Philippine couple marries in hip-deep floodwater

A Philippine couple married on Tuesday in hip-deep floodwater inside a Catholic church in Hagonoy, north of Manila, after heavy rains flooded the parish for nearly a month.

Leian Lieza Galang and Gilbert Chico, both in their 30s, went ahead with an abbreviated late-morning ceremony at Saint John the Baptist church, wedding photographer Mikko Rey Alfonso told AFP.

Alfonso said the parish had advised the couple to postpone because of rising floodwaters from upstream, but they decided to proceed. Fewer than 15 people attended, he said.

A video posted on the parish's Facebook page showed the bride being hugged by her parents in front of empty pews decorated with plastic flowers. One photo showed a boy carrying the wedding rings down the aisle with floodwater up to his waist.

Alfonso said the bride arrived at the church aboard a rickshaw with an elevated chassis and had shortened the train of her gown so she could move through the water safely.

Heavier-than-usual seasonal monsoon rains hit the northern third of the Philippines in August. Landslides and flash floods killed 34 people, according to the latest official tally.