Good news! Our visa just came in. Now the work really starts, the worst of it being told my wife has to attend a seminar, a right royal pain for her, maybe not so hard for Manila people but a real chore for her. My preferred Jetstar was way too expensive for the time period she preferred, so I've just booked Air Asia and will have a much longer drive to the Gold Coast to greet her.
Oh bliss oh joy. We read the rules a year ago, did what we had to do, which meant me flying there to be married (happily close to the shadow of the mighty Mayon), no agents but we did it.