"Nothing Could Stop Their Union": Philippine Couple Weds in Waist-Deep Floodwaters
- Leian Lieza Galang and Gilbert Chico refused to postpone their wedding despite their church being underwater for nearly a month
- The bride had her wedding gown altered and waded through murky brown floodwaters to reach the altar
- Fewer than 15 guests attended the ceremony, which the parish had urged the couple to delay
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Source: Getty Images
A Philippine couple refused to let rising floodwaters wash away their wedding day. Leian Lieza Galang and Gilbert Chico exchanged vows inside Saint John the Baptist church in Hagonoy, a town north of Manila, with hip-deep murky water surrounding them throughout the ceremony.
The parish had warned the couple to postpone the celebration as floodwaters from upstream continued to rise. The church had been partially submerged for nearly a month by the time the couple arrived. They chose to go ahead anyway.
"We were in complete uniform. We did not mind that our gown and coat got soaked."
A wedding months in the making
The wedding had originally been planned for December. Chico, who works as a rigger in the Middle East, returned home early after suffering an ankle injury during a recreational basketball game. He used the unexpected break to push the date forward before heading back to work.
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To reach the church, the couple arrived together aboard a rickshaw fitted with an elevated chassis, which kept their clothes dry until they stepped off at the courtyard. From there, Galang waded into the floodwaters in her off-shoulder white gown, bouquet in hand. To make the walk safer, she had the gown's train shortened beforehand.
Wedding photographer Mikko Rey Alfonso, who documented the day, said fewer than 15 guests were present. One image from the ceremony showed a young boy carrying the wedding rings down the aisle with water reaching his waist.
Source: Getty Images
Nothing could stop their union
Alfonso described the parish's response warmly.
"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."
The abbreviated late-morning ceremony was presided over by the parish priest, who declared the couple, both in their 30s, husband and wife.
The flooding is part of a broader crisis gripping the Philippines. Heavier-than-usual seasonal monsoon rains battered the northern third of the archipelago throughout August, triggering landslides and flash floods that killed at least 34 people according to official figures.
Alfonso summed up what many who saw the images felt:
"They love each other. Nothing could stop their union."
More Briefly News stories on floods
- A TikTok video claiming a 2019 prophecy predicted Nepal’s floods has divided viewers, with some believing the claim and others remaining sceptical.
- Gift of the Givers confirmed that South African Sulosh Pillay is safe in Tibet amid Nepal’s devastating floods, while six other South Africans remain missing.
- A six-year-old girl was found alive after reportedly spending around 60 hours buried beneath mud and debris following the devastating floods in Nepal.
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Source: Briefly News
