As the prices of onions have soared in recent months in the Philippines, a Filipino bride chose practicality over traditional aesthetics by walking down the aisle with a bouquet of onions.
April Lyka Biorrey-Nobis, a 28-year-old bride from Bingawan, Iloilo City, walked down the aisle with an onion bouquet that weighed about 11 pounds on Jan. 21.
The unique enterprise was extended to her principal sponsors, who wore onion corsages, and to her bridesmaids, who also walked down the aisle holding onion wreaths.
“Initially we were going to stick to the original tradition of flowers for the entourage,” the bride told the Iloilo Metropolitan Times, according to Coconuts Manila. “But while I was browsing through social media, I saw a bouquet of onions with a touch of flowers. I consulted my groom if we could use onions instead of flowers, since after the wedding the flowers would wilt and would just end up being thrown away. So why not onions instead? It’s practical in a way that it could still be used after the wedding.”
Biorrey-Nobis’ wedding coordinator told the Philippine News Agency she ordered a sack of onions online from a supplier in La Union.
The couple originally set aside 15,000 Philippine pesos (approximately $275) for traditional flowers. However, they only ended up spending 8,000 Philippine pesos (approximately $147) for the sack of onions.
Although the couple had to skip the traditional throwing of bouquets to prevent any injuries, they gave the onions away to their guests.
“After the wedding, the onions were given to our godparents and bridesmaid so they have with them onions for souvenirs,” the bride said. “I also gave my bouquet to our relatives for their everyday use.”
Onion prices have reached as much as 600 Philippine pesos (approximately $11) per kilogram in local markets, which is higher than the Philippines’ minimum daily wage.
However, prices are reportedly expected to go down to 80 PHP per kilo following the importation of 21,060 metric tons of onions into the country.
The imports were approved by the agriculture department as a way to fill the supply gap and stop the skyrocketing price of the commodity in the Philippine market.
