Plans and Facts: Kuwait Wedding

Getting married in Kuwait was not really part of our plans as a couple. It just came into the picture a few months ago after a series of events made us realize how madly we want to be together. The original plan when James left for Kuwait was for us to wait until he finishes his contract for 2 years, and get married in the Philippines, once. But of course, that was "our plan" and it turned out God had something else in mind.

After a very unfortunate event in their family, I felt how depressed he became and decided to try and join him abroad. I applied for a job in the same company he is working at, not really expecting to be hired, but ironically, I was the first applicant to pass the employers' interview that day (they were two good-looking Lebanese bosses, so who wouldn't try?).

One month later, I was surprised to get a call from the agency (from where I already pulled out my application) saying they already have my working Visa and I can be scheduled to fly out anytime. Turned out, they did not really pull out my application, thinking that I will change my mind when I know that the Visa is ready (and they were right!).

I was left with just nearly a month to process all the papers we need and spend time with my friends and family. It was such a crazy month. I thought 4 weekends were enough to really take time to enjoy with my loved ones but it weren't.

So, back to the wedding, I made sure I have all the papers we need before my flight to Kuwait. I was still rendering my last few weeks in the company I was working for, so I had a lot of zombie moments---days when I would go straight to Manila after a night shift just to finish our embassy requirements. JAC LIner and MOA cabs became my best friends and I'm not sure how many bus conductors have seen me sleeping with mouth open and had to wake me up because we were at the terminal already (yikes!).

If you are planning to get married in Kuwait just like us, here are the paperworks you must have:

These are the documents you can obtain while still in the Philippines:

• Photocopies of applicant's passports.

• Birth Certificates issued by the NSO and authenticated by Authentication Division, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

• NSO Certificate re: non-appearance of the applicant's name in the National Indices of Marriage or certificate of Single Status and Non-marriage issued by the NSO and authenticated by the DFA

• Notarized Affidavit of Parental advice (If either applicant is between 21-25 years old). Parent/s of the applicant should inform the Embassy in writing. If such advice is not obtained or is unfavorable, the marriage license shall be issued 3 months following the publication of the application of the marriage license.

• Notarized Affidavit of Parental Consent (if either applicant is 18-21 years old.)

The only miss we had from the above list was the Parental Consent. We were not informed at first that it has to be notarized up to the RTC level, so I had to ask my father to process it for me. It took 3 days to process and 2 weeks shipping from Laguna to Kuwait via LBC, for around Php1,200.

Remember to obtain a letter of authorization from your partner abroad as it will be required by NSO for Cenomar application and DFA for red ribbon authentication. Include photocopies of 2 valid ID's with signature as well. I had a minor problem with this because James' signature on one of his ID's was different from his signature in the authorization letter, so the old (and cranky) woman at the DFA window did not accept his paper and asked me obtain a different ID.

Here are the forms you will need to sign here in Kuwait Phil Embassy:

• Joint Affidavit of Single Status (form available).

• Application for Marriage License (form available).

• Certificate of Marriage Counseling (If either applicant is 18-25 years old)

• Two pictures of each applicant.

• Notice of Marriage to be posted for 10 days.

• Civil ID copies of the bride and groom

• Payment of around 50KD (Php 7250) for the processing of contract and marriage certificate

The Certificate of Marriage Counseling was not really required from us, but we chose to still have a pre-marriage counseling with our hometown pastor. We had to do it via Facetime so we were really grateful that our pastor was caring enough to accomodate us. I strongly advice not to miss a counseling session because it will really help you prepare spritually, emotionally and mentally for what you will be facing ahead.

When we inquired about filing the marriage application at the Phil Embassy in February, the guy at the marriage desk (cranky number 2) told us that we just need to complete the documents and they can have the ceremony at once. But alas, that was not true. After we have completed the requirements (we had to wait one month after I got in Kuwait for my Civil ID), we went to the embassy expecting that we can be scheduled anytime, but no, we had to wait for 2 months. They actually have a "wedding book" where they schedule weddings only every Wednesdays, and by the time we finished our requirements (April) the next free slot was not until June! We were disappointed at first because we were too excited, but after talking it over with God and each other, we came to realize that again, we should not think that we have control over everything. We came to see eventually how perfect the timing is, since it gave us time to really prepare and gave me an opportunity to be acquainted with the place and the people first.

A few weeks of preparation is surely enough if you are not really planning to have a big event. People we talk to think that our wedding here will be a grand, formal event, but we set expectations right away that it will be very simple and initimate. We get surprised reactions like "why? that's the most important day of your lives!" or "no, you shouldn't be such cheapskates, it's your wedding!" and even worst "pera ba problema pare, pautangin kita!". We just laugh about it and try not to explain ourselves too much, because our closest friends and our families know that this is not the only wedding we will have. (wink!) We are trying to save our all for our church wedding next year in the Philippines in the presence of our families and loved ones (by God's grace).

But of course, if you have your whole family here in Kuwait and will benefit from having a grand celebration, you can always do so. Some Filipino couples opted to have both embassy and church wedding here in Kuwait, with their local churches set up with their wedding motif. There are also photographers based here who offer photo and video coverage from e-sessions to actual ceremonies.

So, aside from the documents, we also prepared a few things required on the day of the wedding. The embassy requires the couples to be in formal attires. The bride should have a bouquet and of course the couple should have their wedding bands or rings.

We also planned to have a simple dinner with our closest friends here in Kuwait. We allotted a budget and tried to stick with it and so far, we are able to manage.

Planning the menu took us only one day, but looking for our formal wears took 2 weeks. We wanted the best yet most simple dress and suit to wear on that day because after all, it will be documented as our first wedding. I had to consult my future bridesmaids via Viber and Facebook for them to choose among my options of cocktail and long dresses. As always, my fiance critiqued my choices as well and had good ideas for my look, such as:

My groom had the outfit in his mind and did not need much of my help. I was impressed, actually (not after I discovered he was following one dapper blogger in Instagram and that's where he got the pegs). I am planning to do my own makeup and a very generous friend of mine helped me in planning my hairdo and provided things for my hair.

His peg

Not bad for our first try in wedding planning. The most important thing I learned is that what others say or what customs suggest do not matter, what you and your partner wants is what's important. There's no harm in heeding advices or trying out what others suggest but if that's not really who you are, then forget it. It will be your day and everything that will happen should please you and not the people around you.

Above all, this experience taught us teamwork. It allowed us to really practice talking things over and meeting halfway if our ideas contradict. We found out new things about each other---he is the leader type and wants everything in order, as much as possible he sticks to what is in his plans while I am the "let's try and see" kind of planner, and though I have planned things in my mind, I am easily swayed by better things I see in the process.

Mix that together and we were able to finally come up with the simple yet classy wedding details we both want. We're just counting hours and I cannot be more excited to finally marry the guy I truly. madly, deeply love. ♥