an abridged guide to a no-frills civil wedding
The weeks before our official solemnizing ceremony (in layman's terms "wedding"), I managed to squeeze in some time to surf the Net in the hopes of getting some tips on simplifying the process of getting married, sans the the frills that normally come with a wedding -- dresses, flowers, food, etc.
I realized that the Net is swamped with information about the all-frills weddings: designers, flower arrangers, cake makers, photographers, caterers, planners, and other whathaveyou-ers.
Yet there was not a single site that had a complete, concise list of what one actually and really (and legally) needs to get married.
I suppose most people would hire a wedding coordinator to take care of the legal arrangements; or would know of someone who knows someone in this (or that) local government or mayor or whathaveyou to short-cut the process.
With the interest of not having to spend a single centavo more on something that I can do on my own anyway -- I chose to make all the arrangements myself.
It's a bit frustrating working within the absence of a system in our local government -- to think our wedding was officialized in Makati, supposedly the most progressive city in the country already -- yet I found myself having to make repeated and wasted trips to the City Hall months in advance, in preparation for the ceremony. I think excluding the actual day we were there to get married, I had already been there a grand total of 6 times within roughly 6 weeks.
It's not much, unless you count the fact that I could only sneak in one-hour trips on the rare days when I had an hour or two to spare from work.
It was also no surprise that within the Makati government offices, every official and government worker you would ask about what needed to be done, had a different answer and a different knowledge of what the process entailed.
And seriously... if a bride (or groom) wanted to lose some excess pounds in time for the wedding, taking care of the legal arrangements in Makati is a good way to shed those pounds. I've lost count of how many times I've had to go up and down 3-5 flights of stairs repeatedly every time I was in the City Hall (since their elevators also seem to travel at snail's pace).
On the day of our actual wedding, I still wasn't spared from having to go down to have my name corrected on my marriage license before I could get married.
Although thankfully and mercifully, we did manage to get married eventually -- half the time I actually doubted if we'd even get to the point where I can officially change my name; the other half of the time I'd be on the verge of just getting a ticket to las Vegas and just get ourselves married by the officiating priests at Elvis Presley's Church.
So, this blog post is intended for those like me who have little time to waste with inefficient offcials and government bureaucracy, and who just simply want to get married with as less hassle as possible.
--
Step 1: Get All your Documents Together
I think it varies for every local government, so to be sure, just secure a copy of ALL the things the local government could possibly ask from you (all documents pertains to both the bride and groom):
1. Birth Certificates (certified true copy) -- you may get this at www.ecensus.com.ph.
2. CENOMAR (Certificate of No Marriage) -- you may also get this at www.ecensus.com.ph
3. CEDULA -- this one you can just get in your barangay or city hall
4. Barangay Clearance/ Certificate -- you'll need to get this from your barangay hall. Best that when you go to the barangay hall, you have a proof of residence that you live in that barangay.
5. Valid ID
All in all, you can get these documents within 1-3 weeks. The Birth Certificate normally takes about a week, CENOMAR takes 2 weeks (3 weeks at most). The Cedula and Barangay Clearance are normally released on the same day you request for it.
Step 2: Attend the Required Seminars in the City Hall where you plan to get married
For civil marriages, couples usually need to get married in their city of residence. If the bride and groom do not reside in the same city, it should at least be in the resident city of either one of the couple.
In any case, when in the City Hall, you need to find out the schedule of the required seminars, and attend these seminars together.
1. Marriage Counselling (conducted by the DSWD)
2. Family Planning Seminar (conducted by the DOH)
In Makati, you can finish both seminars in one day -- but it normally starts really early in the morning, and you attend these with other couples. There is no need to pre-schedule, just show up on the day you plan to take the seminar.
If you're working, best to keep this whole day free since if you need to sit through the entire duration of the seminars, this will go one beginning at 8 in the morning, til 5 in the afternoon.
When you get to the City hall (if I'm correct in the assumption that other City Halls are like Makati's with no signages or labels on the doors of the offices... and no building directory), ask for the office of the DSWD, since the Marriage Counselling seminar usually comes first.
