A flooded church would be the stuff of most brides’ nightmares, but one couple refused to let it dampen their spirits — or delay their big day.
Leian Lieza Galang and Gilbert Chico tied the knot Tuesday, sloshing through hip-deep water at St. John the Baptist Parish Church in Hagonoy, Bulacan, on the Philippine island of Luzon.
“They love each other. Nothing could stop their union,” wedding photographer Mikko Rey Alfonso told the French news agency Agence France-Presse.
Bride walks down the aisle in hip-deep flood pic.twitter.com/e90e0jcNAP
— The Independent (@Independent) September 4, 2026
The area has been inundated by “heavier-than-usual” monsoon rains, and the church has been under water for almost a month, AFP reported.
“The parish had advised them to postpone the wedding due to the rising floodwaters from upstream. It was their decision to proceed,” Alfonso explained.
“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.”
Other than the water, which was nearly waist-deep, it was a fairly normal ceremony.
The bride moved — dare we say “floated?” — down the aisle toward the groom and her family in a long, white gown and veil.
The power was out in the church, but someone provided a portable loudspeaker.
#Internacional 💍🌊 || Las inundaciones no detuvieron la boda de Lhiane Galang y Gilbert Gibo, quienes decidieron celebrar su matrimonio pese a las intensas lluvias en Filipinas. La ceremonia se realizó en una iglesia inundada de la provincia de Bulacán. La novia caminó hacia el… pic.twitter.com/VsfoKDj8Z0
— Cinco Radio Oficial (@laredcincoradio) September 2, 2026
Some of those helping with the ceremony even appeared to be well-prepared, wearing chest waders to navigate the floodwaters inside the sanctuary.
“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 couple told the Associated Press.
The couple told the outlet they are glad they went ahead with the ceremony.
“It may not have been the wedding we imagined, but it is certainly a day we will never forget.”
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