Yesterday’s flash floods brought about by typhoon Ondoy got numerous weddings postponed, receptions canceled, and a lot of wedding suppliers stranded in their cars amidst flood and/or traffic. But we’ve heard of a few weddings which still pushed through despite the calamity. Proof that all a wedding needs is a bride, a groom, a couple of witnesses, and an officiant for it to push through.
Below is a personal account of Randall Dagooc of MangoRed who covered a wedding yesterday despite rain and high water (text lifted from his facebook note).
- - - - - - - - - -
We made it! We f*ckin made it!
10 AM
- Alis kami Ortigas going to Alabang for a wedding. Wedding Ceremony is at 3pm sa Fernbrook.
- Stuck sa C5 for 2 hours–U Turn then daan kami sa Fort Bonifacio-Mckinley-Nichols Route.
- Stuck in fort Bonifacio (Lawton Road) for another 2 hours. 5 meters per hour ang takbo ng mga sasakyan.
2 PM
- Sabi ni Teena (Coordinator) moved daw ang ceremony to 5pm.
- I said “Sh*t! Choke point lang naman is yung bridge sa may Nichols! Sabi ko lakad na lang kami then brave the flood! bahala na si Santino”
- Went down the car amidst the massive traffic. Lakad kami Al, Rex and me from Mckinley Hill to Nichols. Basang-basa sa ulan, naka white pointed shoes, coat or in short naka formal attire.
- si Rex nakabalot ng plastic. Ako nakapulot ng Tarpaulin. Si Al, naliligo sa ulan na parang street children.
- Then May nadaanan kami Military Surplus shop na nagbebenta ng Military raincoat.
- “Ate! Mag kano Raincoat?” sabi ko
- Ate: “450 pesos isa…”
- Ako: “Shit! basang 300 pesos lang pala dala ko!”
- Hanap ako ng ATM. Lakad ulit.
- May Tumawag sakin: “Randall! Randall!”
- “Uy sina Wally Gonzales at sina RJ!” bwahaha! Stuck din sa Lawton Road!
- “Chong, pahiram naman ng 1,000 oh, pambili ng raincoat!”
- Ayos nakabili. Lakad ulit for an hour. Naka raincoat na. hehehe
- Nadapa si Rex sa sidewalk.
- May nagsabing batang kasalubong namin: “Dad mga sundalo ba sila?”
3PM
- Text si Teena (Coordinator) -Stuck pa rin daw sya sa EDSA. at na move ang wedding to 8pm. Tuloy na tuloy daw. Kahit mag cartwheel pa daw sya para matuloy.
- Sabi ko, “ayos lupet nito!”
4PM
- After 1 hour ng paglalakad sa ulan at baha, tawid kami sa baha sa may Nichols yung may tulay… Massive!
- Pagkatawid, lakad sa may SLEX ng konti habang pumapara ng sasakyan na pwedeng maawa samin. Buti may Taxi na nasuhulan ng 500 pesos na pumayag.
- Sakay kami. Sobrang luwag sa SLEX at andaming tumirik na sasakyan sa tabi.
5:30 PM
- Nasa Preps na kami. Nangutang muna ako sa bride ng 500 pesos pampamasahe.
- Tuwang tuwa si manong.
- Tawag ako kay Chuck (Cherry Blocks) na taga Alabang.
sabi ko “Chong pahiram naman ng tuyong sapatos, long-sleeves at mejas oh!” - Dumating si Chuck and we’re all comfy and dry.
WEDDING
- Shoot kami with Sir Raymund Fortun, Jok & Chuck.
- 20 relatives lang ng bride & Groom yung nandun. Wala nang iba.
- Inasikaso ni Sir Raymund yung Church. Baha na kasi sa Fernbrook so wala na talagang pag-asa.
- Instant lahat!
- Instant Best man.
- Instant Ceremony.
- Instant Priest.
- Instant Reception.
- Instant mami.
Sobrang lupit ng wedding!
Sabi ng Groom: “Itutuloy natin to whatever happens. Kahit san pa kami ikasal!”
Astig!
Very emotional lahat! I Admire the courage and love of Eli & KY! Grabe. Inspiring!
I’ll post the other details with photos this week…may wedding pa kasi kami tomorrow. Tulog muna ako…hehehe
Bottomline: Weddings are all about the couple. Not the guests who won’t be able to attend. Not the cake, the gown, the details, the photos etc.. etc…
Anyway, Salamat kay RJ & Sir Wally.
