A Philippine couple stirred up a storm on social media as they went ahead with their wedding inside a Catholic church despite hip-deep floodwaters, with the bride wading through murky water in her wedding gown to reach the altar.
The couple, Leian Lieza Galang and Gilbert Chico, both reportedly in their 30s, got married on September 1, at Saint John the Baptist Parish in Hagonoy town, Bulacan, north of Manila, Agence France Presse (AFP) reported. The unusual wedding took place as heavy seasonal monsoon rains continued to affect large parts of the Philippines.
???????? ????????♀️ Philippine couple gets married in flooded church
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) September 2, 2026
A couple tied the knot in a flooded Catholic church in the Philippines, after heavy rains which have pummelled large parts of the country for a month. Leian Lieza Galang and Gilbert Chico waded through hip-deep water to go… pic.twitter.com/BGVj0aJ9Bd
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AFP reported that the church had been partially underwater for nearly a month because of the continuing flooding. According to wedding photographer Mikko Rey Alfonso, the parish had advised the couple to postpone the wedding ceremony as floodwaters were rising from upstream. Despite the advice, the couple chose to proceed with the ceremony and the parish workers did their best to make the wedding special for the couple.
Chico told AFP that he and Galang did not mind getting their wedding clothes wet during the ceremony and that they were dressed for the occasion despite the conditions. Chico stated that the couple travelled to the church in a rickshaw with an elevated chassis which allowed them to keep their clothes relatively dry and clean until they reached the church courtyard where they then had to enter the floodwater.
A parish priest declared the couple husband and wife during an abbreviated late-morning ceremony, AFP reported citing photographer Alfonso. The ceremony was reportedly kept relatively small, with less than 15 people attending.
A photograph shared by the parish showed a little boy carrying the wedding rings down the flooded aisle, with the water reaching his waist. A video posted by the parish also showed Galang being embraced by her parents as she walked towards the altar. The footage also showed the church's pews and decorations surrounded by floodwater.
Chico stated that the couple had originally planned to get married in December. However Chico, who works as a rigger in the Middle East, came home earlier than expected after suffering an ankle injury while playing recreational basketball. He used the unexpected time at home to hold the ceremony before returning to work.
The wedding coincided with a period of severe weather in the Philippines. AFP reported that heavier than usual seasonal monsoon rains had affected the northern third of the mainly Catholic archipelago during August.
Wedding photographer Alfonso told AFP that the couple loved each other and that nothing could stop their union. The dramatic images and videos from the ceremony have since been widely circulated online and has gained significant social media traction.
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