At Down Under Visa I would say that most of our visa applicants still choose prospective marriage visas (aka fiancée visas) and marry in Australia. Without doing the sums, I would say there would be at least 2 fiancée visas for every spouse visa (partner visa) we put through, and it hasn’t really changed over the years.

Let’s have a bit of a look at the pros and cons of marrying in the Philippines, and please keep in mind that we don’t mind either way. It’s not our decision, and we have no preferences whatsoever. None of our business, actually. But we want our clients to make informed decisions that they will be happy with, which is a lot of the reasoning behind the Down Under Visa BLOG page existing.

Philippines wedding

What’s good about marrying in Philippines?

Plenty of good reasons to marry here, especially if you are one of those people who are really happy and comfortable with all-things-Filipino. But that’s not everybody, so again requires a (hopefully) informed choice. This is Part One of two BLOG articles.

Happy bride: Of course she will be happy to have a wedding with the family in her home town. The whole family will be chuffed, and she will be the star of the show. Of course it will be a huge thrill for her, and most loving gentlemanly types will give a lot of weight to making the lady happy if it’s also practical.

Cost: It will always be cheaper to get a wedding here as long as it’s the same type of wedding. Obviously a lavish event in Makati will cost more than a registry office and barbeque wedding in Dubbo, but comparing apples for apples it will be cheaper here. This is especially the case if you have a wedding in the provinces and have uncles and aunties doing the cooking. A few lechon pigs on the spit…..dinuguan (that stuff made with blood)….lots of rice…..bottles of Emperador. You’ll feed half the town, and barely notice the cost.

Lots of help: You will always have family willing to help in all facets of the organisation. It won’t suit the control-freaks amongst you, but if you don’t mind being largely in the dark about a whole lot of things, everything will get done and you will really just have to turn up when you need to turn up.

Instant crowd: Apparently there IS a Tagalog word for “loneliness”, but I’m sure it’s the most underused word (along with the Tagalog word for “privacy”, whatever that is). You won’t need to worry about who to invite. In fact (especially in the provinces) you won’t be sending out invitations at all. People will just turn up. You will have maybe 10 bridesmaids and same number of groomsmen. The church will be packed, and they will probably feed people in shifts. First lot get up after eating, and a second lot sit down and start.

I’m sure you can all see that this fact will be seen as a positive to one person, and a negative to another. You decide!

Fun: It really is more fun in the Philippines. It will be chaotic. It will be noisy. And you will be largely clueless. But it will most definitely be fun, as that’s how things are done here. It really is a land of smiles, and it’s a country where PEOPLE matter more than anything else. Weddings are a chance for families to get together, and that leads to a lot of fun and happiness.

Watch for Part Two