P5K Wedding, Kaya Ba? This Couple Says It's Possible, 'Makeup Sariling Sikap, Si Sister Ang Photographer'

On July 31, Xiong Macabuhay from Antipolo City, Rizal shared some photos from his civil wedding with Geejen Monreal on Facebook. He said in the caption, "Saan aabot ang 5K pesos mo?"

What was supposed to be just a sharing of their 'tipidity' experience, became a spark of hope for couples who are aspiring to get married but didn't have the budget just yet.

In the comment section of Xiong's posts that has now over 14K comments and 48K shares, people were tagging their boyfriends and girlfriends saying, "5K lang pala eh, tara mahal, magbihis ka na."

Another one tagged her boyfriend and said, "Tig-2.5K tayo, hahaha!" 

In an interview with Smart Parenting, the groom Xiong shared the reason behind their tipid wedding. "We decided to have a simple wedding because we have prepared our marriage life by prioritizing our future plans first," he said.

'The cheaper the wedding, the happier' -study

Xiong and Geejen are on the right track. In a 2014 study by Andrew Francis-Tan and Hugo M. Mialon, they found that the cheaper the wedding, the higher chances of the couple staying in the marriage. 

They surveyed 3,000 married people in the United States and evaluated the association between wedding spending and marriage duration. 

"Controlling for a number of demographic and relationship characteristics, we find evidence that marriage duration is inversely associated with spending on the engagement ring and wedding ceremony, they said.

How to organize a wedding with a P5K budget

The newlyweds from Antipolo, Rizal then revealed how they made everything fit in their P5,000-peso wedding budget, despite rising prices of commodities including eggs and gas, and amid a pandemic.

Pre-wedding

First things first - when you decide to get married, there are at least two important documents that you need: a CENOMAR (certificate of no marriage) for the two of you, which you can get from the PSA; and a marriage license, which you can process in your city hall.

For these marriage requirements, the couple spent P840 for the CENOMAR, and P390 for the marriage license.

Wedding proper

Next, the bridal gown is usually where couples splurge during their wedding. For Geejen's wedding dress, they said that it was a wedding gift bought by her mom on Facebook Marketplace. "Second hand, since wala na po stock yung size ko sa store," she told Smart Parenting. Her make-up, "Sariling sikap," she said.

For Xiong, he used his readily available white long sleeves, black coat, and black pants. 

Now for the wedding bands, which would usually cost couples thousands of pesos, they said that they got their "non-tarnish, surgical rings" for only P999 with their engagement rings. They got it from Aaron Charles.

For their bridal car, instead of renting a luxury car, Geejen said, "Si groom na po nag-drive and family car ginamit."

While photo and video coverage services would usually take a large chunk of the wedding budget, this couple got it for free. "Free within the municipality and si sister ko po nag picture," Geejen said.

So for the wedding proper, their only spending was the rings at P999.

Post-wedding ceremony

And so the biggest chunk of their wedding budget went to their reception, but they held it at Ellen's Best Pares in Town, a local bar, and only spent P2,500 on it. In a report by Interaksyon, Xiong said his sibling owns the bar and having their wedding there is a way to show their support.

They also said that they only have three principal sponsors and four family members who attended their wedding. 

In total, the couple spent roughly around P4,729.

 And yes, a P5K budget wedding is possible.

What matters most

When asked what's their message to couples who were inspired by their wedding to finally take their relationship to the next level, Xiong said, "Regardless [of] what type of wedding. The important thing is that you understand each other."

He added, "Communication is important between partners and pinaka-importante ang pagmamahalan ng isa't-isa."

Indeed, if there's a will, there's a way.

Congratulations, Xiong and Geejen! [Macabuhay] ang bagong kasal! 

OTHER INSPIRING BUDGET WEDDING STORIES:

• Love Ko 'To! This Couple Got Married At McDonald's, Happy Meal Ang Giveaway
• Viral 'Isaw' Wedding With Drive-Through Reception Costs P10,000
• Couple Gets Married in T-Shirt And Jeans After COVID Forces Them To Cancel Their Wedding

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