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Sunday, May 31, 2026 Vol. 21 No. 229
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THE BUSINESS OF ‘I DO’ Who else besides the groom do ‘June brides’ make happy? The people inside the billionpeso industry still waiting for its backbone.
A WEDDING arch framed by Boracay’s world-famous shoreline reflects the Philippines’ growing appeal as a destination wedding hub, as industry leaders push for stronger institutional support to help the country compete globally. GEROLD GROTELUESCHEN | DREAMSTIME.COM
T
By John Eiron R. Francisco
tional counterparts.” He added that the Philippines also has strong natural advantages, including world-class landscapes, scenic destinations, beaches, and a wide range of venues suitable for events. “It’s about time to get the support. Because we can do as much as we can to support the industry. But eventually, we really need the push to make it really global,” Manuel noted.
HE Philippine wedding industry’s flexible setup has driven it into a billion-peso sector, but industry professionals say the sector now needs institutional support to protect its gains and sharpen its regional edge. One of the country’s premier event stylists and floral designers, Teddy Manuel, said he was initially surprised by the scale of the local wedding industry, noting how Filipinos’ deep-rooted culture of celebrations and weddings continues to fuel its growth. In an exclusive interview with BusinessMirror, he described it as a “billion-peso industry” that supports a broad network of businesses, suppliers, creatives, and workers. However, Manuel noted that despite the industry’s economic contribution, it remains largely independent and lacks dedicated institutional support, particularly during crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic, when many event-related livelihoods were heavily disrupted. He pointed out that while the government extended support and attention to sectors such as concerts, theater, film, and live entertainment, the wedding industry often operated on its own without a specific agency or department overseeing or representing its interests. “Unlike globally, they’re protected or there’s a specific agency or department handling the social and corporate events industry,” Manuel said.
Imported flowers fill the gap
As an example, Manuel cited Mexico, where during a conference he observed that cities from Mexico City to Querétaro have tourism boards or designated government representatives handling weddingrelated initiatives that help regulate and promote the sector more effectively. “That’s why they’re more organized, not controlled, but more regulated and more promoted,” he added.
Global picture
ON the global front, data from Future Market Insights (FMI) showed that the destination wedding market is projected to reach about USD36.8 billion by 2025 and could grow to around USD68.2 billion by 2035, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.4 percent over the period. A report from Japan-based boutique research and strategy consulting firm B&Company noted that in Southeast Asia, Vietnam has emerged as a growing destination for luxury weddings, supported by its cultural heritage and relatively affordable high-end services. Unesco-listed sites such as Ha Long Bay–Cat Ba Archipelago and Hoi An Ancient Town are increasingly being used as settings for destination ceremonies. The report also highlighted
AT last year’s Let’s Celebrate Expo with Kevin Lapeña, Berg Go, Michael Ruiz, Marbee Go, Teena Barretto, Gideon Hermosa and Teddy Manuel.
improving ecosystem readiness in parts of Vietnam, particularly in Da Nang, where local authorities have been actively promoting wedding tourism through international conferences and familiarization trips involving wedding planners, venues, and service providers. Demand remains strong from India, with many weddings hosting around 200 to 600 guests. Da Nang has become a key hub for this segment, consistently attracting
large-scale wedding planning delegations. However, demand is also starting to diversify, with growing interest from high-income markets such as South Korea, Japan, and Western countries, as couples look for “exotic yet accessible” destinations across Southeast Asia. “Vietnam is more like an option for foreign countries to have a wedding rather than the Philippines. So I never thought it would
happen to us,” Manuel said. He said he initially believed the Philippines was next in line to gain global recognition in the destination wedding and events industry, citing the country’s pool of internationally recognized stylists, florists, and planners. “We have the heart for what we do. We put our hearts into everything that we do,” Manuel said. “And creatively, I believe we are on a par with our global and interna-
WHILE the industry has long benefited from operational freedom and minimal regulation, Manuel noted that this “unseen” structure also leaves it vulnerable, stressing that a sector of its scale without formal recognition or support could face long-term risks if left unaddressed. One of the challenges Manuel highlighted was the decline of local flower farms, which he said reflects broader vulnerabilities within the industry’s supply chain. “Before, when I started, there were around five local farms in the Philippines producing [commercial cut] flowers. Nowadays, there’s almost none,” he said. While the Philippines’ tropical climate allows a wide variety of flowers to thrive, Manuel said the country still depends heavily on imported commercial cut flowers—a high-value floriculture segment widely used by event stylists, florists, wedding planners, and retailers—as recurring typhoons make it difficult for local farmers to sustain flower farms and maintain steady production. Globally, Rabobank, a Dutch multinational banking and financial services firm, reports that the Netherlands continues to dominate the cut flower export market, Continued on A2
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 61.6540 n JAPAN 0.3872 n UK 82.9061 n HK 7.8703 n CHINA 9.0998 n SINGAPORE 48.3447 n AUSTRALIA 44.1566 n EU 71.8392 n KOREA 0.0412 n SAUDI ARABIA 16.4297 Source: BSP (May 29, 2026)