expenses so it won’t be as heavy on our pockets. Just so you know, the man I married is a very frugal guy. I myself am frugal as well. So going beyond our intended budget, if we hadn’t really prepared for it, would have really come as a shock for budget-conscious folks like us. As what Ramit says (the financial guy over at Netflix’s HOW TO GET RICH), “Whatever you think it’s gonna cost, it’s likely to be a lot more.” And indeed, it was! But it was all worth it!

So, okay, here we go… I’ll try to make this post short. I plan to have separate blog posts for some of the items here to further explain the details (because I’m OC like that, teehee!) but for this post I’ll just list down the breakdown of the costs plus a little information on each… But, not before I finally post here our SDE (Same Day Edit) video here:

Now, for the breakdown of expenses…

Photographer & Videographer with SDE

Capturing your wedding moments through photography and videography is crucial. Same day edit (SDE) videos may come at an extra cost.

We got the same photographer as the one we used for our engagement but got a different videographer because the previous one was no longer available and has increased his cost.

• Video: Jayson DrOne | Lumad Creatives 
• Photo: Marion Dhen | D’PIX Photography

COSTS:

• Pre-Nup and Wedding Day Photographer and Videographer: P17,000
• SDE: P5,000
• Transportation for the pre-nup held in Oslob, Boljoon, & Alcoy: P1,500
• Food during pre-nup shoot: P3,000
• 2 night accommodations of the photographer and videographer during the pre-nup shoot: P3,000
• Pre-Nup Costumes: 5,085

Bachelorette and Stag Parties + Exotic Dancers

Pre-wedding celebrations are a must, and the costs can vary based on the chosen destination, activities, and number of guests. Including exotic dancers that may involve additional entertainment expenses.

COSTS:

Wedding Package from Hasol No More by Mae Rosaldo

As I mentioned on my first beach wedding blog post, “we didn’t exactly pick one from Hasol Nomore | Hasolnomore‘s offerings. Since ours is quite unique (we’re only expecting to invite a few people and we’re not even sure if we can do the traditional ceremony), our wedding became a fully customized one with updates and changes that happened every step of the way until the big day. “

So after we took a look at her P169K wedding package, we subtracted a lot of things and what was left were the following:

TOTAL COST OF THE STUFF BELOW: P64,000

• whole lechon
• regular 3-layer wedding cake
• flower arrangement
  • bouquets for:
    • bride
    • 1 maid of honor
    • 3 bridesmaids
    • 2 baskets for flower girls
    • boutonnières /wristlet for sponsors
• venue decor
  • center piece table guest
  • special decor center piece for VIP table
  • ceuling decor
  • couple center piece table decor
  • backdrop
  • entrance/tunnel decor
  • couch/loveseat
• 30 pcs. invitation
• 30 pieces giveaways
• hair & makeup for 12 people
• gown set
  • bride accessories
    • veil
    • cord
    • tiara
    • head dress
    • ring pillow
    • coin pillow
    • garter
  • bridesmaids
  • flower girls
  • 2 mothers or their proxies
• tuxedo/americana set
  • groom
  • best man (vest set)
  • 3 grooms men
  • 2 fathers or their proxies
• professional host
  • with DJ
  • program flow sounds & light
  • PAR LED Light
  • moving head
  • low lying fog machine
  • sparkular
• unlimited consultation
• no hidden charges
• customized package
• on the day coordinator
• assistant coordinator

with free use of the following:

• mannequin for pictorial
• longtail gown for prenup
• suit/longsleeve for pre-nup
• 1 pair candle

Then the following were the stuff that we added to our wedding with the help as well of our wedding coordinator: 

Wedding Ceremony & Reception Venue

Beachside venues can be breathtakingly beautiful but might also carry premium prices. This expense will be a significant portion of your budget.

We chose Chateau by the Sea in Mactan, Cebu specifically their T-shaped boardwalk called The Harbour because not only was it the cheapest in their options of wedding venues inside their property but it was also the one by the beach so it was really perfect! 

COSTS:

• The Harbour: P28,000 for 4 hours
• Additional Fee for Electricity & Corkage: P10,000
• Additional tents in case it rains: P5,000

The image above is a drone shot of The Harbour… that T-shaped boardwalk by the sea where we held both our wedding ceremony and wedding reception.

Hotel Stays

If yours is a destination wedding like ours, accommodations for guests before the wedding will be a notable expense, especially if you opt for luxury resorts or beachfront hotels.

