Nothing changed when I was searching for the perfect gown. Although some of my high society relatives insisted on it, I didn’t really see the need for having a designer gown. Besides, my budget couldn’t afford it.

Being the artist that I am, you really couldn’t help but want to have your entourage’s gowns be color-coordinated—and the same. My husband-to-be and I at that time didn’t have much to spend with. I was about to accept the fact that my entourage’s gowns will probably just be similarly colored (but not uniformed), until an aunt reminded me of the gowns in Divisoria.

I totally forgot about it. You see, there’s this one-floor building (the Yangco building, to be more specific) beside Ilaya Street in Divisoria that’s so saturated with wedding and debut gowns, you’d think you’ve died and gone to gown heaven. Each booth is lined with the prettiest gowns. And read this: the gowns can go as cheap as P1,000.

You can get this RTW gown from FNB Boutique (in Pasillo V-II of the Yangco Building), at around P3,000 (not sure though, but I do recall it’s not more than Php5,000). Pretty, isn’t it? How’s that for a $60 wedding gown?

The trick in getting the best deal in Divisoria is knowing how to haggle. I’ve tried to canvass for the best price, but they’re basically the same (not surprising, since these stores probably have a standard price). But if you get lucky (like we did), you’d get a dressmaker willing to lower the price for you. However, in order to do that, you have to “buy in bulk.” Meaning, the entire entourage.

Nice, don’t you think? Even the guys’ Barong Tagalog are aqua blue. It was quite a sight seeing them go marching down the aisle.

For about P35,000 (around $700), I was able to get these custom-made: blue Barongs for my hubby’s bestman and groomsmen, a child’s blue Barong for my ring and coin bearer, gowns for all three of the women secondary sponsors, gowns for my maid-of-honor, bridesmaids, junior bridesmaids and flower girls, as well as the Barong for my dad and the motif gowns for my mom and my mother-in-law. Oh, don’t forget my husband’s Barong Tagalog made of finest piña, and my elaborate cut-work wedding gown with an intricate beadwork. Hard to believe we spent less than a thousand dollars for all these? Well, believe it. That’s Divisoria fashion for you, baby.

Oddly enough, I could have gotten it cheaper. If I opted for the ready-to-wear wedding gown (I’m too scientific to take the pamahiin of getting bad luck if you try on your bridal gown before the wedding day seriously), I probably wouldn’t have spent more than $500 for the entire thing. But I wanted it prettier. And made use of my own designs.

I printed out a photo of my dream gown (which I got from the Net), and have FNB Boutique copy it. Not exactly though, I wanted it to have a Filipiniana touch. I did the same thing for the women in my entourage, but I modified the samples a bit in Photoshop so the printout will look exactly as I pictured them. They’re not designer gowns, but hey, they’re pretty and cheap anyway.

If you want to get in touch with the couturier who made my entourage’s formal wear, you can try FNB Boutique. Look for Nita Blanco (she’s the owner). You can reach her at 309-31-82. You can also talk to one of her assistants, Rona (she’s the one who took care of my account), through mobile 0921-975-42-34. Just tell her you got their info from one of their clients (Gail Dela Cruz-Villanueva), and she might actually give you a better deal.

My husband, Marc, and I spent around P13,000 for our rings. Yes, P13k for both them already. And they weren’t made of silver, mind you. White gold! With a tiny, teeny weeny diamond on encrusted on each. We were on a tight budget, but we didn’t want the “symbols of our unending love” be as cheap as those things you’ll find in sterling silver shop. We wanted it to be worth something, but still within our reach.

Here are some things you might want to consider when you’re doing your ring shopping, and have a very limited budget:

• Shop early. Early, as in, not a month before. My husband and I made that very mistake: we bought the ring only about three weeks before our wedding day. And since we were in a pretty tight spot already (imagine getting married without the wedding bands), we had no choice but to pay the additional rush fee.
• Use your charms to haggle. Yeah, Marc and I did just that. We were able to charm our way into a discount.
• Branded or not branded? You decide. But if you don’t have the luxury of having an unending flow of cash, the unbranded one might be better for you. Branded rings can cost you more than three times (or more) the price of unbranded ones.
• Yellow gold, white gold, platinum, two-color, tri-color—take your pick. It’s always best to know before hand what kind of wedding band you want. The cheapest is the yellow gold one, the tri-color being the most expensive. When you already know what you want (and have really thought about it), it’s easier to estimate the price range.
• The simpler the design, the less expensive the ring becomes. Don’t get me wrong though, a simple ring design doesn’t mean that it’s too plain. Remember that you’d be wearing these rings every single day of your lives. A garish ring will not only attract snatchers (not to mention hold-uppers), but it would be hard for you to match it with the clothes you wear.
• Canvas, canvas! Make sure you canvas first, it’s really not advisable to buy your rings in the first shop that you’ll come across. You’re just going to feel bad when you see a jewelry store offering the same design but at a lower price. Take your time deciding.

And last but not the least, ask about the warranty. Marc and I got our rings at Suarez Wedding Rings in Gateway Mall, Cubao. Aside from getting them at a reasonable price, these babies also come with a lifetime warranty (I don’t think the warranty covers losing the rings though hehe).

Did I miss anything? Feel free to add your input and help other soon-to-weds with their ring shopping!