I was invited to attend a local church. I sat in the back like most people. The pastor introduced a young woman to speak and as the applause died down, I looked up and SAW THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IN THE WORLD. All I heard on the entire speech was her voice and THAT FACE. I was poked on my side sharply by a church member. He said "TOM! YOU CAN CLOSE YOUR MOUTH NOW!" All I can remember about the speech was, I was told her name was Roxanna. I Purred like a 230 lb. PERSIAN CAT! - We were married 3 years later.
How does being married to a Filipina work?
I am so glad you asked that! It's like joining the Mafia! I do it her way, I GET TO LIVE! It's on page 07 of our wedding vows.
I tell many couple, many of which are multicultural with the one of the couple is not Filipino, that when you marry into a Filipino family YOU MARRY THE WHOLE FAMILY! MOM IS MOVING IN! It's a PACKAGE DEAL!
Also there is nowhere a bilikbayan box cannot reach or be sent from! The three most important words I learned when I married into this family were Bilikbayan Box, ADOBO and WOWOWEE
What are the good things and bad things in an international marriage as yours?
BAD: NONE SHE'S WATCHING OVER MY SHOULDER, I want to LIVE!
GOOD:
- The rice cooker is on 24hrs a day!
- There's catsup everywhere, tastes funny but you get used to it!
- You suddenly have lots of cousins
- You learn to sing "Ikaw Na Nga"
- You have inflatable mattresses ready: Twin, King, Queen and Kulilit Castle
When did you start doing traditional weddings?
DAY ONE! F Filipino friend asked me if I would perform a Viel, Cord and Coin Cermony since he could not find anyone in his church. The first weddings was 5 years ago, since then we have become the most requested officiant for Filipino Weddings throughout California from Napa to Beverly Hills or as I like to call it "Suplada Hills".
What makes us so different from anyone else is that we are in the wedding ministry not the wedding business. We pour our heart and soul for all Filipino Weddings!
ALL proceeds of our weddings go to the children's ministry at Calistoga Christian Center NOT US! It's Tax-deductible donation.
Tell us about your experiences of officiating a traditional Filipino Weddings?
I learned quickly ther is no such thing as a SMALL Filipino Wedding. The average Filipino wedding is 300 to 500 people. With at least 300 Hondas, 150 Toyota Land Cruisers and 15 MPV (My Pinoy Van) parked outside. Many of the young Filipino couples we marry are asking for the Viel, Cord, and Coin Ceremony to satisfy their parents. THANK YOU PARENTS! It's important that we keep this traditional ceremony alive. The Spanish Courts started it, then passed down to the Catholic Church. Currently, most Viel, Cord and Coins Ceremony is performed exclusively by the Filipino community not the Hispanic community in America.
What kind of services do you offer?
We have three affordable wedding packages:
Simple Ceremony: - $250 Donation. (Amen, I do, Let's GO!)
- Simple Vows.
- Travel to your location.
- We file your license for you.
- Church Marriage Certificate
Traditional Cermemony: - $350 Donation - Viel, cord & coins ceremony,
- Custom Traditional Vows with unlimited changes and you keep your vows after the ceremony (Just in case he forgets).
- We travel to you location.
- Ring Blessing.
- Unity Candle or Unity Sand Ceremony.
- Church Certificate of Marriage.
- Family Blessing Prayer.
- Blessing of the food prayer (Reception)
- Tax Deductible receipt for your donation, and more.
Christian Vow Renewal Ceremony: - $99 Donation.
FREE VOW RENEWAL
What are the costs?
$99, $250 or $350 donation to the children's ministry.
Church Mail: Calistoga Christian Center
We meet every Sunday 10am at the Calistoga Community Center:
1307 Washingotn street, Calistoga, California 94515
What advise can you give for those who are trying to get married?
- Take our two hour pre-marital counseling class
- GO TO CHURCH!
- Let HER Manage all the money!(No Separate Accounts!)
- KEEP ALL RECIEPTS
- Get TFC (Filipino Channel) it will keep you laughing all the time WOWOWEE
Also, their wedding lasts only for one day, but their marriage is for the rest of their lives. They go back to school again, the school of marriage. They begin to learn again, to learn to love each other in a deeper way. Scripture says that two shall become one. Becoming one doesn't happen overnight. It is something that is learned and become better at as they share their married life together.
Most of the time we think of love as a warm feeling that pulls two people together. However, that feeling is actually romance; love is a decision. When they share their voiws to each other, they will be saying, "I choose to love you. I will love you during the good days-days of contentment, days of companionship, days of happiness. And I also choose to love you during days of heartache, days of confusion and frustration, and days of stress."
What advise can you give for those who are trying to "stay married"?
LISTEN TO HER! The bible says "Wisdom" is a she. Remember the two become one ... it requires TWO, NOT ONE! Enjoy life together. Enjoy each other. Do special things for each other.
Find and establish a relationship with a man of GOD and go to church! Perople often ask us about advise on business matters and life in general. We give them our best non-bias opinion based on GODLY advice. GOD ALWAYS WINS!
I love Filipinos, as a Puerto Rican myself I can adjust to the traditional family. I did not know, what a real family was till I married the first Lady (my Filipina wife). You can not keep secrets in a Filipino family, LOLA KNOWS ALL! MUBUHAY and SALAMAT, YA'LL.
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