For us, we had our friends checked in at Beds & Friends hotel in Mactan at first for the joint stag/bachelorette party a day before the wedding (which is budget-friendly one) and we got a free hotel accommodation at a 4-star hotel in Mactan, Crown Regency, 2 days before the wedding. It was free because we attended one of their marketing seminars when we were vacationing in Boracay back in Feb.

However, during the wedding day itself, we rented an entire beach hotel building inside Chateau by the Sea called The Residence. It was the most expensive among the options because it was the only available one for May 5. It has 8 bedrooms overlooking the ocean good for 32 people inclusive of buffet dinner and drinks and buffet breakfast the next day, so, in a way, it was worth it.  It also came with its own private swimming pool, perfect for us all who came with kids. We had the 8 rooms reserved for us, our family members in attendance, my bridesmaids, and Oslob Mayor Atty. Ronald Guaren who is one of our principal sponsors. He was also the one who married us during our Civil Wedding back in Nov. 21, 2022. 

COSTS: 

• Pre-Wedding Hotel Stay at Beds & Friends Hostel: P4,500
• The Residence inside Chateau by the Sea: P70,000

The image above is The Residence, an entire wing inside Chateau by the Sea with 8 ocean view bedrooms, its own private swimming pool, a huge alfresco dining area, and bar. Breakfast and dinner buffet included. It was worth is for P70,000/night for 32 people.

Wedding Ceremony and Reception Lights, LED Dance Floor, & LED Wall

Lighting elements and tech-savvy features can enhance the overall atmosphere but may also increase expenses. True enough, while we originally thought that these were already included in the customized package we got from our coordinator, we later found out that having a LED dance floor and a LED wall plus trusses where the chandeliers and lights will be hung need to be paid for separately. After all, we were getting married outdoors, by the beach, where there are no structures built to hang the chandeliers and fairy lights at, hence the additional costs. Plus everything LED tends to be really expensive. But since we wanted our wedding to really look beautiful from dusk until evening, we spared no expenses. 

COSTS:

• LED wall: P15,000
• floral LED dance floor: P15,000
• trusses: P13,000

Below is a video of the Grand Entrance to show you the lights, LED Dance Floor and LED Wall that were used:

Wedding Dresses

Attire for the bride can contribute significantly to your expenses. For us, this includes both the bridal robe and the wedding dress. I had a two-way wedding dress made that turns into a cocktail dress for the wedding reception, plus the wedding dress included in our coordinator’s package, and the lavender bridal robe. 

COSTS:

• Two-Way Wedding Dress: P31,000
• Customized Bridal Robe: P5,000
• A rental princess wedding dress: cost of this is part of the coordinator’s wedding package which was why technically, I had 3 wedding dresses. This rental one was for photo ops. The two-way wedding dress was the one I wore for the ceremony and wedding reception. Then I had a 4th red party dress that I wore at the after wedding party.
• Transportation and Food Allowance of the couturier when they visited us in Oslob for the fitting: P1,500

Wedding Accessories

I ordered some dresses, robes, & other accessories online not just for me but for my bridesmaids as well. I also had my nail extensions and eye lashes done and had my hair treated.

COST: P5,954

Wedding Invitation

Customized invitations that match your theme and motif will add a personalized touch to your wedding. Costs will depend on the design, quantity, and printing method.

Our wedding invitations were already included in the wedding coordinator’s package but since there are some elements that I wanted added, we incurred a small additional expense for it.

Please note that I was the one who did the design of the pages using Canva. I had the colors picked out. Then through the help of our coordinator, the design was passed on to the  printing company. We only had 30 pieces made to be given to our guests. 

COST:

Additional expense for the invite page: P900

Wedding Cake

A beach-themed wedding cake could feature intricate designs that reflect your surroundings, impacting the cost. For our wedding cake, I want something similar to Iza Calzado’s naked beach wedding cake. Since it will be different from the regular wedding cake that is included in the wedding package, we had to add extra payment.

Our cake must have 3 Layers.

• 1st layer down below is moist chocolate cake inside.
• 2nd layer in the middle is mango cake inside.
• 3rd layer on top is mocha cake inside.

Each layer must have at least 3 layers of cake and 2 layers of filling.

On top of the cake, there must be “Mr. & Mrs. topper”.

The cake must be inside a circular cake stand with flowers in the same color motif.

The result??? OMG! It was the best-tasting cake we’ve ever eaten in our entire lives!!! It’s more than perfect!!!