There is a minimal fee of P100.00 to attend both seminars.
Important to note that after the first seminar, you will be given a certificate of having attended the seminars. Make sure that the document is signed - both by the DSWD (after the first seminar); and then the DOH (after the second one).
Step 3: File for your Marriage License
As soon as you've both completed the seminars, there will be a representative of the Civil Registry who will give you a Marriage License Application Form, which you have fill up in triplicates. Some very important things to note:
1. The bride and groom must strictly be the ones to fill in the application form themselves. This means the bride cannot write anything in behalf of the groom, and vice versa.
2. Make sure when you fill in the license application that all pertinent information -- especially your registered names are consistent with the rest of your documents. Meaning, whichever name you put in your marriage license application form has to be exactly the same as the name written on your birth certificate, CENOMAR and barangay certificate. When I say exactly the same, I mean exactly the same down to the last initial and punctuation mark.
Once your marriage license application form has been completely and properly filled out, proceed to the office of the Civil Registrar within the same City Hall. Make sure you have photocopies of all documents you have on hand. You will also need to pay P300.00 for your marriage license.
At the office of the Civil Registrar, they will do a final check if all your documents are complete. By this time, you should have with you the following documents:
1. Birth Certificates
2. CENOMARS
3. CEDULA
4. Barangay Certificate
5. DSWD/ DOH Certificate
6. Marriage License Application Form
7. Photocopy of Valid ID
8. Receipt of Payment for Marriage License
Assuming all documents are complete and correct, you can surrender all of these to the Registrar. They will give you a receipt/claim stub for your Marriage License, which you can get after 10 working days.
Note that this 10 days will be used for the government to post your intent to marry on a public domain, to give time to anyone who may possibly contest your intent to marry before the license is issued.
*Additional Note: Steps 2 and 3 can be done on the same day.
Step 4: Claim your Marriage License and Schedule your Wedding Date
Go back to the City Hall after 10 days, claim your Marriage License from the Office of the Civil Registrar. Some other important things again to note:
1. Check all the pertinent details written on the Marriage License, specifically your names, addresses, etc. Again, it has to be exactly the same as the name indicated in your Birth Certificate, CENOMAR, Marriage License Application, and Marriage License Application. This is very important because whatever name is written on your Marriage License -- will be the name that is written on your Marriage Contract.
2. Note: The Marriage License is already a legal, binding document. Which means that in the event either the bride or groom reneges on pushing through with the final marriage, the aggrieved party can already sue.
3. The Marriage License is valid for a period of 3 months -- which means if the 3 month-period has been exceeded and you still have not married, you need to file for a new one all over again.
Now, assuming everything is in order with your Marriage License, you can now get married wherever you want. This is the same document that either the judge, the priest or minister will ask for when you are married.
Now if you're planning to just get a civil wedding, specifically one in the judge's courtroom, the next steps for you would be to file your papers in the local Office of Special Court Proceedings.
When you locate the office of Special Proceedings, you need to secure another document that states your intent to have a judge perform the "solemnizing ceremonies", aka "marrying the couple". I can't remember the exact name of the document but its sole purpose is basically a "Solemnizing Request" document.
You will need to pay P300.00 again to be given this document.
Normally, you would also surrender your marriage license to the Office of Special Court Proceedings in exchange for the signed "Solemnizing Request". Within the same exchange, you will need to already specify your preferred date and time for the wedding, and a preferred judge (if any, and if applicable). Otherwise, they will be the ones to assign a judge to you.
Once this exchange of information is done, make sure you leave your contact details, and make sure to get their contact details as well.
In our case, since the Makati City Hall is in the habit of "raffling off" judges, I had to leave the City Hall without knowing yet which judge was gonna marry us. Within the same day, I called them back to find out the name and contact number of the judge assigned to us, which they did give that same afternoon.
Within that same afternoon, I already had been able to contact the judge assigned to us, and scheduled our wedding date and time.
Step 5: The Ceremony Itself (What to Expect and Prepare For)
1. It doesn't mean that because it's not a church wedding, wedding rings aren't needed. Wedding rings are mandatory after all.
