It’s every newlyweds’ wish that their wedding is picture-perfect—beautiful in their eyes and for their guests. It's no surprise, then, that they or the event stylists go the extra mile to decorate their wedding venue.

On Jan. 18, 2024, a Facebook user named Rosalinda Paredes expressed her dissatisfaction with the "exaggerated" design of a church in Tagbilaran.

She shared a photo from her friend Marigold and lamented how the Tagbilaran Cathedral (St. Joseph the Worker Cathedral Shrine) had been transformed. Rosalinda questioned whether it resembled a church, theater, stage, or a decorated ballroom.
 

“Grabbed from the photo of a good friend and artistic lady Marigold. I am saddened by how the Tagbilaran Cathedral has transformed in this photo. I am lost. Simbahan ba ni or theatre or stage or decorated ballroom of a hotel [Is this a church, a theater, a stage, or a ballroom?],” she wrote.
 

She admitted to feeling old-fashioned but stated her disappointment with the way the cathedral was transformed in the photo.

“Call me old-fashioned or ‘Jurassic,’ but I am just not happy with how The Tagbilaran Cathedral looks in this photo,” she continues.

Rosalinda also suggested that the church should take the lead in tempering lavish and ostentatious weddings in the cathedral. She invoked Jesus' example of living among the poor and lowly, urging reflection and corresponding action.

“Suggestion lang. Will the Church take the lead in tempering lavish, ostentatious and outlandish weddings in the Cathedral. Jesus lived among and evangelized with the poor and the lowly. We need to reflect on this very deeply and act accordingly!” she said.

After Rosalinda posted her thoughts, netizens expressed both agreement and disagreement. Some argued that having a lavish design is acceptable, corresponding to the taste of the newlyweds. They encouraged appreciating the beauty of life and not wasting time complaining about others' choices.

“Life is beautiful and short. Instead of wasting your time complaining, why can't you focus on appreciating it? The couple might have saved for this important event, a life-long dream wedding. We have different dreams to chase, so please don’t be a hater because their vision doesn’t align with yours,” one user commented.

There were those who agreed with Rosalinda's viewpoint. They wholeheartedly supported her and expressed that while lavish flowers and decorations are acceptable to celebrate special occasions, going to the extreme can make something beautiful appear gaudy.

“Nothing is wrong with lavish flowers and decorations to celebrate a special occasion, but extreme over the top’ can make what is beautiful into gaudy. There should be guidelines on church decoration and to ensure what is proper and to preserve the spiritual beauty of the interior of The Tagbilaran Cathedral,” other user wrote.

The discussion in the comment section of the said post highlights the different perspectives on wedding aesthetics and the balance between extravagance and simplicity. There were also claims that the image had been edited.