COST:

• Additional payment: P3,000
• 18” Circular wooden stand with flowers: P2,500

Wedding Souvenirs

Personalized souvenirs for your guests can vary in price, depending on the type of keepsakes you choose. I had mine ordered one by one online. It’s going to be a beach wedding happening at dusk til evening so I’m thinking of some things that will go well with the vibe as well as some things that they can use for a long time. And I got the following:

• native bayong bag
• customized wooden fan with our names embossed on it (this was already part of the coordinator’s wedding package)
• lavender – scented candle 
• lavender lace-type scarf/shawl 
• a small bottle of Jo Malone -inspired perfume (wood sage and sea salt) which smells sooo good
• Cetaphil sunblock
• bucket hat
• shells
• starfish

COST: P7,970

Wedding and After-Wedding Decors

These were the stuff we used at our own mini resort, Oslob New Village, to decorate our restaurant and some parts of our resort for welcoming our guests to Oslob. It also includes the umbrellas we prepared for everyone just in case it rains, and the native fans we had on each chair of our guests at the reception.

COST: P15,000

Wedding Ceremony Officiant

Whether it’s a religious figure or a secular officiant, their fee will be part of your budget. This was already part of the coordinator’s package but since we met with the officiant, Rev. Teomar J. Gulbin, about a month before the wedding and paid him the deposit in cash, it was the coordinator who just paid the balance after the wedding.

COST: P6,000

Wedding Dinner Buffet

We had food catered for the 55 people we were expecting to come taking into consideration some vegan guests. A few days before the wedding though, a few have cancelled due to emergency reasons but we couldn’t anymore refund a part of the amount we paid the caterer.

The food included in the package and our choices were:

• 1 beef dish – Beef Caldereta
• 1 seafoods dish – Shrimp Tempura
• 1 pork dish – Pork Spareribs in bbq sauce
• 1 poultry dish – Lemon Chicken
• 1 vegetable or pasta/pancit dish – Seafoods pasta
• 1 appetizer – Garden Salad
• 1 dessert – Potato Apple Salad

The payment already included provision for the following tables:

• VIP Table for 10
• Couple table for 2
• 1 table for  Giveaways
• 1 cake/Dessert buffet table
• 1 Glazing Table 
• Table cloth: Cream or Off white

COSTS:

• Food: 55 persons x P350 each = P19,250
• Additional Waiters: P1,100

Dessert Buffet Table

Of course any party won’t be complete without desserts. Though the dinner buffet we ordered already included desserts, we still wanted to have a separate table just for buffet desserts.

COST: P10,000

Glazing Table

We previously settled for just a bowl of snacks on each table but decided to get a glazing table instead almost the last minute. We just wanted our guests to have something good to eat while waiting for the ceremony to start. This was paired with a mobile bar to help everyone relax before the celebration starts.

COST: P10,000

Mobile bar

It was my Maid of Honor’s suggestion to have unlimited alcohol during the wedding, hence, we had two mobile bars set up — one for the wedding reception and one for the after wedding party that lasted until dawn.

COST: P16,000

Photo Booth

We wanted another souvenir to give our guests, something that would be fun and memorable so the moment our videographer told us about their photobooth offering where our guests can get unlimited pictures, we said yes! 

COST: P3,000

Dove 

We originally wanted butterflies but since our wedding coordinator couldn’t find any suitable suppliers, we settled for a pair of doves instead. I’m glad we did. It felt so fun and romantic!

COST: P500

Fireworks

We originally wanted paper lanterns only to find out that they’re no longer allowed in our venue. That’s when we thought… why not fireworks? It would be so fun! And when you see the video, you’d know it was so worth it. The fireworks were lighted during our wedding dance to the tune of Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now. It was so magical and beautiful!!! No regrets at all! 

COST: P15,000

You can watch the drone-view of the fireworks here:

Wedding Tours, Food, Transportation

This includes all the vans we rented from Mactan going to Simala Church and Oslob, vans for the Oslob tours, packages for the whale shark encounter, swimming at Sumilon island, visit to Tumalog falls, and all our buffet and ala carte meals during the tours. We included the cost of the hotel stay during the tours since our guests all stayed at our own hotel and we just accepted a few hotel bookings at that time to accommodate our guests.

COSTS: 

• Food and Tours: P39,490
• Hotel Accommodations: P27,000

This video below of swimming with the whale sharks of Oslob was us last May 7 when we toured our guests. I’ll share more soon on another blog post.

Tips to Suppliers

We wanted to acknowledge those suppliers whom we felt went over and beyond their duties to make our dream beach wedding possible. I messaged them on Facebook and sent their individual tips via GCash.

COST: P10,300

Wedding Prizes

Because we had an intimate beach wedding where there were only a few guests, we welcomed the suppliers to join the games as well. The prizes we gave were free accommodations and tours in Oslob transferrable to anyone they wish that they can avail anytime.

