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Determined Couple Weds Amid Waist-Deep Water in a Flooded Church in the Philippines

By Regina Sienra on September 10, 2026

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Una publicación compartida por Inside The Metro (@insidethemetro.ph)

Around the world, many cultures believe that rain on a wedding day is good luck. However, a wedding in the midst of a flood may be a symbol of everlasting love and unbreakable bonds. Such was the case of Gilbert Chico and Liean Liza Galang, a couple from the Philippines who tied the knot at the St. John the Baptist Parish Church in Hagonoy, Bulacan, which flooded after unusually heavy monsoon rainfall.

Given the circumstances, the church suggested that the couple reschedule the ceremony. Still, the pair went ahead. “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,” they told the Associated Press. “It may not have been the wedding we imagined, but it is certainly a day we will never forget.”

While inconvenient, there was a reason behind their determination. The groom works as a rigger in the Middle East and had originally planned to marry Galang during a December trip home for the holidays. Unfortunately, he injured his ankle playing basketball and had to travel back to the Philippines earlier than expected. The pair didn’t have much time to wait for the church to return to normal.

And so, the bride walked down the aisle in waist-high flood water. To help her move with more ease, she had her wedding gown altered to shorten the train. “We were in complete uniform. We did not mind that our gown and coat got soaked,” the groom shared with Agence France-Presse. The pair got married in front of fewer than 15 friends and relatives at an abbreviated late-morning ceremony.

“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,” said wedding photographer Mikko Rey Alfonso. “They love each other. Nothing could stop their union.”