Kay Chuck!
Kay Atty. Raymund Fortun!
Kay Eli & KY
and sa pinakamalupet naming team! Al, Rex & Jap!
Sabi ko nga, kung ang mga conflict (war) photographers nakakapag shoot kahit patayan na, anu ba naman ang baha para sa mga wedding photographers? *yabang* hehehe
Salamat sa lahat!
I hope naka survive ang lahat at marami tayong natutunan na leksyon sa dinulot ng bagyong ito.
September 27th, 2009 at 7:04 am
Wow! I love the story.
I remember tuloy our wedding. Typhoon Emong naman. Nakakaiyak talaga kasi the wedding was in Baguio tapos yung mata yung bagyo nasa Northern Luzon. Haaayy, memories.
I salute all the suppliers in these wedding. May all the suppliers be as dedicated as you!!!
September 27th, 2009 at 8:58 am
Lupit indeed!
Our quote of the day yesterday:
“Many waters cannot drown love.” ~from the book, Many Water, by Madeleine L’Engle
Fitting, no?
September 27th, 2009 at 9:01 am
It’s true! Bottom line is whatever it takes, tuloy pa din ang kasal! =)
I admire all people who have helped the wedding and you guys-organizers for being passionate on what you are doing, that despite of unexpected incidents like these, go pa din! =)
September 27th, 2009 at 9:21 am
salute to all wedding suppliers who braved the storm to perform their duty!
September 27th, 2009 at 10:27 am
Nice guys!! Bravo to all couples who got wed yesterday. Congratulations to you guys, truly one for the books ang weddings yesterday September 26, 2009.
To all suppliers who didnt gave up, who persisted to continue their duties to their bride and groom. I salute you.
This also includes the suppliers who didnt make it to their venues and have drained all means how to get to their couples, due to circumstances beyond their control, where streets are flooded neck high. Good job guys!
These attests that we are truly professionals.
Happy Shooting!
September 27th, 2009 at 11:42 am
Ang luffet ng MangoRed. Isang oras mahigit na naglakad sa ulan para makarating ng Alabang. It was a great experience to shoot with you guys yesterday. Hope to work with you again soon.
September 27th, 2009 at 11:54 am
Unbelievable. Amidst the rain angels can still walk through water! =)
September 27th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
That is true. Kahit ano pa mangyari makasal lang. I remember our wedding bigla din binagyo. Nagkadisaster disaster din. Sa lakas ng ulan baha sa qc circle pinasok ng tubig bridal car ko. In the end iniisip ko nalang I don’t care if palpak na lahat. Matapos na, makasal na yun lang naman importante.
To the couple, congrats! To the suppliers, kudos for a job well done!
September 27th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
We sooo admire you!!!
Grabe ang dedication sa work.
Keep it up ^_^
September 27th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
me and my be will soon wed, and this story touches my heart, weddings and marriage is not about the guest, the gown and glamour, it is about 2 person, in love, and want to seal the deal=) i love you my be=)
September 27th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
Blessing yan sa Groom & Bride. Congrats!
September 27th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Weddings are all about the couple. Not the guests who won’t be able to attend. Not the cake, the gown, the details, the photos etc.. etc… —- so true!
besides, rain is considered a blessing…so sana bahain din kau ng blessings!=)
best wishes to the couple and more power to the team! that’s what i call excellent customer service!
September 27th, 2009 at 9:15 pm
I was wondering if tinuloy nga wedding niyo KY.. grabe! nateary eyed ako hehehe. Pero Bilib ako sainyo lahat Eli, KY and Suppliers, and guests :)! and I admire how truly committed you two are. sorry di kami nakapunta hahaha!
September 27th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
God bless you guys! Kudos to one great dedication and love to your work. Kudos to the couple!
September 27th, 2009 at 11:46 pm
grabe, super galing niyo guys!!!talagang kahit anung magyari punta pa din kayo
September 28th, 2009 at 12:02 am
love conquers all. and you guys are the conquer part of these famous saying. galeng! can’t wait to see your photos!
September 28th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
that’s what you call the epitome of dedication and commitment… at its best!
bravo to you guys! in the end, it’s not about how glamorous or how bonggacious the wedding is… what matters is that the wedding is all about two people getting married out of love and commitment to one another.
biyayaan pa kayo ng sandamakmak na blessings mula sa Taas.