COST: P16,000

Wedding Shoes

It took me a long time to find a pair of wedding shoes I like. Mahal already bought a pair from Onitsuka Tiger and I was still scrambling for the perfect pair. A month before the wedding, I found JMC Bridal Shoes online and it had so many good reviews. I rarely buy a pair online because I needed to see the shoes and wear them first before buying but the testimonials on their page really convinced me to get a pair. The best thing about it was that I can have my shoes fully customized. When it finally arrived after 3 weeks, OMG! They felt so soft and comfortable, and looked so perfect!

COST:

• JMC Bridal Shoes: P3,280
• Onitsuka Tiger: P6,000

Wedding-Related Trips to Cebu City and Wedding-Related Shopping Prior to Our Beach Wedding

We live in this quaint little town of Oslob in Southern Cebu which is around 3-4 hours away from Cebu City (depending on traffic). Oslob is well-known for the whale sharks that tourists from all over the world visit which is why there are so many hotels and resorts here, one of which is ours, Oslob New Village. We only have one mall here though, which is Gaisano Grand Mall. So, whenever we want to buy most things that are not available here, we either go to Cebu City or to Dumaguete (which is nearer, only about an hour of car and boat rides from here, but not as bustling as Cebu City where the SM and Ayala malls are). So every time we’d go to the city, it would incur additional expenses for gas, food, and hotel accommodations because we usually stay for at least a week at a time to be able to run all sorts of errands and by everything we need for the next month or so. So on those months prior to our beach wedding, we were in Cebu every month to run errands, meet with our coordinator, buy wedding-related stuff, visit our venue in Mactan, etc. Hence, the costs below.

COSTS:

• Hotels, Food, Gas, Shopping: P86,920
• Bride’s Gift Watch >>> Garmin Fenix 7S Sapphire Solar Premium Multisport GPS Watch: P56,500
• Groom’s Gift Watch >>> Garmin Fenix 7 Sapphire Solar Premium Multisport GPS Watch: P56,500
• Jewelry Wedding Gift For Me >>> Royal Gem Gold with Precious Stones Jewelry Set: P50,688

TOTAL COSTS

Totaling the wedding costs above resulted to : P783,287

Let’s factor in our total engagement (and engagement honeymoon) expenses + civil wedding expenses last year of around P360,000.

Then let’s add our civil wedding honeymoon expenses when we took almost a month of vacation in Boracay, Iloilo, Bacolod, and Dumaguete: P76,666

This means that everything nuptials-related amounted to:  P1,219,953… Wow!!! 

Let’s take into consideration that I might have forgotten to list a few more things… MAJOR WOW!!!

MY TAKEAWAY

I remember right before the pandemic, when Mahal and I had one of our big fights, well, because my ex got married right after we got annulled, and I was just wondering if my Mahal will ever propose to me and he suddenly felt pressured because he didn’t have the money yet. I was not at all concerned about the money and it was not my intention to pressure him. I told him though that a thread on my finger would be enough as a sign of our engagement as long as I know I’m already the one for him… But he didn’t want to do that because he wanted to give me the proposal and the beach wedding of my dreams… Well, now, I can say in retrospect, that I’m glad I had the patience to wait because everything indeed happened the way I wanted it to happen and it always pay off to wait for God’s perfect timing. ❤   

Again, we each have our own notion of what budget-friendly is. Perhaps, some of you are thinking that this amount could have been better spent somewhere more worthwhile than our version of a perfect engagement, civil, & beach weddings. But for us, from our engagement last April 24, 2022 to our civil wedding last Nov. 21, 2022, and finally our beach wedding last May 5, 2023… it was all worth it. We’ve waited this long at the age of 44 and 45 respectively; we’ve been frugal with so many things our entire lives, perhaps, we deserve to splurge on things we really care about. Life is too short to keep delaying things that make us truly happy. 🙂 Tomorrow is not always assured and today is all we really have. 🙂

Nevertheless, we are now saving up for our next dream — our Beach Wedding Honeymoon Series. Teehee! We already had our Engagement Honeymoon when we did a 10-day trip to Camotes Island last May 2022. Then we did the Boracay-Iloilo-Bacolod-Dumaguete Civil Wedding Honeymoon Series for almost a month last Feb. 2022. This time around, for our Beach Wedding Honeymoon Series, we want to go to Bohol, Singapore, then Paris (and hopefully other European nations like Italy and Croatia, teehee). We won’t do it in one go so we won’t be as pressured and definitely, it will take time again to save up for it. The process towards reaching our next goal is part of the happy journey. Once again, we will work on it as we wait for God’s perfect timing.

Til my next post for my Beach Wedding  Blog Series! Thank you for reading! 🙂