A Filipino couple got married ankles deep in rainwater after a typhoon struck and flooded their church.
On 30 July, Dianne Victoriano and Paulo Padilla hosted their nuptials at the Barasoain Church in Malolos, trudging down the aisle in rainboots and bare feet. In a video posted by the groom’s second cousin, Maria Jasmin Halili, Victoriano could be seen approaching the altar, surrounded by 50 guests who were brave enough to go out in the storm.
The bride slowly walked towards her soon-to-be husband, as the train of her gown drowned in the water behind her. Meanwhile, Padilla wore a neutral-coloured suit with rubber shoes to protect the bottom of his feet.
The province of Bulacan was hit with a disastrous typhoon on Saturday, before Victoriano and Padilla tied the knot. According to CNN Philippines, more than 228,000 families from 17 “barangays” were affected by the storm. Due to the ongoing storms in the following days, the province announced a state of calamity on Monday.
Speaking with Insider, Victoriano expressed her increased concern the week ahead of her wedding because of the continued monsoons. “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,” she confessed.
Though the pair was devastated by the news of the church flooding, they decided to go ahead with the ceremony if their marriage could still be blessed by the religious sanctuary. “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, after admitting she had cried the morning of the big day. “We will understand if some guests will not be able to come but at least we have our family together.”
However, close friends and family watched patiently as Victoriano and Padilla exchanged vows in a shallow body of rainwater. Halili admitted that she noticed a few guests had gone out and retrieved proper footwear before the ceremony began. Padilla’s second cousin was just as stunned by the damage as the bride and groom.
“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 told Insider. “Even though there was a typhoon, they pushed through with the wedding.”
She continued: “When the bride arrived, she just told her parents, ‘Let’s go down the aisle. Let’s go to Paulo.’ I was crying because it was so lovely and touching.”
Victoriano and Padilla were touched by their guests’ willingness to stay from start to finish. No complaints were made and the couple’s wedding planner, Artist Gallery and Events Management, surprisingly remained calm amidst the troubling weather.
The now-married duo is still in awe of how “smoothly” their wedding went. “We still have goosebumps realising that everything went well and that we’re trending,” Victoriano said, adding that she hopes their story will inspire other engaged couples to not worry so much about weather on their big day.
The Independent has reached out to Halili and Victoriano for comment.
