Wedding day in sight!!!!!

[Eljohno]

Hi Guys,
it has been a while since i posted anything so here goes..
I am posting this from Ozamiz City in Southern Philippines.I arrived here on the 26th October in Cebu were i met up with my friend from back home in N.Ireland, his girlfriend and of course Rhea who on the 26th November will be my wife.We stayed with my friends in apartments just on the fringe of Cebu at a cost of 950 pesos per night per room which was clean and safe enough.If this is a good price i can get anyone more info.We then headed on to Panglao Island Bohol were we got a package holiday which was for 3 nights/4 days.It included transfers to and from the hotel and also the boat journey.Total cost was 8,500 pesos for two people.We stayed at the Crystal Coast Hotel.The best thing was that they had a clean room and a good size swimming pool.On a negative side they were quite late picking us up and we had problems with some things needing repairs in the room but it was not bad overall.There are 7 of us going back after the wedding but this time we are going to another resort called New Horizon.We had a look the last time and it was fine and right at the beach.We just booked and never went through a travel agent.The rooms are 2,300 per night.

Of course i have been involved in all the wedding preparations since i arrived and for those who have gotten married here in Philippines you have an idea what i am going through.For example Rhea had picked out 2 wedding rings and had agreed a price but wanted me to go look at them.When i arrived with her the wedding rings went up by a few thousand pesos so of course i decided to buy else where.I cannot say i am really nervous yet but i am glad some of my close friends from Ireland will be here for a while to give support.The wedding as i said is the 26th November so will keep you informed.

On another note although i have been to Philippines before it was always here in Ozamiz city and i noticed a few differences when i got to spend time in Cebu & Bohol.Normal things for example like the price of things were much higher than Ozamiz like clothes & Food.Also here in Ozamiz you just see other white people from time to time so of course you get the normal things like being called JO and Americano but in Cebu there are that many white people no one gives you a second look.The most i paid for a meal for 2 in Bohol was 800 pesos and in Ozamiz i got a meal for 2 at a local filipino restaurant for 188 including drinks.At the end of the day its still all cheap compared to back in the Uk.Well i got to go as Rhea is saying something about picking flowers and givaways.I decided to wear the local Barong but not the one with flowers on it that Rhea had picked out for me.Her one was like wearing a tablecloth.Well i will be back with an update soon.

John :blink:

[ginapeterb]

Hello John,

Its great to hear from you, Gina and I read you post at breakfast this morning, and we loved it, so you are going for the big M Word, and the 26th is the day, well we wish you every happiness, its nice to hear your report as you prepare for the big day, and yes, we know what you are going through, sometimes John its better just to take each day as it comes, you will be stressed out somewhat as a Filipino wedding is a big affair, stick to your budget where you can and dont make rash decisions about costs etc, I also wore the Barong Tagalog, It beats wearing a boring suit, and you will look good in it.

Enjoy your wedding holiday John, Gina and I wish you and Rhea every happiness, your treading the path, that many have trod before you, have a great time, and keep in touch with us, tell us how it goes, every couple of days ok, best wishes

Pete and Gina

[Gary]

Good luck on your big day....

I'll soon be there doing the same thing in a few months time...

hope everything goes really well for you

take care

Gary.... and signing for Ecxy too

[Pauldo]

Originally posted by Eljohno@Nov 10 2005, 03:27 AM
On a negative side they were quite late picking us up and we had problems with some things needing repairs in the room but it was not bad overall.

John :blink:

Quoted post

Negative?? That's considered normal to seasoned visitors to the PI

Wait until they don't pick you up, and they don't have a spare room, and they swear they have never heard of you, despite your advance booking receipt. Now that is negative

Good luck with the wedding.

[Eljohno]

Hi Guys,
thanks for your replys.It sure does take time to get used to some of the culture things here.I mean is there another country in the world that could teach you patience as much as the Philippines LOL.Of course i am talking about any form of shopping.When i was in Cebu last week my friend and i lost our fiancees in the SM general store, i made the comment that when you are in this store you spend most of your time in a queue waiting patiently to pay for the one item you purchased and true enough there they were in a queue.But i am not complaining as i realise this is all part of the experience..

So far so good with the wedding plans and i must admit my fiancee is a gem because she is so good at not getting us ripped off with prices and has a great eye for a bargain.We are having what Rhea calls a small wedding 150.To me i have been to many weddings back home but do not think i have been to one with that many people but we all know how big the families are over here.And i know that i will end up paying for more than 150 guests as other uninvited friends and family will turn up knowing we have ordered 3 lechons lol.

Well more shopping is a few mins away but i will keep you updated just to help those who are about to go down this path in the future.

Bye for now,
John

[Pauldo]

Originally posted by Eljohno@Nov 11 2005, 03:21 AM
And i know that i will end up paying for more than 150 guests as other uninvited friends and family will turn up knowing we have ordered 3 lechons lol.

