Christening in the Philippines: What To Do & How To Budget

emdesan (57)in #finance • 5 years ago (edited)

My youngest son recently had his Christening last Jan. 20, 2019 (Sunday). Here in the Philippines, the celebration of the Baptism sacrament is absolutely necessary. It is also a joyful event where a welcoming party is thrown for the child. For first time parents, arranging the Baptism is stressful if you don't know what to do. So, I would like to share with you a guide on how to arrange such a momentous event and, of course, budgeting for it.

Guideline on the Baptism Rites

Below is the step-by-step guide of what I did:
1. Go to the Church and inquire. If it's the Church that oversees where you're residing then there will be no additional fees but if it is outside of your vicinity, you need to request on the Church that your residence is part of so you can have your child baptized to other churches. This comes with a fee.
When I went to San Antonio De Padua Parish, they simply gave me a baptism form where I will fill out the needed details. I was advised to bring the form to the seminar.

2. Attend the seminar. The seminar starts at 6 PM and they are very strict with everyone who wants their child baptized. Don't be late for your own seminar or you will have a sermon on the mount. The moderator needs to sign the form so you can register for Baptism.

3. Pass the Baptismal form and Birth Certificate a day after the seminar. Our Church only accepts submission of requirements during Fridays. The seminar is always held at Thursdays so the next day you need to pass the birth certificate and filled out Christening form. There is no other requirement except Marriage Contract (if married).

4. Go to Church 30 minutes earlier than the official time. I was advised that I need to come early because of the baptism vest and candles for the godparents. Also, because our parish is strict when the Baptismal rites have already started latecomers cannot attend the Baptism ceremony and needs to be moved for next Sunday.

The bottom line: Never be late in the seminar and the ceremony itself.

Budgeting 101

Here's the thing, on my first child I spent about PHP 25,000.00 for his "simple" Christening celebration. Wow right? That is a lot of money. To top it off, I was not happy with how that celebration turned out because it was super dry. The food only consists of pork because we bought a whole pig for that and so, the budget is not enough for other types of meal. I can say it was partly a disaster. So, I come to terms with myself that I will absolutely cut the cost in half and take down unnecessary expenses.

Here's the breakdown of my expenses:

Food - 7,000.00
The Food category consists of main course, rice, beverage, appetizers, dessert, and utensils. We served Chopsuey, Menudo, Chicken Barbecue, SIomai, Lumpia, Graham, Iced Tea, and Ice. In the PHP 7,000.00, the Gasul which is worth PHP 505.00 is also included, as well as the paper plates, cup, spoon, and fork.

Decors - 300

Decors includes balloons, poppers, banderitas and colored papers. This also includes the Message board for my baby from the godparents and guests.

Christening Clothes - 450.00
Actually, I did not only buy clothes for my youngest child but for the older one as well. I bought their clothes in a mini Divisoria with aircon type mall.

Cake - 750
We simply bought the cake in Red Ribbon. During the Christening of my first child, I opted for a customize 2-tier cake but no one ate it because they all thought it was just a display. Also, I felt that we don't need a grand cake. A simple cake is also great for the celebration.

Tarpaulin - 550
This should have been PHP 300.00 only but since it's a rush order there's additional PHP 250.00.

Souvenir - 840
Our souvenir is a small aqua blue rosary bracelet in a clear case. I order it online and it costs about PHP 28.00 each. The minimum quantity is 30 pieces so that's what we availed.

Alcohol - 1,000
A Pinoy celebration is incomplete without alcohol. Drink moderately.

Videoke - 500
We rented a videoke to entertain our guests. They loved it. The rent for PHP 500.00 is good for 24 hours so the entertainment is worth the price.

Baptism Fee - 445
This includes the Baptism (300), Baptism vest (75), Booklet (10), 6 Additional Sponsors (60.00) - a total of PHP 445.00.

Miscellaneous - 1,000
This was mostly used for transportation and, renting of vehicles like tricycle and pedicab. This was also used for buying of additional ingredients, beverage and alcohol.