“Nothing could stop their love”: Couple in the Philippines gets married in a waist-deep flooded church

An unusual wedding ceremony took place in the Philippines, where a couple decided not to cancel their marriage despite severe flooding. Water flooded the Catholic church almost waist-deep, but the bride and groom still exchanged vows while standing directly in muddy floodwater.

The wedding of Leyan Lieza Galang and Gilbert Chico took place on 1 September at St. John the Baptist Church in the city of Hagonoy, located in Bulacan province north of Manila. The region had been suffering from heavy monsoon rains for several weeks, and by the time of the ceremony the church itself had already been partially flooded for about a month.

The parish recommended that the couple postpone the wedding because water levels were continuing to rise, but the newlyweds decided not to change their plans. The ceremony had to be held in a shortened format, with fewer than 15 guests in attendance.

The bride, dressed in a white wedding gown and holding a bouquet, walked down the church aisle through muddy water. Before the ceremony, the dress had to be altered and its train shortened to make it easier and safer for her to move around the flooded church.

The bride and groom reached the church together in a high-clearance vehicle, which kept their wedding clothes dry until they arrived in the church courtyard. However, they still had to step into the water afterwards.

According to Gilbert Chico, the newlyweds were not worried that their festive clothes would get wet. During the ceremony, it was not only the couple but also their few guests who ended up standing in the water. In one of the published photographs, a boy carrying the wedding rings is walking down the aisle, with the water reaching his waist.

Wedding photographer Mikko Ray Alfonso said that the decision to go ahead with the ceremony was entirely the couple’s initiative. According to him, the parish staff did everything possible to make the unusual day special for the newlyweds.

The wedding had originally been planned for December. However, circumstances changed after Gilbert, who works in the Middle East, injured his ankle while playing basketball and had to return home earlier than planned. The couple decided to take advantage of the unexpected opportunity and hold the ceremony before he went back to work.

The story and video of the unusual wedding quickly attracted attention on social media. Despite the flooded church and severe weather conditions, the couple decided that their long-awaited marriage should not be postponed.

«They love each other. Nothing could stop their union,» the wedding photographer said, describing the newlyweds’ decision.

The unusual ceremony became one of the most talked-about stories in recent days, amid heavy monsoon rains that caused floods and landslides in the northern Philippines in August.