Attendants for local events place observe Taal volcano as it spews steam as seen from a local events place in Tagaytay City. Courtesy: Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/file
With the emergence of online dating in this day and age and the continuous back to normal setting, one would agree that "love will always be in the air" anywhere.
But in this case, the Calabarzon region trumps all other areas in the country as it recorded the highest number of registered marriages so far in 2022.
Region 4-A, more commonly known as Calabarzon, recorded 42,122 marriages in 2022, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority's (PSA) preliminary data.
PSA's data were only as of October 31, 2022, and Calabarzon still had a sizeable lead compared to Region 3 (Central Luzon) and the National Capital Region at 34,029 and 33,811, respectively.
Inside Calabarzon, Batangas is at the spotlight with a whopping 10,212 marriages followed by Cavite at 9,940 and Laguna with 8,481.
'Other than you, I also love the view'
To some, it is no question on why Calabarzon would post the highest number of registered marriages in 2022 as some of the locals even dub Cavite or Batangas as one of the wedding hotspots in the country.
And for Fr. Jeff Aytona, O.P., the director of Caleruega Philippines, this is because of the scenic spots in the area which often becomes one of the reasons couples choose to get married there.
"Particularly in the area of Tagaytay [is] where you can find a lot of beautiful chapels—not really big churches but chapels meant and designed for weddings and then coupled with that would be the existence of many events places also envisioned to be reception areas for weddings," Aytona said.
"I think they (the couples) have capitalized on the scenery and cool climate and probably, unlike in Manila, the prices also of food and the events places rental would be a bit lower than [other places]," he continued.
The director also agreed when asked if couples who are looking to get married take into account the scenery more rather than the supposed expenses of the whole wedding ceremony.
"'Yun 'yung nagbibigay ng ambiance. I think the couples are very particular with that ambiance. They say it's a once in a lifetime event in our life and we want it to be perfect... kahit sino naman 'di ba they would really want their event or their ceremony and even their reception to have the semblance of perfection."
He noted that the view of the Taal Volcano and Mount Batulao also factor in heavily on why people prefer to have their wedding ceremony in the Calabarzon region.
"Magugulat ka talaga kasi even those coming from the north... would travel and stay in Tagaytay to have their wedding in Caleruega. Talagang ma-effort and sobrang magastos kasi dadalhin mo 'yung buong pamilya mo para umattend ng wedding mo," Aytona said.
He added that areas with cool climate also factors in greatly in the decisions of couples as they want their guests to be as comfortable as possible while wearing suits and dresses during the ceremony.