A couple in the Philippines refused to let severe flooding stop their wedding, going ahead with their ceremony inside a church filled with waist-high water.
Gilbert Chico and Liean Liza Chico were married on September 1 at St. John the Baptist Church in Hagonoy, Bulacan, despite extensive flooding in the area.
The church had been partially flooded for nearly a month, and rising water levels led parish officials to advise the couple to postpone their ceremony. Instead, they decided to continue with their plans after waiting a long time for their wedding day.
Footage from the ceremony shows the bride in her white wedding gown carefully wading through murky floodwater as she made her way down the aisle toward the altar. Gilbert, dressed in a brown suit, waited with the priest as she approached.
The flooding meant the wedding had to be adapted. The bride’s gown was altered to shorten its train so she could move more easily through the water. Fewer than 15 people attended the small ceremony, with family members and close friends braving the conditions to witness the couple exchange vows.
The couple had originally planned to marry in December, but Gilbert, who works as a rigger in the Middle East, returned home earlier than expected after suffering an ankle injury. They ultimately moved their wedding forward.
Despite the unusual circumstances, the couple said they did not want the rain and flooding to prevent them from getting married. The groom said the ceremony was not what they had imagined, but it became a day they would never forget.
The wedding took place as heavy monsoon rains continued to affect parts of Luzon, with Bulacan among the areas hit hardest by flooding.