Applicants for a marriage license should file their application in accordance with Article 9 of the Family Code which states that:

A marriage license shall be issued by the local civil registrar of the city or municipality where either contracting party habitually resides, except in marriages where no license is required in accordance with Chapter 2 of this Title.

The key word that we have to consider under Article 9 is the word “habitually resides”.

Where the residence of a person is not his habitual residence, then residence is different from domicile (Pineda, Persons, 2000). Stated differently, where the residence of a person is his habitual residence, then the said residence is his domicile— place where a person has his/her permanent principal home where he/she returns or intends to return.

Now, let us illustrate the application of Article 9. Say for example, Gerald, who habitually resides in Makati City, and Sarah, who habitually resides in Quezon City, met in Boracay during a beach party organized by FHM. After dating for one week in Boracy, they decided to get married there and so they both filed an application for a marriage license before the local civil registrar of the Municipality of Malay.  Question: Did Gerald and Sarah file their application before the correct civil registrar?  Answer: Gerald and Sarah did not file their application before the correct civil registrar since neither of them is a habitual resident of the Municipality of Malay.

An Outline between the Difference of Marriage as a Special Contract and an Ordinary Contract

(Alicia Sempio- Dy, Handbook on the Family Code, 1995).

A marriage license is a document issued by a governmental authority that allows two people to get married. A marriage license is valid for only a specific time period. In order to receive a marriage license, a couple is required to complete a marriage application (http://marriageabout.com).

Once a couple obtains their marriage license, they can now get married. However, they must take note of Article 20 of the Family Code which states that:

The license shall be valid in any part of the Philippines for a period of one hundred twenty days from the date of issue, and shall be deemed automatically canceled at the expiration of the said period if the contracting parties have not made use of it. The expiry date shall be stamped in bold characters on the face of every license issued.

The marriage license is only good for one hundred and twenty (120) days. It not subject to any extension and once it is expired; it is deemed cancelled and cannot be used anymore. If the parties still want to marry after the expiration of the license, they must apply for a new license (Alicia Sempio- Dy, Handbook on the Family Code, 1995). If a couple was able to get married using an expired marriage license their marriage is void.

A marriage certificate is an official recorded document issued by a governmental authority that proves that the couple listed on the marriage certificate has a legal marriage (http://marriageabout.com).

A marriage certificate is the best evidence that a marriage between a couple took place.

Here are some doctrines laid down by Supreme Court relating to a marriage certificate, namely:

a) The marriage certificate is not an essential or formal requisite marriage without which the marriage will be void.

b) An oral marriage is, therefore, valid and failure of a party to sign the marriage or omission of the solemnizing officer to send a copy of the marriage certificate to the proper civil registrar does not invalidate the marriage.

c) The mere fact that the no record of the marriage can be found, does not invalidate the marriage provided all the requisites of its validity are present

(Alicia Sempio- Dy, Handbook on the Family Code, 1995).

NBC Tent, The Fort, Taguig

August 6 – 7, 2011

Megatrade Hall 2, SM Megamall

October 14 – 16, 2011

Megatrade Hall 1, SM Megamall

August 12 – 14, 2011

Megatrade Hall 3, SM Megamall

November 18 – 20, 2011

July 31, 2011

August 6 – 7, 2011

10:00 am – 7:00 pm

July 31, 2011

4:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Before I became a photographer at K Photography Manila, I was a bride. I knew how it felt like to plan one of the biggest days in a person’s life.  Planning a wedding is tough and will require a lot of patience and time to do all of those research works. Most couples will probably be overwhelmed with all the tasks that they have to do, and don’t know where to start, so here are some tips to help you along the way.

1. To get things started, set a date! You can never start planning a wedding without a date… nothing will move until you finally decide on this.

2. Set a budget- set an initial budget and try to work with it.  Assign percentages on how much you are willing to allot per category (for example: 30% food & venue, 25% for photo, 8% for wedding rings.. etc)  Most often than not, the actual cost of the wedding will exceed your target budget, but setting a budget will at least limit your costs because you will book suppliers within your budget.

3. If you are a type of bride who doesn’t have much time to research or doesn’t want to,  get a good coordinator.  This will go a long way and will save you all the hassle of finding out what to do next and when. Now, if you did hire a coordinator, be sure to cooperate with them and monitor the developments… sure, you would expect that the coordinators would know what to do, but this is YOUR wedding day, so you should help them to make sure that they will be on the right track in planning the wedding of your dreams. Let them know what you want… help them help you =)

4. Join a wedding community. Joining a wedding community has a lot of benefits… you can have access to information like supplier reviews (how the couple’s chosen suppliers performed in their wedding), special discounts to some suppliers, ideas and tips on what color motif or theme you want for your wedding, where to find those paper products you need for your DIY’s and many more.  Meeting other brides/grooms (whether online or personally) can somehow make you feel that there are people you can turn to when you need help or advice.

5. Choose your church or ceremony venue. it would be nice if the ceremony venue is meaningful to the couple. Also, check the restrictions and rules of the church before booking.

6. Reception venue.  In choosing a reception venue, try to consider not only how the venue looks, but also consider the distance from the church.  Also consider how much traffic you would encounter and the accessibility to the guests.

7. Book the other suppliers.  Research and make comparisons between each supplier. Find out which style suits you best and is also ok in your budget. Attend bridal fairs. This way, you can see some samples of their works which will help you decide which supplier to choose. Also, most suppliers give discounts if you book them on bridal fairs.

Most importantly, book a supplier that matches your personalities, or choose a supplier that you personally like.  It matters that you have a nice feeling about your suppliers and good rapport especially your coordinators, make-up artists, photographers and videographers because these are the people you would interact with the most on your big day. Choose a supplier that has a good customer service. A bride does not deserve to be treated rudely no matter how unreasonable she is… things can be settled in a nice and professional manner.

8. DIY’s. If you are a crafty person, you might want to consider making some DIY’s.  This is a fun way to make your wedding details personalized and unique.  It is also a nice way to bond with your husband-to-be and family members or friends who are willing to help. If you have a lot of time and patience, you can save a lot by doing DIY’s like invitations, place cards, save-the-dates, “will you be our __” cards. Making these wedding details will add character and will reflect both your personalities.

9. Document your wedding preparation. Make your wedding preps a bit more fun by taking your handy-dandy digicam or even a camera phone on your supplier visits, oculars, bridal fairs and contract signings. You can even make a scrapbook out of these photos. After the wedding, after the stress and sleepless nights of making checklists, crunching the numbers in your budget sheet, calling the suppliers while juggling your life’s other aspects like work, family and friends… both of you will remember how it felt like to be like wonder woman to be able to accomplish all the tasks and made it through… all frozen memories are priceless, and I’m sure that you will appreciate that you documented your preps.

10. On your wedding day, don’t forget to smile.  Delegate the other tasks to willing family members or friends if you do not have a coordinator.  You have worked hard for this day, but little glitches will happen and when they do, just let go and smile. Things like the florist delivered a different color of flower, or the cake supplier was late, sure these can happen and you will think that your wedding is already less perfect than you have imagined it will be, but remember that the most important thing is that you will be marrying the man/woman you love, so do not let these little things stress you out. Savor each moment! This is your Big day, you deserve to be happy, so just be! =)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sha Mariñas
K Photography Manila
0927 3093771
kphotographymanila@gmail.com
www.kphotographymanila.blogspot.com