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Journalism of Courage
Not even heavy flooding could stand in the way of Jade Rick Verdillo and Jamaica Aguilar’s big day. On July 22, the couple tied the knot at the historic Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan, in the Philippines, despite the venue being flooded due to tropical storm Wipha.
Despite the weather challenges, Verdillo and Aguilar were determined to tie the knot. Now-viral photos from the ceremony captured an unusual and rather surreal wedding. The bride walked down the aisle through floodwaters, her lace wedding dress and veil soaked at the hem, while the groom, dressed in a traditional embroidered Barong Tagalog, stood waiting for his bride in the knee-deep water.
Guests, including flower girls and young children, walked barefoot through the church, some leaving their shoes behind on pews.
“We just mustered enough courage,” Verdillo told PEOPLE. “We decided today because it is a sacrifice in itself. But there will be more sacrifices if we don’t push through today,” he added.
Aguilar shared that this was only one of many challenges they expect to face in their life together. “I feel that challenges won’t be over. It’s just a test. This is just one of the struggles that we’ve overcome,” she shared.
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The photos were widely hailed, with one user commenting, “Imagine getting married in a monsoon and still looking SO BEAUTIFUL.” Another user wrote, “Amazing courage.. Congratulations to you two on this special day that you both will never forget.”
“That is a solid marriage If they can make the best of this,” a third user reacted. “It’s giving crazy rich Asians wedding scene,” a fourth user said.
Earlier classified as a typhoon, Wipha was downgraded to a tropical storm before hitting northern Vietnam. However, it had already left parts of the Philippines grappling with torrential rain, flooding, and landslides. According to the Associated Press, over 80,000 people were still in emergency shelters across the country following days of heavy rain.
In a similar incident, a couple got married at the Barasoain Church under extreme weather conditions. In July 2023, another bride, Dianne Victoriano, married her partner Paulo Padilla at the same church, which was also flooded due to typhoons.