September 28th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
Thanks guys for being there for my brother’s wedding. Feeling ko naging part na kayo ng family namin as well as Atty. Fortun. Amidst emotions running high together with flooded Manila, you guys kept on going. God bless you guys.
September 28th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
aaww…i admire this kind of dedication.
you will be blessed a millionfold for honoring your commitment to the couple. 
September 28th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
I salute you guys…to mangored and atty. fortun.
and to all who made it possible, their families and coordinators…
Call of duty na Service oriented pa ang mga suppliers…
To the newly weds, Congratulations and Best wishes!
Kahit bagyo knock out sa pagmamahalan nyo
So inspiring
September 28th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
Makapigil-hininga naman tong kwento na to..sa hinaba-haba man daw ng prusisyon (in this case sa baha, trapik, ulan, raincoat etc.)..sa kasalan din ang tuloy..sana lahat ng suppliers katulad nyo!! at kila Eli & KY, I admire you guys..love conquers all talaga!!Astiiig!!!
September 29th, 2009 at 2:56 am
hats off to all the wedding suppliers like you and Atty. RF!!!! it’s really inspiring that despite the calamity, you still stood by your word that you’ll be there to document the most important day in a couple’s life.. we brides to be salute you guys…
it’s a very inspiring story..
September 30th, 2009 at 10:49 am
This reminded us of our own wedding, bagyong “Emong” naman during that time but we were still blessed because the rains stopped before the ceremony and until the reception was over. What a truly inspiring story of what marriage really means.
Kudos to the team for a job well done amidst the flood, rains, traffic and the long walk! May this serve as a motivation for all the suppliers to give 101% commitment to their couples!
October 1st, 2009 at 11:09 am
Hinigal ako sa blog mo Randall
I’m glad that you are safe and I salute your dedication! Cool na cool pa rin kahit state of calamity na ang buong Metro Manila
Sa kasal ko rin… may bagyo na naman daw.. sakto sa kasal.. tuloy na tuloy tayo! kahit anong mangyari.. maging instant man ang lahat!
Instant Best man.
Instant Ceremony.
Instant Priest.
Instant Reception.
Instant mami.
Kahit Instant Groom! hehe..
October 3rd, 2009 at 2:49 am
Lupet ng story.. me too, i also have Ondoy Experience as a Hair & make up artist. my call time at caloocan is 9am, dumating ang mga entourage at 10:30. the other bridemaid from pasay hindi na nakarating..i started at 10:30am and finishes at 1:30. we immediately left the place at nagsimula na ang kalbaryo… nagpaikot ikot kami sa caloocan kakaiwas sa baha at sa traffic.. we got stucked at clover leaf for more than 4 hours.. since its raining hard and baha ang kalsada,sa takot ko maka apak sa manhole, i decided to pee inside the car..(in a plastic cup..gosh!!hahaha!!)nakarating kami ng katipunan around 12:30midnight. i decided to stay at my office in tandang sora dahil mas safe mag paumaga dun kesa sa kalye, so we stayed there frm 1:30 am to 4:30am. walang kain kain, umidlip lang ng konti, then sugod ulit sa kalsada.. maliwanag na ng maka pass kami ng marcos hiway dahil sarado ang Marikina Bridge. but before we reach SM Marikina, nag U turn na kami. pauwi nadaanan namin ang kahabaan ng Barangka, at nakita namin ang Ghost town ng Provident Village.. kaliwat kanan ang nadaanan naming trahedya, may nadaanan pa kaming mga bangkay sa labas ng provident village..:( when we reach Marikina Sports Center, baha parin hanggang bewang kaya nag re route nanaman kami.. Thank God we were able to pass through that terrible flood and nakauwi kami ng safe at around 7:30 am..
kaagapay talaga ang mga sakripisyo na yan sa ating mga suppliers.. pasalamat nalang tayo at nakaligtas tayong lahat..:D
October 6th, 2009 at 11:40 am
Can’t help but get goosebumps as i read through Randall’s story! Kudos to all who braved the event come rain or high waters!
October 6th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
randal and co… ngayon alam mo na?
magaling ka talaga… raise the roof..ayy wag meron tao sa taas.
i normally tell my staff… during wedding day.
rain or shine tuloy
even menniggococemia (tama ba?) cant stop us in baguio
even typhoon millenyo cant prevent us from crossing collapse billboard to cross edsa
even typhoon ondoy cant cancel our wedding coverage…
make sure if your dying, dont die today just die tommorow…ahihihi
October 6th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Grabe, kitang kita ang dedication talaga! These are the suppliers to get!
