Good morning - I'd like to introduce myself

[ssbib]

Hi there everyone. I just wanted to stop by here and introduce myself. My name is Phill, I am 30 years old and I stumbled across your site a few days ago. Last night I decided to join and seek advice (and have received some excellent advice already!). So I wanted to say thank you to those who have offered advice so far and thank you to those who made this site. I met a girl online a year ago who just so happened to live in the Philippines. Since then I have visited her in Manila, she has introduced me to her family and then she has come to England, met my friends and family and we got engaged when I took her to London (I proposed on top of the Sky Garden on her birthday). Things are going great but sometimes my head feels full to bursting when I think of all the information we have to wade through and hoops we need to jump through in order to be together. Finding this site and this community has already been a big help for me and I hope that you don't mind if I call on you in the future.

For now though I have a question...how did you all meet your wives/ fiances/ girlfriends etc? We met on a site called Tagged. One of my tenants recommended it so I joined up. I wasn't really thinking of meeting anyone abroad but after a few weeks on the site I realised it wasn't for me and quit. Before I quit there was one woman on there who I felt I had a connection with and so I gave her my Skype ID so we could continue to chat after I quit the site. I never thought in a million years I would actually get to meet her, I thought she was too far away and I would never be able to find the courage or energy to make that trip. But we fell in love and after a while I would've moved Heaven and Earth to get to her. She is due back in England at the end of September as her visit visa is still valid until the end of November. I can't wait to see her again...

[Steve.r]

Welcome to the forum Phil. Good to read your intro. It will be good if you stick around and be part of the forum. We are a good bunch here, so feel free to join in our banter and get the help you are looking for along the way.

By the way, I met my wife in Singapore when I was there for a conference. Now 8 years and 3 beautiful children later we are more in love than ever.

[SimonH]

Morning Phill, welcome to the forum :smile:

Met my other half in London 5 years ago, we now have a 2 year old daughter and are planning our move to the Philippines.

[Michael Parnham]

Good morning Phil, welcome to the Forum and good luck for the future:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[raynaputi]

Welcome here! :Hellooo:

My husband (KeithD) is the owner of this forum..:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[ssbib]

Thanks for the replies everyone, it's good to be here and I can recognise the good community spirit here already. I have stumbled across similar sites already on the net but never felt like joining as everyone on there seemed so pessimistic and nearly all posts were alon the lines of "you're being scammed" and so on and so forth. It's nice to read some success stories and know that people are here to help.

It's interesting that one of you is moving to the Philippines, as that's e opposite of what most on here are probably doing. How is the preparations going? I don't think I could live over there due to the heat. I've been over in February when I believe it's the coolest (well, coolest and not raining) and I only just managed, haha. That's actually an issue I have at the moment. My girlfriend and I want to get married over there but because of the heat and the rain the only options are to do it between December and February. We don't have enough time to plan a good wedding for this year so it will be Dec 17 to Feb 18 and neither of us wants to wait that long because then you have the lengthy visa process comin after it. We are going to sit down and discuss this at length next month when she is back in England.

Also, will my posts always be moderated before publication or is that just because I'm a new member? I accidentally double posted earlier when I thought it had been deleted, d'oh!

[Steve.r]

Only new members get moderated, its automatic. We are on top of most things here, so if a post does get moderated, we can release it fairly quick.

Please don't be put off by the warmth of the Philippines. Ok, it does get hot sometimes, but not stupid enough to stop you going and having fun. Several of us live there, I have just returned to the UK after over a year there. My family are still there. You have to think that you are not going to Spain where you are roasting on a beach all the time. You can stay in the shade, sit with a fan blowing you, or cool off with a shower, all easy things to do when you are there. I don't go out in direct sun unless I am fishing or riding my motor into the market. You just live with it and don't notice it after a while.

The rainy season is the best time for me, warm showers of thundery rain, playing with the children and wife under the gutter getting soaked and chasing everyone with a tabo full of water... it's more fun in the Philippines...:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[ssbib]

You paint a good picture. I hope that I have that one day. I know what you are saying about the heat...it was hot for me while I was there but I did what you said, stayed in the shade and cooled off in places with air conditioning. I just don't want to be a sweaty mess on my wedding day. Well, I suppose that is unavoidable either way but I would like to keep the sweat down to a minimum. I don't do well in the heat and burn easily. In fact when I went there EVERYONE I met commented on how white I am, haha.