Quoted post

An English friend of mine had a wedding party a few years back, in Angeles. The brides 'disowned' father turned up halfway through, with his usual crowd of cronies and police buddies, and proceeded to wander around collecting as much of the supplied booze as they could, took it all to their table, and sat drinking and abusing other guests if they even thought about getting close to their table.

Total a$$holes, but very typical of parties over there.

[Admin]

I would have piddled in the whisky and took the bottle to the table....compliments of the bride & groom

[Irelandken]

Hey John,
Glad to hear everything's commin together out there, and both Jing and myself wish you and Rhea the best of irish for your special day and for the future. Give me a call when you get back home, we'll maybe meet up before i head off to spend christmas with Jing.

[Eljohno]

Hi guys,
just a short message from Ozamiz.Well the wedding is only 4 days away and things have gotten alot busier.My friends from Ireland have just arrived in cebu although i will not meet them til they get off the overnight ferry on Wednesday morning.For the first time in my life i actually own pigs which i think is so funny as i never thought i would ever own any as i am a city slicker.I will not get to attached to them as you all know they will look different on the wedding day but it was nice while it lasted.The wedding has now gone up by an extra 50 and that does not include those who will turn up without an invite.I was talking to a girl over here who is from England and she got married to a filipino man and they had a wedding in Shangrila Hotel in Cebu and 35 guests turned up who were not invited and the couple had to pay an extra 1,600 pesos for each of them.One white guy turned up who no one knew with a filipino no one knew and he had the nerve to order a bottle of wine at 2,500 pesos and charged it to the wedding couple.Of course they refused to pay for it as they told the hotel that extra drinks were to be paid for by the people who ordered them..

(Hi Ken, i get home on 12th December and if i can we will meet up but i have 2 new jobs to start but will try and sort something)

Well i hope to write another message before the wedding so chat soon...And thanks to all the people who are running this site for all your hard work and great advice...

John

[Irelandken]

(Hi Ken, i get home on 12th December and if i can we will meet up but i have 2 new jobs to start but will try and sort something)

Only 2 new jobs!!!!!...if too many of those unwanted guests turn up you'll be needing more than that... Good luck on the day mate.

[Pauldo]

Originally posted by Eljohno@Nov 22 2005, 06:33 AM
I was talking to a girl over here who is from England and she got married to a filipino man and they had a wedding in Shangrila Hotel in Cebu and 35 guests turned up who were not invited and the couple had to pay an extra 1,600 pesos for each of them.One white guy turned up who no one knew with a filipino no one knew and he had the nerve to order a bottle of wine at 2,500 pesos and charged it to the wedding couple.Of course they refused to pay for it as they told the hotel that extra drinks were to be paid for by the people who ordered them..

Quoted post

Sounds like you might want security on the door and only let people in with invites, seeing as it is traditional to 'freeload' in the PI. People will wander in who don't even know anybody, and they'll suck down all your booze and then have the nerve to complain when it's all gone.
Good luck though, and have fun.

[ginapeterb]

Originally posted by Pauldo@Nov 22 2005, 08:28 AM
Sounds like you might want security on the door and only let people in with invites, seeing as it is traditional to 'freeload' in the PI. People will wander in who don't even know anybody, and they'll suck down all your booze and then have the nerve to complain when it's all gone.
Good luck though, and have fun.

Quoted post

Yes best of luck with the wedding, and have fun, sounds familiar about people coming in on a "Free basing " scenario, just employ two local guys, to check the identitty of those who show up, you could also issue your guests with a wedding invitation like Gina and I did, and make the wedding invitation your theme, i.e. we had Orange and Cream on our invitations, then when your guests show up, they have to present it to the security guards at the door, that way, you dont have guests showing up unsolicited and eating food, because believe me, the hotel people who organize your dinner and not stupid, they will know exactly how many people have eaten, and if youre not careful, you will be stuck with extra charges, for example, if your wedding package is say P40,000 they might say, that is for 100 persons, if you have 1 more over that, trust me, they will suss that out, and charge you, say P500 per extra guest, just be mindful of this, but the best way is 2 guards at the entrance.

Hope that helps,

[Eljohno]

Hi guys,
thanks again for your replys.This is my last day of freedom as a single guy.This is also the last day in the life of my pet pigs :( It has been good letting my friends see what the Philippines.We got the chance to swim with really big turtles which was amazing.Well i will send a few wedding pictures when i get the chance..Bye for now

[Eljohno]

Hi again,
well the last time i posted a message i was about to get married.It is hard to believe i have been married now for 8 days.The wedding day went well although not having a wedding practise which seems to be normal here left some confusion on the day.It was a bit disorganised compared to weddings in the UK but i went with the flow and everything turned out great.

