On Destination Wedding, Battle of the Guest List

I'm taking 'an elevated level' of risk in publishing this article. Some readers might find this downright unpopular (or insensitive?) as I tackle the 'battle of the (wedding) guest list' and our reasons for planning a destination wedding. 

I  sought clearance from BFD to post this on his behalf.  Should this article fail to give you good vibes, please accept our apologies. 

 

-----------------------------------------------------------

This is not about BFD vs. Meowth, face off round  This is similar to a conventional plot in a story where the protagonist finds him/herself in conflict - man vs. himself...BFD + Meowth conquering the task of filling up 100 seats for their wedding. 

We could easily fill up the list, but we're afraid that we're going to talk about 200 guests at the minimum. 

We could have kept everything confidential...but why?  What's there to hide? 

BFD and I are not in trouble with the law...and what we're set to do is lawful in the eyes of the State and the Church.  One of the most natural things in this planet is for two legally single individuals to fall in-love, set an altar date, and have their union blessed by the Church.  It's no secret.  Happiness shared is happiness multiplied - I read this somewhere. 

Sabi nila, ang wedding ceremony daw ay 'call' ng bride.  Baka hanggang 80 guests na lang kami kung 'call' ko lahat!  Though I'm from a big clan, I'm not fond of big weddings. 

Why plan a destination wedding? 

1.  We want to keep our wedding ceremony + reception small, cozy, and intimate. 

Intimate, in the sense that we are inclined to invite only family members and (super-duper) close friends. 

Here's the math, in worded equations:

*  My mother has 11 siblings.  I have 14 cousins, 7 cousins-in-law (that's how I call it), 2 future cousins-in-law, 7 nieces, and 4 nephews - including those in the US.  My father has 4 siblings.  I have a brother, and a cat-chasing-no-gf-since-birth pet dog (my parents' grandson/pet).  I'm close to everyone in our family. 

*  BFD has about 20 people under the 'family category' in our guest list.  My share of headcount in this category has already reached 45. 

*  BFD and I are both social beings with big network of friends.  I'm writing this again - filling up the guest list is tough.  We're not even done yet. 

*  In the roster of our blogger-runner-friends or  runner-friends, only one person is given full access to the wedding (at this point)...because he has to fulfll the role of being our on-the-day wedding coordinator. 

2.  We don't have any politicians or high-ranking generals in our guest list. 

We don't want any political spectacles in our wedding.  We don't want to be identified with any politicians.  No offense meant. 

Our entourage is lean.  As in, very lean.

3.  The choice of destination is somewhere close to our hearts. 

Singapore could have been the top choice, if not for the overwhelming and uber expensive logistics. 

We found a place that is more charming, reminiscent of our Pinoy heritage, timeless...where our guests can relax and celebrate with us.  Like our relationship, this place offers the proverbial 'breath of fresh air.' 

4.  We're keeping the expenses at a reasonable level. 

Though BFD and I are both financially stable, we don't want to start our marriage in the red.  We are applying a 50/50 split on our wedding expenses.  We didn't ask for a single centavo from our family.  It's not about pride, but it's more of keeping us responsible for the cost and outcome of any task or 'project' that we are to handle as a couple. 

5.  "We cannot turn water into wine."

Remember the story of the Wedding in Cana?  Only Jesus can perform such miracle of turning water into wine.  His gesture saved the couple from embarassment - they almost ran out of wine for their guests.  Jesus wasn't inclined to perform his first public miracle in that event, but he was moved through the intercession of Mother Mary. 

We cannot please everyone, and we don't want to entertain this kind of pressure. 

We want to move around our wedding reception and mingle with our guests - make them feel comfortable, everyone enjoys the food in generous serving.  Our guests would drive for about 1.5 hours to destination, and another 1.5 - 2hrs to drive home.  We cannot assure our guests of a comfy reception, if there are over 200 guests in the event.  It's not feasible for a 3-hour reception. 