[Slip]

Welcome. Met my wife via a dating site... Bit like yourself actually. Didn't expect anything.... Four years later we are married, she's living in the UK with me and we have a child.
Stay with this site. You will get all the help and advice you need... I couldn't have got where I am today without the members here.

[Slip]

You paint a good picture. I hope that I have that one day. I know what you are saying about the heat...it was hot for me while I was there but I did what you said, stayed in the shade and cooled off in places with air conditioning. I just don't want to be a sweaty mess on my wedding day. Well, I suppose that is unavoidable either way but I would like to keep the sweat down to a minimum. I don't do well in the heat and burn easily. In fact when I went there EVERYONE I met commented on how white I am, haha.

I sweated like a pig on my wedding day.... I was in a suit, 9am in the morning and probably about 40 degrees! I came back whiter then I went. Was way to hot to be in the sun. I did get bad sunburn on my back one day when we had a barbecue by the river... They kept telling me to put a top on... But us Brits know best :doh

[ssbib]

I sweated like a pig on my wedding day.... I was in a suit, 9am in the morning and probably about 40 degrees! I came back whiter then I went. Was way to hot to be in the sun. I did get bad sunburn on my back one day when we had a barbecue by the river... They kept telling me to put a top on... But us Brits know best :doh
hahaha, typical Brit abroad. Sounds like a good day though, even with the sunburn. I think the sweating on my wedding day is going to be unavoidable. I was so nervous when I proposed I had a nervous twitch (one i've never had before or since). How did you go about organising the wedding in the Philippines, was it easy to do or hard?

[grahamw48]

Welcome to the site Phil. Great intro' . :xxgrinning--00xx3:

Lots of friendly and experienced folk on here. :smile:

I met my wife through the DIA dating site four years ago.

We have a baby boy who's just over a year old now.

I usually manage to do 3 or 4 30 day trips to the Phils each year. At the moment, not sure whether I'll be going there fulltime, or the better half will be coming here.

[ssbib]

So great to hear so many success stories, and so many different experiences people are having. When are you next returning to the Philippines? Are there any areas you would recommend? So far all I have seen is Manila and Meycauyayan. I hear there are lots of good beaches. I would love to be able to go out there 3 or 4 times a year, especially for that long. Unfortunately I don't get many holidays at work and I couldn't afford the flights, haha. I have had to take a week off unpaid for my fiances next visit and I also had to put the flight on my credit card, but that was a choice as I didn't want to touch my savings again. I took a bit out of my savings for her first trip here in July as I wanted to make it memorable. We did so many things, it was the best 2 weeks of my life. This next trip will be a bit quieter but I am going to take her up to Edinburgh for a few days to celebrate our anniversary.

[Steve.r]

Meycauyayan looks quite industrial from google earth. It would be good to explore a bit on your next trip.

Maybe go to 100 Islands, we had our honeymoon there. There is Baguio if you like cooler, Banaue Rice Terraces if you like a long drive through the mountains, also cooler. On our side, there is the Pacific coast, Dingalan, Baler. Visit the Rice Bowl of the Philippines (which is where we live) in Nueva Ecija. So many places, there is Clarke/Subic. Lake Taal. All within reach of where you are.

[lordna]

Hi Phil, I met my wife online initially and then went to the Philippines to meet her and her family. We married there (2009) and then made arrangements for her and my step daughter to join me in the UK. Yesterday we celebrated 7 years of married life So we have been through all the process of getting married there, getting visas, ILR, British citizenship and UK adoption. It's been a long but worthwhile journey. Welcome to the forum. there are plenty of people on here to offer help and advice.

[ssbib]

Meycauyayan looks quite industrial from google earth. It would be good to explore a bit on your next trip.

Maybe go to 100 Islands, we had our honeymoon there. There is Baguio if you like cooler, Banaue Rice Terraces if you like a long drive through the mountains, also cooler. On our side, there is the Pacific coast, Dingalan, Baler. Visit the Rice Bowl of the Philippines (which is where we live) in Nueva Ecija. So many places, there is Clarke/Subic. Lake Taal. All within reach of where you are.
From what I saw of Meycauayan it seemed quite nice. Clean and busy but not as busy as Manila. I only spent one afternoon there so I definitely want to explore there a bit more.