Kudos to the suppliers and to the couple! Baha man o bagyo, tuloy pa rin kayo! 
October 7th, 2009 at 4:57 am
we got three weddings last Sept 26 and i was the assigned one to deliver the flowers for Eli & Ky at Vivere suites, Alabang… call time was 10:30am so i left from Manila at 8am and arrived on time…. the problem started when we left the venue..doon na kami nastranded inabot ng almost 4hrs sa daan til we reached makati kaso hindi nakayanan ng dala kong kotse na parang gusto ng lumubog..so we parked it sa pinakamalapit na hotel at naglakad na lang hanggang LRT…pagbaba ng station 8pm na at brownout na halos pati daan di na makita..mabuti na lang at thank God nakarating kami ng ligtas…thats unforgetable experience kasi kinabukasan nagkasakit pa ako at ngayon magaling na..
to our fellow suppliers, Nakakabilib kayo how you handled everything last Sat… and to the newly wed couple congratulations! a very amazing and inspiring wedding..at least you were able to turn a calamity into an event to remember..have a blessed married life:-)
October 9th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
so true-WEDDINGS ARE ALL ABOUT THE COUPLE!!! sabi ng Priest nga namin sa EDSA Shrine for our wedding during Bagyong Ondoy Sept 26, 2009(originally scheduled ng 10am-started at 3pm)…to the Groom (Elias)- “pinatunayan na sayo ni Bheng(Bride) na tatawirin niya lahat ng baha at gagawin nya ang lahat para lang mapatunayan na mahal ka nya”…to the Bride (Bheng)- “pinatunayan na ni Elias na hihintayin ka nya kahit anong mangyari”…to the visitors- “ito ang mga taong tunay na nagmamahal sa inyo at tunay na kaibigan dahil kahit alam nila na nalulunod na mga pagaari at kayamanan nila ay nandito pa rin sila-(most of the guest and the couple themselves are from Marikina and aware na lumubog na ang area nila-Concepcion)”…The priest’s short homily (live at Veritas Radio) made me, my team, photo and video and other suppliers present during the ceremony teary eyed… though worried na kami ng team on how we’ll get home kasi taga Caloocan -Valenzuela area kami lahat…
Going home is where the adventure starts for us… though nagwalis na kami ng baha sa loob ng EDSA Shrine…gumawa ng paraan para makarating ang bride na nasa stuck sa baha ng Ortigas Ext. inside the bridal car from 915AM- 2PM… pinahanap ang caterer(NASTUCK SA TRAFFIC KAHIT SAAN LUMUSOT FROM 9AM-4PM) ng route na pwedeng daanan para makarating right after the 3pm mass…
going home was one hell of an experience…okey kami hanggang Quezon Ave…but Araneta Ave was soooooooooo flooded and may sunog pa sa may Sto. Domingo Church malapit… all the other alternate routes was also 6ft or more deep in flood as well…ang paraan? ipark sa safe place ang sasakyan (Mercury Drug sa Pantranco) sumakay na lang ng dump truck ang 4 na petite na babae at isang lalaki…I and my other coordinator have kids, so we really wanted to get home no matter what! and we made it! WE THANK GOD… for that dump truck( we hailed about 5 trucks before makahanap ng papayag magpasakay)…for the safety of getting home and protecting our family…and humupa na yung baha within our area by 12mn.
Though the couple, family of the bride and friends were greatly affected by the floods in Marikina…a few days after -we were still receiving texts of appreciation for doing the best we can that day para lang matuloy at maging maganda ang kasal ni EliaS at Bheng……grabe…naisip pa nilang magpasalamat kahit mas apektado sila kesa sa amin…
Kudos to all suppliers like us…who did what they can that day! kahit di nakarating kasi wala na talagang magagawa… Galing galing! Dedication talaga and true calling ang tawag dyan!
October 9th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
very inspiring!!!
astig!!!
October 14th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
water cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it.
October 14th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
Laugh trip naman ang pagkarecap nito… parang walang nasalanta! lol!!
Hail mango red!! kUDOS mga astig na pre!
KUDOS to the couple as well!!
October 18th, 2009 at 6:00 pm
wow what a love story, actually i also have a friend na kinasal during that time they ride on a fire truck naman. They want to publish nga their story on public but they dont know where and how. meron na sa facebook but they want a story about it.
January 11th, 2010 at 4:31 pm
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