-----------------------------------------------------------

 

The Venue

It took BFD and I over 2 months to finalize the reception venue.  It was tough - we had to consider the accessibility of the venue, weather, accomodation, caterer, menu, budget, expected number of guests, and the wedding theme, of course.

We are now finalizing the layout.  One of our requirements is to put our table closer to our guests - cozy, not stiff-formal.  The rest is about putting the right accents, for the arrangement to follow a single theme. My beloved Groomzilla BFD volunteered to draft a layout and work on the details, together with the Banquet Manager and Coordinators. =)

     Our Top 3 Picks
     (I will publish another article about our wedding suppliers and why we chose to work with them.)

     A. Quaint, rustic charm

     B. Blank canvas for a modern Filipiniana theme

     C.  I love flowers.  BFD wants to give me a garden. Moment naman ito.  (E.g. Louis XVI to Marie Antoinette, Gardens of Versailles) 

[Re-post from my old blog] Schengen Visa Application for Pinoy Tourists

As I'm still setting up a new home (sweet home) for my blog here in Blogspot, I'm going to repost my top articles - those I published back in 2012 through my Wordpress blog.

Here's my top article last year, which I think is being used as reference by blog readers in 70+ countries.  This one earns web hits almost everyday from the day I published it, 11 April 2012. I'm hoping this article will still be able to serve its purpose of giving Pinoy tourists an idea on how to obtain a Schengen Visa from the French Embassy in Manila. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Schengen Visa Application for Pinoy Tourist
Intial Online Posting Date:  April 11, 2012
Author:  Ann S.  (meowthmoments.wordpress.com)
Content revisions:  Updated web links

Traveling or even the prospect of travel could cost you some good nights' worth of sleep; especially when it is about traveling to a territory, which requires you to obtain a visa prior to a formal entry.  If you are Pinoy traveler with a Philippine-issued passport, then you're in for a lot of pre-travel 'adventures' just working on the VISA alone.

I applied for several VISA in the past, and fortunately, those applications didn't get rejected.  Each application process required effort.  I just feel inclined to share with you, the step-by-step process in applying for a Schengen Visa. This Visa is valid  in 25　territories, covered by the Schengen Agreement: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. 

1. When to apply - at least 90 days before your planned entry to a Schengen territory.

2. Where to file - for multiple destinations, file your visa application to the Consulate of your main destination, or where length of stay is the longest. If length of stay per destination is almost equal, then file application to the Consulate of the first country in your itinerary.

3. Set an appointment with the Consulate / Embassy. Be ready with the following info:　 applicants name, email address and contact number, purpose of travel, preferred travel dates and length of stay, and preferred schedule of interview.

I applied through the French Embassy.  I made an appointment through their visa hotline.

Starting April 10, 2012, applicants may reach the Embassy through its call center hotlines: for PLDT/Smart/Touchcard Subscribers 1 (909) 101- 3333;  for Globe/Innove/Touchmobile　Subscribers 1 (900) 101 - 3333; and for Bayantel Subscribers 1 (903) 101- 3333. Calls are accepted Mondays through Saturdays, from 8AM - 6PM. Call charge is Php32.00 per minute, excluding VAT and applicable NDD charges for calls made outside Metro Manila. These hotlines are intended for calls made within the Philippines.

The French Embassy conducts interview for Visa applicants, Monday - Friday, 8AM -12NN.

4.  Prepare your application form and supporting documents.  Please do take note of the turn-around time when requesting for certain documents. Here is the list of required documents:

*  Application form - You need to fill this up: for short-stay VISA (30-90 days) http://www.ambafrance-ph.org/IMG/pdf/Formulaire_SCH_eng.pdf; for long-stay visa (over 90 days) http://www.ambafrance-ph.org/IMG/pdf/Formulaire_LS_eng.pdf

Attach (paste) a 45mm x 35mm ID picture / white background / no face cover /   no headgear / no eyeglasses / no frowning / 'Mona Lisa' smile only. Clip (paper clip) another copy of your ID photo to the application form.