My fiance went to 100 Islands in the summer with a group pf her friends. She sent me some pictures and it looked pretty cool. I'm not much of a beach kinda guy, I prefer to exploring on a holiday. As for a honeymoon...I think I would like to take her to Paris and Disneyland (she loves Disney, haha). How have you all found it when booking holidays with your wives who don't yet have full citizenship? Is it hard to get visas?

[ssbib]

Hi Phil, I met my wife online initially and then went to the Philippines to meet her and her family. We married there (2009) and then made arrangements for her and my step daughter to join me in the UK. Yesterday we celebrated 7 years of married life So we have been through all the process of getting married there, getting visas, ILR, British citizenship and UK adoption. It's been a long but worthwhile journey. Welcome to the forum. there are plenty of people on here to offer help and advice.
Thanks for welcoming me. How did you find organising a wedding in the Philippines and then the visa process afterwards? I am so nervous for all that but I am glad i have found this forum to help guide me.

[Terpe]

Hi there everyone. I just wanted to stop by here and introduce myself. My name is Phill, I am 30 years old and I stumbled across your site a few days ago. ..

Hello Phi, welcome aboard our online community :welcomex:

[Arthur Little]

Hi there everyone. I just wanted to stop by here and introduce myself. My name is Phill, I am 30 years old and I stumbled across your site a few days ago.

:welcomex:, Phill ... there're many friendly, knowledgeable and helpful people on this website of ours, as you've discovered for yourself!

[ssbib]

Hello Phi, welcome aboard our online community :welcomex:

Thanks for the warm welcome :smile:


:welcomex:, Phill ... there're many friendly, knowledgeable and helpful people on this website of ours, as you've discovered for yourself!

Definitely. I've only been posting for a few days and already I've had some really helpful advice and had some fears put to rest also. Thanks for the nice welcome.

[andy222]

Hi Phil just like you I met my wife on a dating site. We have been married now for 4 years and have a 16 month old daughter. One thing I will say without the advice I got from people on this site my wife would not be here with me now so don't be afraid to ask. People will always give advice on here.

[lordna]

Thanks for welcoming me. How did you find organising a wedding in the Philippines and then the visa process afterwards? I am so nervous for all that but I am glad i have found this forum to help guide me.

Ours was a civil wedding (before the judge in a court) so very easy to arrange. If your going for a church wedding then obviously more difficult but you could hire a wedding planner. It will be considerably cheaper than a church wedding in the uk.

[Michael Parnham]

Fully recommend a Civil Wedding just keep it simple, my wife and I got married 5 years ago in Philippines, kept our wedding as family only 5 sisters mum and dad with food transport and wedding attire it only cost £60 and it was a great day:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[ssbib]

Ours was a civil wedding (before the judge in a court) so very easy to arrange. If your going for a church wedding then obviously more difficult but you could hire a wedding planner. It will be considerably cheaper than a church wedding in the uk.



Fully recommend a Civil Wedding just keep it simple, my wife and I got married 5 years ago in Philippines, kept our wedding as family only 5 sisters mum and dad with food transport and wedding attire it only cost £60 and it was a great day:xxgrinning--00xx3:

Thanks for these opinions. It does sound like a lot less hassle to arrange something like that. How much time do you think you would need to arrange something like that plus getting the affidavit and marriage license etc. etc.

[grahamw48]

Fully recommend a Civil Wedding just keep it simple, my wife and I got married 5 years ago in Philippines, kept our wedding as family only 5 sisters mum and dad with food transport and wedding attire it only cost £60 and it was a great day:xxgrinning--00xx3:

How did you manage to spend less than me ?.... shocked.:icon_lol:

[Steve.r]

Don't forget your CENOMAR (Certificate of No Marriage)

[ssbib]

Don't forget your CENOMAR (Certificate of No Marriage)
Where do you get that from? Isn't that the purpose of your trip to the embassy with your documents and sworn affidavit to say you are not married?

[stevewool]

How did you manage to spend less than me ?.... shocked.:icon_lol:

Motorbike, college fees, very expensive camera ,iPhone, house ,
At the time it seemed cheap:yikes:

[Steve.r]

Where do you get that from? Isn't that the purpose of your trip to the embassy with your documents and sworn affidavit to say you are not married?
This is from your gf, she must get this from the NSO. It just proves she has not been married before.

