Miss Fee, a Yankee volunteer teacher for the public schools then being opened in the Philippines, will become a most astute observer of the Filipino wedding scene, as recounted in her 1910 book. A Woman’s impression of the Philippines, (Reprinted 1988, GCF Books). Priceless are her snapshots of the church, the guest, the bridegroom, and, most of all, the bride, in that long scene.
Filipino marriages, among the upper class, are accompanied by receptions and feasts like our own, but differ greatly in the comparitively insignificant part played by the contracting parties. Whereas, in an American wedding, the whole object of calling all these people together seems to be the desire to silhoutte the bride and groom against the festive background, one comes away from a Filipino celebration with a feeling that an excuse was needed for assembling a multitude and permitting them to enjoy themselves, and that the bridal pair unselfishly lent themselves to the occasion.
Most weddings take place about half-past six or seven in the evening; and immediately after the religious ceremony in the church, all invited guests adjourn to the home of a relative (usually, but not necessarily, the nearest kinsman of the bride), where supper is served and is followed by a ball.ä Source: Ira, L.B. 1990. Guidebook to the Filipino Wedding. Manila: Vera-Reyes
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Source:
Ira, L.B. 1990. Guidebook to the Filipino Wedding. Manila: Vera-Reyes