2. Give the complete names of your witnesses before the wedding day itself so they can input this in the marriage contract ahead of time.
3. What to Wear: I highly suggest staying away from anything too dressy or formal for the ceremony. The ceremony transpires in a high-traffic, busy area of the city so it's hardly the best place to be really dressed up. Just dress smart enough to look good on pictures while still being appropriate for a courtroom set-up.
4. The marriage contracts are signed before the actual solemnizing ceremonies take place. Which means all contract signatories really do have to be at the venue on time.
5. The ceremony itself transpires in the judge's courtroom. Our ceremony took roughly 20 minutes only, which is composed of a brief sermon/talk from the judge. Afterwhich, a very brief abridged version of the rite of marriage in a Church, including the "did you come here of your own free will?" question; and the exchange of rings and the court's version of wedding vows.
6. After the ceremony itself, make sure that the clerks in the judge's office give you a copy of the marriage contract/ certificate. Although this is still not the final official document, you may need this as well to claim your final marriage certificate.
Step 6: Post-Wedding, and all the paperwork that needs to be filed
This one I'm still learning as I go along. Again, I searched far and wide in the Internet for an Idiot's Guide to all the necessary things you need do after the wedding, but can't find a concise list. So give me some time to build this up as time goes by.
For now, these are the things I can list down:
1. The Marriage Certificate will be made available 15 working days after the ceremony from the Civil Registrar. You need this to file all the necessary paperwork to change your Marital Status.
2. As an employee, you will need to fill up documents (SSS, Pag-ibig, PhilHealth, Medical Insurance, etc.) stating your change in status. I don't know yet the exact repercussions of being moved to another bracket for taxes and insurance benefits.
3. For women changing their names, you will immediately need a valid ID with your married name, especially if you intend to eventually change your name on all your records.
It can be quick, easy and painless if you knew what to do. You can finish all the preparations needed with just 2 trips to the City Hall; and you can get married within just one month.
---
Well, there it is. Hopefully this helps even just one bride get by easier, simpler and more efficient as she makes all the preparations for that day which officially marks the beginning of the rest of her life as someone's wife.
I realized that the Net is swamped with information about the all-frills weddings: designers, flower arrangers, cake makers, photographers, caterers, planners, and other whathaveyou-ers.
Yet there was not a single site that had a complete, concise list of what one actually and really (and legally) needs to get married.
I suppose most people would hire a wedding coordinator to take care of the legal arrangements; or would know of someone who knows someone in this (or that) local government or mayor or whathaveyou to short-cut the process.
With the interest of not having to spend a single centavo more on something that I can do on my own anyway -- I chose to make all the arrangements myself.
It's a bit frustrating working within the absence of a system in our local government -- to think our wedding was officialized in Makati, supposedly the most progressive city in the country already -- yet I found myself having to make repeated and wasted trips to the City Hall months in advance, in preparation for the ceremony. I think excluding the actual day we were there to get married, I had already been there a grand total of 6 times within roughly 6 weeks.
It's not much, unless you count the fact that I could only sneak in one-hour trips on the rare days when I had an hour or two to spare from work.
It was also no surprise that within the Makati government offices, every official and government worker you would ask about what needed to be done, had a different answer and a different knowledge of what the process entailed.
And seriously... if a bride (or groom) wanted to lose some excess pounds in time for the wedding, taking care of the legal arrangements in Makati is a good way to shed those pounds. I've lost count of how many times I've had to go up and down 3-5 flights of stairs repeatedly every time I was in the City Hall (since their elevators also seem to travel at snail's pace).
On the day of our actual wedding, I still wasn't spared from having to go down to have my name corrected on my marriage license before I could get married.
Although thankfully and mercifully, we did manage to get married eventually -- half the time I actually doubted if we'd even get to the point where I can officially change my name; the other half of the time I'd be on the verge of just getting a ticket to las Vegas and just get ourselves married by the officiating priests at Elvis Presley's Church.
