McWeddings at McDonald’s

McDonald’s outlets in fast-paced Hong Kong are now offering a burgeoning new sideline:

“McWeddings.”

The first  wedding-related event since it was launched in January was an engagement party thrown by Kelvin, a young model, for his girlfriend, Ashley. It was held at a downtown McDonald’s close to the financial district on Valentine’s Day. The fast food joint was filled with pink balloons, a “cake” stacked from apple pies, and a pair of tiny souvenir M rings.

A McDonald's Store
By Mckroes at en.wikipedia [CC-BY-SA-2.5-2.0-1.0
(www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)
from Wikimedia Commo

Shirley Chang, the managing director of Hong Kong's McDonald's outlets, said "They date here, they grew their love here, so when they have this important day they want to come over here." McDonalds defends its concept as not tacky but instead fills a niche in Hong Kong, where most couples date in their fast food joints and the prices for typical weddings are high.

The McDonald's "Warm and sweet wedding package," at HK$9999 ($1282) a pop, includes wedding gifts, pink invitation cards emblazoned with golden arches, decor featuring the likes of Ronald McDonald and the Hamburglar, and classic golden arches fare worth up to $385.

Additional items like a "white balloon" gown rental ($165), balloon corsage ($11), balloon wedding cake ($88), and a large pink McDonalds backdrop ($321) will cost extra.

Chang said that the world is changing, especially the younger generations. He said it was definitely the best value for money. "They're looking for out-of the-box thinking and ideas."

Two wedding parties have already confirmed for this year and 70 other couples are already talking to McDonalds for their wedding. McDonalds is hoping that this will reduce the economic burden for Chinese couples as traditional Chinese weddings and banquets are costly.

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Kasal.com thanks the following source for this article:

Reuters. McDonalds serves up McWeddings (Posted on Feb 15 2011) Retrieved on March 5 2011 from
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/304436/mcdonalds-serves-mcweddings 

Jenny Miller Tied the Knot with Non-Showbiz Hubby

Actress Jenny Miller exchanged vows with her non-showbiz boyfriend, businessman Cupid Feril, last October 22 at the Sanctuario de San Jose in Greenhills, San Juan.

In attendance were their family and friends from showbiz and politics. Present during their Philippine church wedding were Claudine Barretto with husband Raymart Santiago, Celebrity beauty expert Dra. Vicky Belo and boyfriend Hayden Kho, Kris Aquino, Inah Revilla, who represented her mother, Cong. Lanie Mercado, Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista, and Sen.Jinggoy Estrada. They were some of Jenny and Cupid's godparents. Also there was Jenny's good friend, Isabel Oli.

Jenny, wearing a Philippine wedding gown made by Randy Ortiz, walked down the aisle while Cupid was singing "Beautiful In My Eyes" popularized by Joshua Kadison. Their Philippine wedding reception was held at the Manila Peninsula afterwards.

Jenny and Cupid met three years ago and again, in the wake of actor Rudy 'Daboy' Fernandez. They then became a couple and got engaged in Singapore last year.

Philippine Wedding photos courtesy of Nice Print Photography

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Solis, Lolit. Pinoy Parazzi. Kris Aquino at Isabel Oli, nagkita sa kasal ni Jenny Miller (Posted October 25, 2010) Retrieved October 25 2010 from
http://www.pinoyparazzi.com/kris-aquino-at-isabel-oli-nagkita-sa-kasal-ni-jenny-miller/
Sanchez, Rowena Joy, Manila Bulletin. Kris is at a 'much better place' with James (Posted October 25, 2010) Retrieved October 25 2010 from
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/284055/kris-a-much-better-place-with-james
Scoopbox. Philippine Entertainment Portal. (Posted October 22, 2010) Retrieved October 25 2010 from
http://twitter.com/scoopbox

Angelu de Leon Tied the Knot in an Intimate Hotel Wedding

Actress Angelu de Leon (real name Maria Luisa Angela Martinez de Leon) exchanged vows with her non-showbiz boyfriend, Lorenzo "Wowie" Rivera last September 17 in an intimate hotel wedding ceremony held at Sofitel Philippine Plaza.

Only 30 guests, composed of family members and close friends, attended their Philippine Christian wedding ceremony. Present during their wedding was actress Sherilyn Reyes with her husband Chris Tan. Bishop Chito Sanchez, a Born Again Pastor, officiated their wedding. Wedding reception was held at the Spiral Restaurant in the same hotel.

Originally, the new Mr. and Mrs. Rivera planned to get married in Europe. They will have their honeymoon there instead. Angelu shared that they are planning an after-party and a bigger wedding ceremony for those who were not invited to their Philippine wedding.

Prior to tying the knot, Angelu and Wowie were together for more than four years. He proposed to her actress-girlfriend last June 22 in Bangkok, Thailand.

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Kasal.com thanks the following sources:
Brosas, Alex Valentin, Manila Bulletin. Angelu de Leon Marries Boyfriend of Four Years (Posted September 20, 2010) Retrieved September 20, 2010 from
http://mb.com.ph/node/277962

Gonzales, Rommel, Philippine Entertainment Portal. Angelu de Leon is now Mrs. Lorenzo "Wowie" Rivera (Posted September 19, 2010) Retrieved September 20, 2010 from
http://www.pep.ph/news/26838/Angelu-de-Leon-is-now-Mrs.-Lorenzo-Wowie-Rivera

Boracay Wedding Resorts Now Offering Lower Accommodation Rate

Are you a soon-to-wed couple who dreams of a Boracay wedding but can't afford one? This might be a good time to rethink your option as some resorts in Boracay are now offering lower accommodation rates.

In an interview, Boracay Foundation, Inc. (BFI) President Loubelle Cann said that some resorts in this famous Philippine wedding destination are offering discounts on room accommodation by as much as 50 percent to counter the canceled reservation of tourists from China and Hong Kong. According to Cann, the cancellation was triggered by the recent Qurino Grandstand hostage crisis.

Ms. Cann said that though the incident was an isolated case, they still have to deal with the loss of bookings. Based on recent interviews, Boracay Island resorts and hotels reported already having lost a total of PhP 7.4 million worth of reservation one day after the incident. Department of Tourism Western Visayas Regional Director Edwin Trompeta said that the losses could reach up to P20-30 million, if other expenses like transportation, food, souvenirs, and other services are factored in.

Ms. Cann, however, is optimistic that the situation will normalize in two months' time and the influx of domestic tourists, like soon-to-wed couples, will make up for the current loss. She said the lower rates plus the good weather on the island would hopefully attract more local tourists. To complement the discounts offered by Boracay wedding resorts and hotels, BFI has asked airline companies offering flights from Manila to Caticlan or Kalibo, Aklan, which serves as the jump-off point to Boracay, to offer airfare discounts as well.

On the other hand, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industries - Boracay Vice President David Golberg said that they have not monitored any such undertaking among their member resorts and hotels.

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Kasal.com thanks the following sources:
Burgos,
Nestor Jr., Inquirer Visayas. Boracay lures tourists with low prices
(Posted September 5, 2010) Retrieved September 6, 2010 from
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20100905-290649/Boracay-lures-tourists-with-low-prices

Angelo,
Francis Allan (Correspondent), BusinessWorld. Resorts in Boracay start
counting losses as Chinese tourists cancel reservation (Posted August
26, 2010) Retrieved September 6, 2010 from
http://www.bworldonline.com/main/content.php?id=16703