Bride Walks Through Floodwater to Say I Do as Wedding Takes a Dramatic Turn

(Philippine Bride in Flooded Church. Photo Credit: X/Inquirer)

A couple in the Philippines said their vows in the middle of a flooded church, refusing to let a month of heavy rains ruin their wedding day.

Leian Lieza Galang walked through hip-deep brown floodwater in her white off-shoulder gown to marry Gilbert Chico at Saint John the Baptist church in Hagonoy, a town north of Manila.

The couple, both in their 30s, went through with the ceremony on Tuesday morning even though the parish had urged them to postpone.

The church had been partially underwater for nearly a month because of unusually heavy monsoon rains battering the northern part of the country.

The priest shortened the ceremony and still declared them husband and wife in front of fewer than 15 guests.

Chico said they didn't care about getting soaked. "We were in complete uniform. We did not mind that our gown and coat got soaked," he told reporters.

To protect her dress before entering the water, Galang arrived by rickshaw with a raised platform.

The wedding photographer said the bride had her gown altered to shorten the train so she could move safely through the floodwaters.

The wedding photographer noted that the couple's determination made the day special despite the conditions.

One photo captured a boy carrying the wedding rings walking down the aisle with water up to his waist.

The original plan was to get married in December, but Chico, who works as a rigger in the Middle East, came home early because of an ankle injury from basketball.

He decided to use his unexpected time off to have the wedding before heading back to work.

The relentless rains have wreaked havoc across the Philippines.

Over the past month, landslides and floods have killed at least 34 people in the mainly Catholic archipelago.

(Philippine couple holds wedding in flooded church. Photo Credit: X/Inquirer)

A couple in the Philippines went ahead with their wedding despite severe flooding, walking down an inundated aisle at a church in Hagonoy, Bulacan. With the power out, the church used a portable speaker to continue the ceremony. The couple had been advised to postpone their… pic.twitter.com/jsrZgHZGdj

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