Wedding Budget Checklist Philippines: Plan Every Line
By Migala 6 min read
Every wedding budget starts as one number. Then the guest list meets the family group chat, and suddenly it’s three numbers and a prayer. (We’ve been to enough receptions to know the prayer is mostly about the lechon.)
This is a wedding budget checklist Philippines couples can fill in with their own quotes. It covers every category, the questions to ask each supplier, and the costs that sneak in when nobody’s looking. Print it, tick it, and keep it somewhere the group chat can’t reach.
Start with two numbers, not one
Before you divide anything, settle these two. Everything else is a supporting character.
- Your total budget. Include what both families are contributing, and be honest about what’s firm and what’s “maybe”. (“Maybe” is not a currency. We’ve tried.)
- Your guest count. Catering and rentals scale with every head, so the guest count shapes most of the rest. Settle it before the tita who “just has a few guests to add” settles it for you.
Everything below flows from these two.
A worksheet for your own numbers
We don’t give a percentage split. It depends on your guest count, your place and what matters most to you, and the guides we found disagree. (We checked. Twice.) Fill in your own quotes as they arrive instead.
| Category | What it usually covers | Your quote | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food & drinks | Catering, cake and desserts, drinks | ||
| Venue | Venue fee, corkage, overtime | ||
| Photo & video | Photography, videography | ||
| Styling & decor | Florals, stage, tables, signage | ||
| Beauty & fashion | Gown, barong or suit, hair and makeup | ||
| Planning & coordination | Full planning or on-the-day coordinator | ||
| Lights, sounds & entertainment | Sound system, lighting, emcee, band | ||
| Ceremony & paperwork | Church or civil fees, marriage license, rings | ||
| Print, souvenirs & invitations | Invitations, giveaways, signage | ||
| Transport | Bridal car, guest shuttle | ||
| Room for surprises | Extras and changes you didn’t plan for | ||
| Total |
Add the totals as the quotes come in, and compare them with the number you set at the start. If the two stop speaking to each other, that’s your cue to look at the guest list, not to stop opening the spreadsheet.
The checklist, category by category
Tick these off as you decide. The questions matter more than the boxes: suppliers price very differently depending on what’s included, so ask the same questions of everyone. Be as consistent as a ninong asking every single nephew when they’re getting married.
Food & drinks
The part your guests will still be talking about on the drive home.
- ☐ Buffet, plated or food stations?
- ☐ Price per head, and what the minimum guest count is
- ☐ Is service staff included, and for how many hours?
- ☐ Cake and dessert table, from the caterer or a separate baker?
- ☐ Drinks: what’s included, and does the venue charge corkage?
Venue
- ☐ What’s included: tables, chairs, linens, basic lighting?
- ☐ Overtime rate, and a hard stop time
- ☐ Rain plan if any part is outdoors
- ☐ Parking and access for suppliers loading in
Venues aren’t on Migala yet, so book these directly.
Photo & video
Twenty years from now, these are what you’ll actually look at. (Along with the one blurry photo of the ninong mid-dance. That one’s on us.)
- ☐ Hours of coverage, and the number of photographers or videographers
- ☐ Prenup shoot included or separate?
- ☐ How many edited photos you’ll get, and when
- ☐ Same-day edit, drone shots and albums: included, or add-ons?
- ☐ Overtime rate
Styling & decor
Good styling looks effortless. That is the effort.
- ☐ What you actually need: ceremony, reception, entrance, photo backdrop
- ☐ Fresh, artificial or mixed florals
- ☐ Who sets up, who takes it down, and by what time
- ☐ Is delivery part of the price?
Beauty & fashion
- ☐ Gown and barong: buy, made-to-measure or rent
- ☐ Fittings and alterations, and how many are included
- ☐ Hair and makeup for you, the entourage and family
- ☐ A trial before the day
Planning & coordination
- ☐ Full planning, partial planning, or on-the-day coordination only
- ☐ Who runs the program and the timeline on the day
- ☐ Who talks to the other suppliers
Lights, sounds & entertainment
Some sound advice: these are the people who decide whether the program feels like a party or a meeting.
- ☐ Sound system with an operator
- ☐ Lighting for stage, uplights or the dance floor
- ☐ Emcee or host
- ☐ Live band or a DJ, and set lengths
Ceremony & paperwork
- ☐ Church fee, or civil ceremony fee. Ask the parish or office what it includes: flowers, air-conditioning, choir, officiant
- ☐ Marriage license from your Local Civil Registrar. Typical documents: PSA birth certificates, CENOMAR (PSA, issued within the last six months), valid IDs and cedula. Requirements differ slightly between cities, so ask your LCR for its list
- ☐ Age rules: parental consent if either of you is under 21, parental advice if either is 21 to 25. Ask your LCR how it applies
- ☐ The marriage counseling seminar the LCR requires, and the Pre-Cana seminar your church may require. They’re separate
- ☐ The license is valid for 120 days. Don’t collect it too early
- ☐ Rings
- ☐ Sponsors’ gifts (ninong and ninang) are a bonus, not a budget line. Gifts vary widely, so don’t count on them
Print, souvenirs & invitations
- ☐ Invitations: printed, digital or both
- ☐ Giveaways for guests
- ☐ Signage, seating chart, programs
Transport
- ☐ Bridal car
- ☐ Shuttle for guests if the venue is hard to reach
Costs couples forget
They’re not in the first quote. They always turn up on the day.
- Overtime. Photo, video, sound and the venue all charge for it. A program that runs late costs money on several lines at once.
- Delivery and setup fees. A quote for decor or rentals may not include getting it to the venue.
- Service charge and taxes. Ask whether a quoted price already includes them.
- Meals for suppliers. Many expect to be fed on the day. Ask early.
- Changes in guest count. Every extra ten guests moves food, rentals, souvenirs and seating at once.
Four ways a budget balloons
- Buying small extras before the big suppliers are settled. Giveaways and gimmicks come first (the personalised fans are very cute, we know), and then there’s too little left for food, sound and lights, and photo and video.
- Letting the guest list grow without re-checking the budget. Every name moves several lines at once. Set a cap and stick to it.
- Comparing quotes that don’t match. One photographer offers 8 hours with an album, another offers 6 hours without. Put the quotes side by side on the same terms before you decide.
- Paying deposits before you’ve written down what’s included. Get the inclusions, the overtime rate and the cancellation terms in writing, with an official receipt for each payment.
Making the quotes easier to compare
The hardest part of a budget isn’t the maths. It’s chasing suppliers across Facebook pages, Instagram DMs and group chats, then lining up offers that don’t look alike. (We’ve muted our own family group chat twice this week. No regrets.)
That’s what Migala is for. You describe your event once: the date, the place, what you need and roughly what you plan to spend. Suppliers who fit can send you proposals, and you compare them in one place. You decide who to work with. Migala doesn’t pick for you.
Post your event or browse suppliers, and save your energy for the dance floor. The tita has already requested “Dancing Queen”.
Sources: Davao City Civil Registry for the marriage-license steps.
Last updated October 2026. This is a planning guide, not legal advice. Marriage-license rules vary by city, so confirm them with your Local Civil Registrar.
