’Til death do us part: Marriage trends in the PHL keep in step with the pandemic

Marriage registrations in the Philippines picked up in 2021 after dropping 44% the previous year, according to a February study by the iPrice Group, a Kuala Lumpur-based online shopping aggregator. Google searches for wedding-related keywords also increased in 2021 as compared to 2019.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority show that marriage registrations in the country numbered 240,775 in 2020, down from 431,972 in 2019.

Among the countries surveyed, Malaysia and Indonesia saw the least decline in marriage registrations within the same time period at 9%. Thailand and Singapore also saw a decrease in marriage registrations, at 17% and 11%, respectively.

Between January and October 2021, Filipinos started tying the knot again, as marriage registrations surpassed the previous year’s tally by 7%.

Since couples who exchanged vows over the pandemic had to adhere to public health protocols through physical distancing and reduced seating capacity, they were able to save up to 53% of the cost of a “normal” wedding, iPrice gathered.

Quoting 2018 prices for the average mid-range budget from My Bridesmade, an online wedding resource, iPrice found that a mid-range Filipino wedding at 20% venue capacity (30 guests) amounted to P264,888. This amounts to less than 53% of the pre-pandemic wedding estimate. The same wedding at 50% capacity (75 guests) likewise saved the bride and groom 37% of the original budget (P356,580 versus P566,000).

The quoted budgets include invitations, the reception, and gifts.

KEYWORD SEARCHES
The iPrice study also saw a 254% increase in the number of Google searches among Filipinos for wedding-related keywords in 2021 versus 2019. Among the most-searched keywords were “wedding rings” (152%), “engagement rings” (120%), “wedding dresses” (134%), and “wedding venues” (147%).

Searches peaked in January and March 2021, when restrictions were loosened in Metro Manila; and October 2021, when some form of travel was allowed.

Overall, the country had the most searches on all wedding-related keywords compared to Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia. Despite not having the highest Google reach (or the number of signed-in users visiting the said search engine), searches for the wedding-related keywords reached 8.9 million in 2021 in the Philippines — or up to four times the total searches of its other four neighbors. — Patricia B. Mirasol

iPrice collated marriage registration data from psa.gov.ph (for the Philippines), dosm.gov.my (for Malaysia), databoks.katadata.co.id (for Indonesia), stat.bora.dopa.go.th (for Thailand), and singstat.gov.ph (for Singapore). Data on Google searches were collated from Google Keyword Planner.