180K wedding+honeymoon

Their wedding was back in 2005. So there, that should explain the almost unbelievable budget — partially.

The second reason is that the bride is my friend Rochelle Leonor (now del Callar), money-wise gal behind the really useful blog Pinay and Money and naturally, that means, she was ALL about practicality in the wedding planning.

I was one of the 65 guests at their wedding on Oct. 1, 2005 at the Windmills and Rainforest Restaurant in Quezon City, and you wouldn’t say it was a cheap affair. It wasn’t fancy but it was nice, you know? Like when you wear a baby tee.

Based on offhand calculation, Rochelle says the cost of their wedding now would be around P250,000 (inflation and price increases), which, in these days, is still not bad considering some brides spend that amount only on couture gowns and flowers.

So how did they do it? Of course, it helped that Rochelle’s groom and now husband, Denis del Callar, works in the media industry (The bride did, too, which was how they met) and got a load of freebies and discounts.

The bride’s hair and make-up by Kat Manalo was free, the wedding rings from Jewelmer were given at 70% off c/o Denis’ office, the OTD was free c/o a co-worker, the photographer, a suki of Rochelle’s in company events, gave a staggering discount, there was no videographer and the invites were DIY. Oh and they didn’t have a full entourage, just a best woman and mate of honor. You can just imagine the slash in their expenses. 8 )

Gown by Esy Creations

The venue

The cake from Merced, which came with the buffet package.

The point here? You don’t need to burn a gazillion for a wedding. Just make sure the three key ingredients are there: bride, groom, God.

The couple went to Baguio for their three-day honeymoon at the El Cielito Inn, then came home to their newly acquired and designed unit at Sunny Villas in Fairview after that.

Happy Anniversary Denis and Roche! A long love-filled marriage to you both.