Philippine bride defies storm to get married

Manila: A beaming bride defiantly marching up a flooded church aisle in the Philippines has won hearts as the country suffers a fresh bout of monsoonal rains.

Jobel Delos Angeles, 24, married the father of her two children on Saturday as Tropical Storm Yagi and the southwest monsoon brought heavy flooding to the capital Manila and nearby areas, including their home province of Bulacan.

In a Facebook video shared over a thousand times, Delos Angeles is all smiles as she walks through brown floodwaters in a white gown and veil before her suited groom, clad in flip-flops, takes her to the altar.

“Even if it floods or it rains, nothing can stop me. You only get married once, will you postpone it? I was marrying the man I love,” Delos Angeles said by phone.

“My gown got wet and heavy, but I told myself it was as if I was walking on a red carpet.”

The Philippines endures an average of 20 typhoons and storms each year. The latest storm brought misery to many, with 20,000 residents fleeing the riverside district of Marikina in the national capital region where floods swept away cars, authorities said.

But for Delos Angeles, the weekend was cause for celebration.

For wetter or worse: Delos Angeles and her groom during their wedding at a flooded church in Hagonoy town, north of Manila. — AFP

She said she and her partner of seven years did not expect bad weather but never considered calling off their wedding, even after floodwaters entered the church in Hagonoy town.

It was a double ceremony, with their five-month-old daughter baptised in the same event, she added.

Guests were photographed barefoot, including children who were afraid to slip.

“We didn’t want a new schedule as we were already stressed out. Our hometown is really flood-prone,” Delos Angeles added.

“No car wanted to bring us to the church so I just rode a boat. We didn’t expect so many people would still turn up, even the entourage.”

The bride’s aunt, Teresa Bautista, posted the video of her niece, which has drawn comments from social media users hailing the event as the “wedding of the year”.

“I felt bad for them but at the same time, I am happy they got it through,” Bautista said.

Delos Angeles said she had no regrets.

“It is truly memorable. I am so happy. It shows the lesson that there are no ‘what ifs’.” — AFP