The next day after the wedding my friends along with my new wife and myself headed on the overnight ferry back to Cebu.We then got on the Ocean Jet for Bohol were we would spend the next 3 nights.We stayed at Panglao Island at a place called "Lost Horizon" which cost 2,300 pesos per night and was very clean and much better than the last place we stayed at in Bohol.What i loved about this trip was the fact that i went snorkling for the first time and i loved every minute of it.It was part of a package which included a boat ride to an island and cost 1,200 for the whole trip between us.We then decided to give the scooters a try which although i have done this back home this time as you know helmets are very rare here but as we say in N.Ireland "It was great craic"

At this present moment my friends have gone home and Rhea and myself are staying at a Pension House in the middle of Cebu called L&S which is 700 a night for double room.It is very clean and worth the money for sure as we get cable which helps me keep up to date with the football back in England.Although my wife is usually sleeping when it comes on

The hard part of the whole trip is still to come as i know many of you have experienced it and that is leaving my wife on 11th Dec to continue the process of bringing her back to the Uk.

Well once again if i can be of help to anyone please feel free to contact me...

John

[Admin]

You took your friends on your honeymoon? :o

Mine only came for the first nigth to film it!! :unsure:

[Pauldo]

Originally posted by Eljohno@Dec 4 2005, 07:29 AM

The hard part of the whole trip is still to come as i know many of you have experienced it and that is leaving my wife on 11th Dec to continue the process of bringing her back to the Uk.

John

Quoted post

I bet you break down in a flood of tears at the airport, make a total fool of yourself, then crawl on the plane feeling like it's a million years until you're coming back and it's the end of the world :( :mellow: :unsure:

Not that I ever did that, no, not me, never... :huh:

[equaliser]

Hi John

Just found this thread. It's good to hear about other guys from Northern Ireland finding that the love of their life is a filipina.

Congratulations on your wedding. I am doing things the other way around and bringing my fiancee Ashley here on a fiancee visa and getting married in Northern Ireland. That is the plan anyway. We are currently gathering up all the documents and evidence we think we need, and she will call CAVA late february. Hopefully if everything goes well , she will be arriving here next summer.

It is hellish leaving the one you love in the Phils. No tears for me either but there seemed to be a lot of dust getting in my eyes at the airport

Good luck

Brian

[Irelandken]

[quote=equaliser,Dec 5 2005, 01:18 AM]
Hi John

Just found this thread. It's good to hear about other guys from Northern Ireland finding that the love of their life is a filipina.

Congratulations on your wedding. I am doing things the other way around and bringing my fiancee Ashley here on a fiancee visa and getting married in Northern Ireland.

Hi brian...where abouts in NI are you? I'm at the same stage as you, accept i'm trying for the visa from morocco to NI.

[Pauldo]

Originally posted by equaliser@Dec 5 2005, 01:18 AM
Hi John

Just found this thread. It's good to hear about other guys from Northern Ireland finding that the love of their life is a filipina.

Congratulations on your wedding. I am doing things the other way around and bringing my fiancee Ashley here on a fiancee visa and getting married in Northern Ireland. That is the plan anyway. We are currently gathering up all the documents and evidence we think we need, and she will call CAVA late february. Hopefully if everything goes well , she will be arriving here next summer.

It is hellish leaving the one you love in the Phils. No tears for me either but there seemed to be a lot of dust getting in my eyes at the airport

Good luck

Brian

Quoted post

Brian, with this new CAVA system your sweetheart could be with you a lot quicker than the summer. From calling the CAVA people, to actually recieving her settlement visa, including interviews, my mother in laws application took just six weeks.

Things appear to have changed in Manila!

[equaliser]

Hi Irelandken,

I am a farmer living near Donaghadee. I hope we are both lucky in bringing our fiancees here.

Hi Pauldo

Yeah , I had heard that Manila had speeded things up . But there is a reason why it is more likely Ashley will be coming here in the summer. First she wants to finish her nursing degree in May , and also my sister who lives in Australia would like to come to the wedding and it suits her and her family to fly over in November , so allowing for the 6 month rule , we would like the visa start date to be june or july.

Cheers

Brian

[Irelandken]

Brian..looks like we were neighbours before i moved to belfast this year. I was living fot the last 7 years in Ballyhalbert, and you know the penninsula's a small world.. :P we probably passed by a few times.

[Pauldo]

Originally posted by equaliser@Dec 6 2005, 11:50 PM
Hi Pauldo

But there is a reason why it is more likely Ashley will be coming here in the summer. First she wants to finish her nursing degree in May ....
Cheers

Brian

Quoted post

Brian,
That's a good idea, as she'll never be without work if she gets her full nurses papers.

My wife is hoping to start studying nursing in January, at the local university. She's been trying to get in for the last three years, since we moved here, but it seems to be some sort of initiative test to find info out, and you wouldn't believe there is a shortage of nurses in the UK by the hassle she has had to go through so far, and she is still not guaranteed a start in January.

She's applying for the diploma, rather than the degree course, as she gets an income from the government whilst training. With the degree course you can only get loans from the govt.

Cheers, Paul