A bride in a white wedding gown waded through murky floodwater inside a Philippine church to reach the altar and marry the man she loved, refusing to let severe flooding stop the couple from exchanging their vows. Video of Liean Liza Galang making her way through waist-deep water at St. John the Baptist Parish Church in Hagonoy, Bulacan, has drawn widespread attention, Viral Press reported via The Associated Press.
The couple, Gilbert Chico and Liean Liza Galang, proceeded with their wedding ceremony and tied the knot on Sept. 2 despite floodwater filling the church. “We had been looking forward to this day for so long, and we did not want the rain and flooding to stop us from getting married,” the newlyweds said in a statement, according to The Associated Press.
“It may not have been the wedding we imagined, but it is certainly a day we will never forget,” the couple added. Last month, heavy monsoon rainfall impacted parts of Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines. Wedding photographer Mikko Rey Alfonso told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the church had been partially underwater for nearly a month and the couple was advised to reschedule because of the flooding.
"The parish had advised them to postpone the wedding due to the rising floodwaters from upstream. It was their decision to proceed," Alfonso told AFP.
"Since they wanted to see it through, we, the servants of the parish, did the best we could to make this a special day for them.” Footage of the ceremony captured by Sherwin Macasaya from the choir loft showed the bride, dressed in white and carrying a bouquet, carefully making her way through the water toward the altar.
The couple’s family, friends and photographers for the wedding can be seen standing in the flooded church during