A Philippine couple refused to let severe flooding derail their wedding, exchanging vows inside a Catholic church where murky water had risen to hip level.
Leian Lieza Galang and Gilbert Chico were married on September 1 at Saint John the Baptist Church in Hagonoy, Bulacan, north of Manila, as heavy monsoon rains continued to batter large parts of the Philippines.
Wearing an off-shoulder white wedding gown and carrying a bouquet of white flowers, Galang carefully waded through the flooded church to reach the altar. Her gown had been altered to shorten its train and make it easier for her to move through the water.
The parish had advised the couple to postpone the ceremony because floodwaters from upstream were continuing to rise. The church had already been partially submerged for nearly a month.
Despite the warning, the couple decided to proceed with their long-awaited wedding.
“We were in complete uniform. We did not mind that our gown and coat got soaked,” Chico told AFP.
The parish priest conducted an abbreviated late-morning ceremony, declaring the couple, both in their 30s, husband and wife. Fewer than 15 people attended the unusual wedding, according to photographer Mikko Rey Alfonso.
A video shared by the parish showed Galang being embraced by her parents inside the flooded church. Another striking image showed a young boy carrying the wedding rings while walking through waist-high water.
The couple arrived at the church in a rickshaw with an elevated chassis, helping keep their wedding clothes dry before they entered the flooded building.
Chico, who works as a rigger in the Middle East, said the wedding had originally been planned for December. An ankle injury suffered while playing basketball brought him home earlier than expected, allowing the couple to move the ceremony forward.