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A couple's wedding was struck by a typhoon that flooded their church, so they got married ankle-deep in rainwater anyway

Aug 3, 2023, 18:25 IST
Insider
The Padillas were wed on Sunday as floods entered the Barasoain Church.Maria Jasmin Halili
  • A couple in the Philippines learned on Sunday that a typhoon had waterlogged their wedding church.
  • But with everything set up for the ceremony, they pushed through the floods to tie the knot.
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A Filipino couple braved a typhoon on Sunday to get married in a flooded church.

Paulo Padilla and Dianne Victoriano were up to their ankles in water as they tied the knot at the Barasoain Church in the city of Malalos, surrounded by guests who went barefoot or opted for rain boots to complement their suits.

Videos filmed by Maria Jasmin Halili, second cousin to the groom, show Victoriano wading down the aisle, clutching a bouquet of roses as the soaked train of her gown swirled behind her.

Padilla, dressed in a cream suit, waited for Victoriano while sporting a pair of rubber slippers.

A typhoon had struck the day before in the province of Bulacan, where the wedding was held, submerging roads and flooding neighborhoods up to the knee. The monsoon rains, already bolstered by an earlier, separate typhoon, prompted Bulacan's government to declare a state of calamity on Monday.

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"A week before the wedding, we were anxious and worried because of the non-stop rain. Then another storm came exactly on our wedding day," Victoriano told Insider.

Victoriano said she and Padilla wept when they realized in the morning that the church was flooded, but spoke to their parents and decided to push through, even if no one else would attend.

"Yes, it's good to have guests but it is the value of the vows and blessings of the church which is the top priority," Victoriano said. "We will understand if some guests will not be able to come but at least we have our family together."

Padilla poses for a photo with his wedding coordinators as the church is flooded.Artist Gallery and Events Management

To their surprise, almost 50 guests from their entourage arrived despite the extreme weather.

Halili, Padilla's cousin, told Insider that when she arrived an hour before the wedding started at 3:30 p.m., some guests had gone to buy boots and slippers.

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She knew Bulacan was flooded but never expected the church itself to be waterlogged. "I thought the flood would be at the parking lot and the road on the way to the church, but we were all surprised to see that it had made its way inside," Halili said.

Halili chose to go barefoot instead.Facebook/Maria Jasmin Halili

"I was crying because it was so lovely and touching," Halili recalled.

"Even though there was a typhoon, they pushed through with the wedding," she added. "When the bride arrived, she just told her parents: 'Let's go down the aisle. Let's go to Paulo.'"

None of the guests complained or left the wedding, Halili said.

After the ceremony, Victoriano posted a message on Facebook thanking friends and family for attending "despite the storm and floods."

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The couple credited their wedding planner, Artist Gallery and Events Management, who they said kept calm and ran the event smoothly amid the weather hiccup. Clips of their wedding have since gone viral.

"We still have goosebumps realizing that everything went well and that we're trending," Victoriano told Insider. "We want to inspire everyone and be an example to all couples out there that weather will not be a hindrance if you want to tie the knot."

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