So, this blog post is intended for those like me who have little time to waste with inefficient offcials and government bureaucracy, and who just simply want to get married with as less hassle as possible.
--
Step 1: Get All your Documents Together
I think it varies for every local government, so to be sure, just secure a copy of ALL the things the local government could possibly ask from you (all documents pertains to both the bride and groom):
1. Birth Certificates (certified true copy) -- you may get this at www.ecensus.com.ph.
2. CENOMAR (Certificate of No Marriage) -- you may also get this at www.ecensus.com.ph
3. CEDULA -- this one you can just get in your barangay or city hall
4. Barangay Clearance/ Certificate -- you'll need to get this from your barangay hall. Best that when you go to the barangay hall, you have a proof of residence that you live in that barangay.
5. Valid ID
All in all, you can get these documents within 1-3 weeks. The Birth Certificate normally takes about a week, CENOMAR takes 2 weeks (3 weeks at most). The Cedula and Barangay Clearance are normally released on the same day you request for it.
Step 2: Attend the Required Seminars in the City Hall where you plan to get married
For civil marriages, couples usually need to get married in their city of residence. If the bride and groom do not reside in the same city, it should at least be in the resident city of either one of the couple.
In any case, when in the City Hall, you need to find out the schedule of the required seminars, and attend these seminars together.
1. Marriage Counselling (conducted by the DSWD)
2. Family Planning Seminar (conducted by the DOH)
In Makati, you can finish both seminars in one day -- but it normally starts really early in the morning, and you attend these with other couples. There is no need to pre-schedule, just show up on the day you plan to take the seminar.
If you're working, best to keep this whole day free since if you need to sit through the entire duration of the seminars, this will go one beginning at 8 in the morning, til 5 in the afternoon.
When you get to the City hall (if I'm correct in the assumption that other City Halls are like Makati's with no signages or labels on the doors of the offices... and no building directory), ask for the office of the DSWD, since the Marriage Counselling seminar usually comes first.
There is a minimal fee of P100.00 to attend both seminars.
Important to note that after the first seminar, you will be given a certificate of having attended the seminars. Make sure that the document is signed - both by the DSWD (after the first seminar); and then the DOH (after the second one).
Step 3: File for your Marriage License
As soon as you've both completed the seminars, there will be a representative of the Civil Registry who will give you a Marriage License Application Form, which you have fill up in triplicates. Some very important things to note:
1. The bride and groom must strictly be the ones to fill in the application form themselves. This means the bride cannot write anything in behalf of the groom, and vice versa.
2. Make sure when you fill in the license application that all pertinent information -- especially your registered names are consistent with the rest of your documents. Meaning, whichever name you put in your marriage license application form has to be exactly the same as the name written on your birth certificate, CENOMAR and barangay certificate. When I say exactly the same, I mean exactly the same down to the last initial and punctuation mark.
Once your marriage license application form has been completely and properly filled out, proceed to the office of the Civil Registrar within the same City Hall. Make sure you have photocopies of all documents you have on hand. You will also need to pay P300.00 for your marriage license.
At the office of the Civil Registrar, they will do a final check if all your documents are complete. By this time, you should have with you the following documents:
1. Birth Certificates
2. CENOMARS
3. CEDULA
4. Barangay Certificate
5. DSWD/ DOH Certificate
6. Marriage License Application Form
7. Photocopy of Valid ID
8. Receipt of Payment for Marriage License
Assuming all documents are complete and correct, you can surrender all of these to the Registrar. They will give you a receipt/claim stub for your Marriage License, which you can get after 10 working days.
Note that this 10 days will be used for the government to post your intent to marry on a public domain, to give time to anyone who may possibly contest your intent to marry before the license is issued.
*Additional Note: Steps 2 and 3 can be done on the same day.
Step 4: Claim your Marriage License and Schedule your Wedding Date
Go back to the City Hall after 10 days, claim your Marriage License from the Office of the Civil Registrar. Some other important things again to note:
1. Check all the pertinent details written on the Marriage License, specifically your names, addresses, etc. Again, it has to be exactly the same as the name indicated in your Birth Certificate, CENOMAR, Marriage License Application, and Marriage License Application. This is very important because whatever name is written on your Marriage License -- will be the name that is written on your Marriage Contract.