[stevewool]

Welcome Phil,
Like many on here I meet my wife through a dating site and that was over 9 years ago,married 6 years this October and so much in love too,
Good luck in your future and again like many have said , ask if you are unsure about anything

[grahamw48]

Where do you get that from? Isn't that the purpose of your trip to the embassy with your documents and sworn affidavit to say you are not married?

No, the Philippines CENOMAR for your partner. :)

Takes two (unmarried) people to get married. :biggrin:

[grahamw48]

Oops... we're all answering at once here... bonus. lol

[grahamw48]

Motorbike, college fees, very expensive camera ,iPhone, house ,
At the time it seemed cheap:yikes:

Well, sounds like your Mrs is a very generous lady mate. :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Michael Parnham]

How did you manage to spend less than me ?.... shocked.:icon_lol:

I'm very good a budgeting, spend £14 per week on my shopping at Aldi:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[ssbib]

This is from your gf, she must get this from the NSO. It just proves she has not been married before.
Ahh, OK. She has been to NSO before and when I mentioned it she seems to think that is an easy document to get. Someone on another thread said that I need one too??


Welcome Phil,
Like many on here I meet my wife through a dating site and that was over 9 years ago,married 6 years this October and so much in love too,
Good luck in your future and again like many have said , ask if you are unsure about anything

Thanks stevewoof, feeling very welcomed but my head is beginning to overflow from all the information I am getting. At least I have so many helpful people to help me sort through it. Also, very glad to hear things are still going well for you and your wife. I hope you continue to be very happy together.

[ssbib]

No, the Philippines CENOMAR for your partner. :)

Takes two (unmarried) people to get married. :biggrin:

I see, the affidavit is to say I am not married and the cenomar for my fiancé. Got it, thanks.

[Doc Alan]

Welcome to the Forum, Phil ( late reply because I have been away ) :smile:.

Best wishes for your future plans :xxgrinning--00xx3:.

[ssbib]

Welcome to the Forum, Phil ( late reply because I have been away ) :smile:.

Best wishes for your future plans :xxgrinning--00xx3:.
Thanks for the welcome Alan. I hope you had a good time while you were away.

[Doc Alan]

Thanks for the welcome Alan. I hope you had a good time while you were away.

I had a great trip, thank you in turn :xxgrinning--00xx3: The link is here (http://filipinaroses.com/showthread.php/59719-Lake-District-Switzerland) if you have time to look :smile:

[Harry T]

Welcome to the forum Phil, sorry im late replying to you, but Iv been busy earning for my next trip to Phills :) good luck to you and your good lady :) I see on another Topic you asked about airfares, well i just booked through PIC a return with Oman Air £422 Im happy with that and its not a long change waiting time in Muscat either :)

[ssbib]

I had a great trip, thank you in turn :xxgrinning--00xx3: The link is here (http://filipinaroses.com/showthread.php/59719-Lake-District-Switzerland) if you have time to look :smile:
Looks like an amazing trip. You got some good photos. Welcome back home.


Welcome to the forum Phil, sorry im late replying to you, but Iv been busy earning for my next trip to Phills :) good luck to you and your good lady :) I see on another Topic you asked about airfares, well i just booked through PIC a return with Oman Air £422 Im happy with that and its not a long change waiting time in Muscat either :)
Thats a great price. What is PIC, if you don't mind can you send me a link? I might have a look there and see if I can get a better price for my girlfriends return trip, or at least remember it for mine in February. I last paid over £1000 for her trip. How far in advanced have you booked?

[Harry T]

Looks like an amazing trip. You got some good photos. Welcome back home.


Thats a great price. What is PIC, if you don't mind can you send me a link? I might have a look there and see if I can get a better price for my girlfriends return trip, or at least remember it for mine in February. I last paid over £1000 for her trip. How far in advanced have you booked?

Here you are Phil http://www.pic-uk.com/ it was recomended to me by i think Graham or Michael not sure which, but as you can see all prices are lower than what you have paid previously, and there is also a way of paying by installments, which could be a way of taking a Promo/Offer and paying for it over time :xxgrinning--00xx3:.

[Ako Si Jamie]

So great to hear so many success stories, and so many different experiences people are having. When are you next returning to the Philippines? Are there any areas you would recommend? So far all I have seen is Manila and Meycauyayan. I hear there are lots of good beaches.

The nearest decent beach to Manila would be Nasugbu in Cavite Province and the nearest from Bulacan would probably be Subic Bay. Neither of these though are a patch on some of the other beaches in the Philippines.

