Courthouse wedding or civil wedding in Manila

[Peter]

User 44.

I asked my wife about the <...  kasalang bayan  ... >.

In our area, the mayor will/does officiate at such an event, which normally happens every 6 months or so.

Only those couples resident in his municipality, who cannot afford the cost of a wedding, are allowed to avail of such a free-to-participants event. ie. only the poorest of the poor. These events are sponsored by local business people and other charitable individuals.

Everyone else has to ante up their fees and arrange a date. Cost for a civil town hall wedding here is around PhP 350.00 including the official paperwork to register the marriage with the PSA.

Of course, things are different elsewhere.

Peter

[User444]

Thank you. Yes, I did read that it was for financially strapped couples but I also saw this on one of their facebook posts. "Some 75 couples from different walks of life in Taguig City gathered at the Taguig Lakeshore Hall on Friday, April 28 to celebrate eternal love with their “I dos.” Wedding coins for prosperity; candles for divine guidance; wine for a balance of bitter and sweet memories were part of the wedding ceremony.

At the Kasalang Bayan, all the pairs had to do was come into the venue “decided, serious, sure,” as Mayor Lani Cayetano put it. In Taguig City, the Kasalang Bayan has become a tradition on the strong conviction that prosperous communities recognize the importance of the most basic unit of society, the family.

“This promise to each other should not be abandoned and should not be broken by the problems that will arise in your life of marriage,” Mayor Lani reminded the couples."

I was just trying to get the mayor to sign the document. I feel like I've gotten the run-around and this was the only wedding related thing I found from Taguig by searching Google. They did it Dec 2017, Feb 2018, Apr 2018, Jun 2018, and thought it was about time for another one. I wasn't sure if you had to register or just show up like it says in that post. (all the pairs had to do was come into the venue “decided, serious, sure,”) I just wanted to show up, have her sign the license, and be done with hunting down a solemnizing officer. I'm not Catholic and neither is the fiance so a catholic church wedding was not going to happen. We'll have a ceremony next year but wanted to get the civil wedding done this year for visa purposes.

[User444]

Also, I don't mind paying the fee. On the US Embassy website, it says "A couple who chooses to be married in a civil ceremony will need to apply for a marriage license. Once the license is obtained, they need to go to a judge or a mayor to administer the solemnization of the marriage. There is a ten-day waiting period from the date of the civil wedding before the issuance of the marriage contract." I have verified this with the local civil registrar's office but I feel like they sent me on a wild goose chase. The other option would be trying to hire a pastor or reverend that dabbles as a SO on the side. I've seen ads on OLX classifieds for between 5,000-20,000 pesos for this service. Maybe if you're having a small gathering for a few hours and need a guy to MC the wedding and make it look official, that could be an option. We just want the document signed within 15 minutes. I've also read about sham pastors that perform weddings but are not officially registered with the Solemnizing Officers Database (SOIS PSA GOV PH) and the marriage is actually void. The sham pastor will never take your license back to city hall and submit your license to finalize the marriage. You can search through there for up to date members, but right now, it's asking me to log into the database. I tried to create an account but the website never sent me an account.

[User444]

Got married in the Makati City Hall today! No line at the elevator this time. My appointment was at 10:30 AM and the mayor officiated it. We were the only couple. My two witnesses were there and signed the license too. It took 15-20 minutes.

[Lee2]

Congratulations and thank you for the information.

[Steve & Myrlita]

Got married in the Makati City Hall today! No line at the elevator this time. My appointment was at 10:30 AM and the mayor officiated it. We were the only couple. My two witnesses were there and signed the license too. It took 15-20 minutes.

My happiest congratulations to you both. May God give you many wonderful years together.

[FastWalk]

We'll have a ceremony next year but wanted to get the civil wedding done this year for visa purposes.

That is same as what we did,  had a small wedding first and then later a larger for celebration with family and friends.

Best wishes on this next part of your journey.

[User444]

I picked up my certificate of marriage form today at the Makati City Hall! When we were married by the mayor, I thought she said it would be available 1 week later, but my wife heard 2 weeks. I called them at the 2 week mark and they said it was ready. I went over there, gave the attendant my name on the 21st floor, and another lady came out with the form. It didn't cost me anything for the mayor to perform the ceremony and there was no fee for the form. It's a service the mayor offers to the community. This completes the chapter of that process, but a new one begins! Married life! : )

[Steve & Myrlita]

Congratulations and best wishes to you both. God Bless.