2. Note: The Marriage License is already a legal, binding document. Which means that in the event either the bride or groom reneges on pushing through with the final marriage, the aggrieved party can already sue.
3. The Marriage License is valid for a period of 3 months -- which means if the 3 month-period has been exceeded and you still have not married, you need to file for a new one all over again.
Now, assuming everything is in order with your Marriage License, you can now get married wherever you want. This is the same document that either the judge, the priest or minister will ask for when you are married.
Now if you're planning to just get a civil wedding, specifically one in the judge's courtroom, the next steps for you would be to file your papers in the local Office of Special Court Proceedings.
When you locate the office of Special Proceedings, you need to secure another document that states your intent to have a judge perform the "solemnizing ceremonies", aka "marrying the couple". I can't remember the exact name of the document but its sole purpose is basically a "Solemnizing Request" document.
You will need to pay P300.00 again to be given this document.
Normally, you would also surrender your marriage license to the Office of Special Court Proceedings in exchange for the signed "Solemnizing Request". Within the same exchange, you will need to already specify your preferred date and time for the wedding, and a preferred judge (if any, and if applicable). Otherwise, they will be the ones to assign a judge to you.
Once this exchange of information is done, make sure you leave your contact details, and make sure to get their contact details as well.
In our case, since the Makati City Hall is in the habit of "raffling off" judges, I had to leave the City Hall without knowing yet which judge was gonna marry us. Within the same day, I called them back to find out the name and contact number of the judge assigned to us, which they did give that same afternoon.
Within that same afternoon, I already had been able to contact the judge assigned to us, and scheduled our wedding date and time.
Step 5: The Ceremony Itself (What to Expect and Prepare For)
1. It doesn't mean that because it's not a church wedding, wedding rings aren't needed. Wedding rings are mandatory after all.
2. Give the complete names of your witnesses before the wedding day itself so they can input this in the marriage contract ahead of time.
3. What to Wear: I highly suggest staying away from anything too dressy or formal for the ceremony. The ceremony transpires in a high-traffic, busy area of the city so it's hardly the best place to be really dressed up. Just dress smart enough to look good on pictures while still being appropriate for a courtroom set-up.
4. The marriage contracts are signed before the actual solemnizing ceremonies take place. Which means all contract signatories really do have to be at the venue on time.
5. The ceremony itself transpires in the judge's courtroom. Our ceremony took roughly 20 minutes only, which is composed of a brief sermon/talk from the judge. Afterwhich, a very brief abridged version of the rite of marriage in a Church, including the "did you come here of your own free will?" question; and the exchange of rings and the court's version of wedding vows.
6. After the ceremony itself, make sure that the clerks in the judge's office give you a copy of the marriage contract/ certificate. Although this is still not the final official document, you may need this as well to claim your final marriage certificate.
Step 6: Post-Wedding, and all the paperwork that needs to be filed
This one I'm still learning as I go along. Again, I searched far and wide in the Internet for an Idiot's Guide to all the necessary things you need do after the wedding, but can't find a concise list. So give me some time to build this up as time goes by.
For now, these are the things I can list down:
1. The Marriage Certificate will be made available 15 working days after the ceremony from the Civil Registrar. You need this to file all the necessary paperwork to change your Marital Status.
2. As an employee, you will need to fill up documents (SSS, Pag-ibig, PhilHealth, Medical Insurance, etc.) stating your change in status. I don't know yet the exact repercussions of being moved to another bracket for taxes and insurance benefits.
3. For women changing their names, you will immediately need a valid ID with your married name, especially if you intend to eventually change your name on all your records.
It can be quick, easy and painless if you knew what to do. You can finish all the preparations needed with just 2 trips to the City Hall; and you can get married within just one month.
---
Well, there it is. Hopefully this helps even just one bride get by easier, simpler and more efficient as she makes all the preparations for that day which officially marks the beginning of the rest of her life as someone's wife.