You'd be just as well catching a one hour flight from Manila to one of the main tourist spots such as Boracay (via Caticlan) or Alona Beach, Panglao Island (via Tagbiliran in Bohol). Promo flights one way should be £20 or less.

Either that or take a 3 hr journey via land and sea to Puerto Galera.

[raynaputi]

The nearest decent beach to Manila would be Nasugbu in Cavite Province ...

Nasugbu is in Batangas. :biggrin:

[Ako Si Jamie]

Nasugbu is in Batangas. :biggrin: Actually you're right but it does border Cavite so I'm sort of correct. :biggrin:

[grahamw48]

This is our local beach...not too crowded. :smile:

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http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b258/grahamw48/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20141124_112057_zps96b48aea.jpg~original

[stevewool]

This is our local beach...not too crowded. :smile:

.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b258/grahamw48/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20141124_112057_zps96b48aea.jpg~original

Thats my sort of beach :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[grahamw48]

... and looking the OTHER way... (just wish I'd brought my deck chair. lol )


.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b258/grahamw48/Our%20beach_zpsod5iu1mb.jpg~original

[Ako Si Jamie]

Rather have a beach like that than one like this :yikes:

https://briantissot.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/a-beach-in-chinas-eastern-shandong-province-on-a-typical-summer-saturday-so-relaxing.jpg

[stevewool]

... and looking the OTHER way... (just wish I'd brought my deck chair. lol )


.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b258/grahamw48/Our%20beach_zpsod5iu1mb.jpg~original

Lucky in lots of ways you are Graham :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[stevewool]

Rather have a beach like that than one like this :yikes:

https://briantissot.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/a-beach-in-chinas-eastern-shandong-province-on-a-typical-summer-saturday-so-relaxing.jpg

Rather sit on my finger then anywhere in that lot

[ssbib]

Rather have a beach like that than one like this :yikes:

https://briantissot.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/a-beach-in-chinas-eastern-shandong-province-on-a-typical-summer-saturday-so-relaxing.jpg
Thats my idea of hell!!

[Terpe]

Rather have a beach like that than one like this :yikes:

https://briantissot.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/a-beach-in-chinas-eastern-shandong-province-on-a-typical-summer-saturday-so-relaxing.jpg

That reminds me of the style of picture used for those tricky multi-thousand piece jigsaw puzzles :wink:

[grahamw48]

... or 'Where's Willie' ? . :biggrin:

I need space to spread out. :smile:

.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b258/grahamw48/558c92ae37ba598fbe0342df4b508675_zpsczqqqlnv.jpg~original

[Rosie1958]

Welcome to the forum from me too ssbib :xxgrinning--00xx3: I'm different to the others, a white British female living in UK, I don't have a Filipino partner but do have 3 nephews living in Philippines and have been there 4 times. My story is in the Legal section of this forum and is entitled "Desperately seeking help for my brother"

Hope you enjoy it here! :Jump:

[Harry T]

Welcome to the forum from me too ssbib :xxgrinning--00xx3: I'm different to the others, a white British female living in UK, I don't have a Filipino partner but do have 3 nephews living in Philippines and have been there 4 times. My story is in the Legal section of this forum and is entitled "Desperately seeking help for my brother"

Hope you enjoy it here! :Jump:

and a very nice one at that :wink:

[Michael Parnham]

Thats my idea of hell!!

That IS hell:NoNo:

[Ako Si Jamie]

That reminds me of the style of picture used for those tricky multi-thousand piece jigsaw puzzles :wink::icon_lol::xxgrinning--00xx3:

[ssbib]

Welcome to the forum from me too ssbib :xxgrinning--00xx3: I'm different to the others, a white British female living in UK, I don't have a Filipino partner but do have 3 nephews living in Philippines and have been there 4 times. My story is in the Legal section of this forum and is entitled "Desperately seeking help for my brother"

Hope you enjoy it here! :Jump:

Thanks for the warm welcome. I'm enjoying the community spirit here already and have lots of helpful advice. I've even started to gather documents now for the wedding. Nothing too much yet, just copying my passport and birth certificate etc. while I have access to a photocopier tomorrow.


That IS hell:NoNo:

Definitely. Although a roller coaster isn't far behind for me. Went on one with my fiance when she was here in July. I hadn't been on one in about 10 years and was really looking forward to it. HATED IT! Never again.