*  Cover letter explaining the purpose of travel and itinerary.

*  Itinerary and flight reservation - you do not have to buy tickets yet, just contact a travel agent who can provide you with a travel voucher free of charge.  You may also try http://www.klm.com for free reservation - they could hold the ticket for you for a certain number of days.  Hotel voucher - you may book through http://www.agoda.com, where a good number of hotels allow free cancellation; and if you're an HSBC card holder, that's less 5% for every booking made via HSBC website - click travel promos, and then follow the link to Agoda website.

*  Travel insurance - a minimum insurance of EURO 30,000, cashless settlement, with toll-free hotline, coverage valid in 25 Schengen territories. For a list of Schengen-accredited insurance providers, you may follow this link - http://www.ambafrance-ph.org/IMG/doc/Assurances_contacts_site_internet-2.doc

You may also apply online.  I applied through http://www.bluecross.com.ph.  A Schengen package is about Php 2,500.00.  If you plan to buy a policy from BPI MS, a coverage will cost you around Php 4,000.00.

*  Financial documents / proof of income - (1) latest bank certification, (2) bank account statement indicating transactions/balance in the last three months - You have to request for these documents preferably from your branch of account. The bank will require you to fill up and sign a request form, and you have to indicate hat the certificate is for your Schengen Visa application.  At BPI, they could release the certification in an hour or less - for accounts, which you opened online (example: BPI Direct and BPI Trade - the lead time is about 3 - 5 banking days. You may also include your Mutual Fund / Equity Fund Statements, if available.  (3) latest Income Tax Return (ITR).

* Proof of employment - (1) Certificate of Employment, indicating tenure / position title / annual compensation; (2) approved leave of absence (I just photocopied my approved VL, as signed by my boss, using our company VL form); (3) For self-employed, official business registration for current and previous years.

* Proof of Identity - (1) Passport, valid for at least 6 months from the planned date of entry; (2) photocopy of the first page of passport,  all travel visas obtained;　(3) NSO-authenticated birth certificate -  a hassle-free request may be facilitated online http://nso.citizenservices.com.ph lead time is 3 - 4 days;  (4) If married, bring a photocopy of marriage contract.

*  Non-refundable visa application fee, cash basis to be settled in Philippine Peso (PhP) only. 

   Short stay visa (30 - 90 days), EURO 60.00 or about PhP 3,250 at prevailing forex exchange rate;

   Long stay visa (over 90 days), EURO 99.00. 

   Bring smaller bills and coins (P5.00 / P10.00). The French Embassy in Manila accepts exact amount only.

5.  Interview - for applications lodged through the French Embassy, interviews are conducted at their office - 16F Pacific Star Building, Buendia cor. Makati Avenue, Makati City. Please be prompt. If your interview is scheduled at 8AM, Pacific Star's guest registration at Basement 1 opens at 7:50AM. You need to register first with the Admin at Basement 1, before they allow you to go up to the Embassy located at the 16th Floor.

Note: Most of the time, the French Embassy approves/denies application on the spot. For approved applications, the average Visa issuance lead time is 5 working-days. The interviewer will tell you when to claim your Visa. The Embassy may or may not require you to leave your passport while you wait for the Visa.

For other Visa-related matters, you may visit the French Embassy website Visa section: http://www.ambafrance-ph.org/Visas,1261.

I hope you find this informative. Don't get overwhelmed with the requirements.  Go through each step, as if you are in a travel drill of some sort. Patience is a virtue.

In my next blog entry, I intend to write about my experience during the actual interview at the French Embassy. =)


=========

Related posts:

Schengen Visa Interview
Paris Part I : Kuting in Paris - Lost in Translation
Paris Part II : Traveling Tourists