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That’s how the Inquirer banner story reads last January 13. The accompanying story is about a couple, Ryan Cuebillas & Glenda Lorenzo of Legaspi, Albay, who managed to get married last December 27, 2010 despite the rising floodwater in their city. The bride even had to hitch a ride on a truck just to get to the church.
Ryan & Glenda’s inspiring wedding ordeal also appeared in Manila Bulletin for its new year’s day edition (read story below). The photographs accompanying the story are courtesy of Gil Alpapara of D’ Lokz Studio based in Legaspi City.
(via Manila Bulletin) It was supposed to be just a simple tying of the knot of two ordinary lovers, but ended as a talk-of-the-town wedding when bad weather that almost canceled the ceremony rattled everyone here, that even forced local disaster officials here to send military trucks and rescue teams just to make sure that it would push through.
It did and all the credits should be given to Glenda Lorenzo who virtually moved heaven and earth on their rainy and flooded wedding day last Thursday in Albay just to attain what she and her sweetheart Ryan Cuebillas dreamed of. Glenda was trapped in a knee-deep floodwater in Casablanca Hotel several minutes before her 3 p.m. wedding day last Thursday at the Albay Cathedral, sending all the couple’s relatives and guests to panic as news of the massive flooding in Legazpi City broke out.
“We planned for this for several years, I will not let anyone and anything to ruin that day,” Glenda told the Manila Bulletin in an interview in their house in Guinobatan, Albay.
Glenda said she did not expect such incident to happen, saying she was even thankful when it started raining here on December 27 as he hoped that the weather would improve on Thursday.
But it was still raining Thursday morning as they travel to the Casablanca Hotel where all the final preparations for her and other female members of the wedding entourage.
At 2:30 p.m., Glenda said tension began to grip her when she spotted that flood water submerged even the lobby of the hotel.
Even her groom admitted that he started to feel uneasy inside the Church.
It was already 3:15 p.m. and all attempts to fetch her using big sports utility vehicle turned to naught as the bridal car that was supposed to transport her to the Church was stuck in the hotel parking lot. Even the L-300 van being used to deliver bread that was sent by her relatives was not able to pass the road leading to the hotel.
“I didn’t know what to do that time, it was horrible, I called almost everybody for help but they could not help me,” said Glenda.
Until she devised an impromptu plan which she believed, and prayed, would work out.
Panawagan
Using the local radio station dzGB, Glenda started to cry for help, imploring anyone to do something for her to reach the Church. The radio anchor then promised to help her, starting off with contacting the office of the Albay Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
“That was the only thing I could do that time. I contacted dzGB and they put me on air. They allowed me to talk and asked for help to all their listeners,” said Glenda.
But time is running out and the tension that her uncle sees on her face had prompted him to stop a truck delivering metal strips begging the driver to help them. It was a sigh of relief when the driver readily agreed.
Back in the hotel, Ryan had already asked the Church authorities to re-schedule their wedding to 6:30 p.m. and even asked some of them to prepare a place that will be used as makeshift reception area.
“I thought it would solve the problem but the hotel staff told us that we would have to fetch the pack lunch at the hotel. It was impossible to do that because the area was flooded,” said Ryan.
“What I did is to ask some of my relatives to get the food that we prepared in our house in Daraga (town) and bring them to the Church,” he added.
The hotel staff, on the other hand, had lined up all the tables that they could get for the bride to reach the truck. The move is to prevent her gown from being soaked to floodwater.
Her mother, who came all the way to the United States, and her bridesmaids meanwhile were turned into hitchhikers as they were left standing at the back of the truck.
Bayanihan
But the trouble did not end there as they were stuck in a monstrous traffic a few kilometres away from the Church.
Persistent as she had been, Glenda alighted from the truck and decided to walk.
The bystanders and commuters, seeing that incident, immediately lined up pieces of woods and rocks where she could step to avoid the flooding.
While she was walking, Glenda said she was delighted to see that some of the bystanders came to the rescue and assisted her, some of them lifting her gown and the other volunteering to carry her on their back.
It even went to the point that some of the bystanders gave their slippers to them.
“It touched my heart. It felt good to see that a number of people whom you don’t know were there to help you,” said Glenda.
“It made me feel very proud as a Bicolana, because that incident proved the spirit of bayanihan among the Bicolanos,” she added.
At the end of the flooded area, Glenda said she was allowed to ride a passenger jeepney, along with her mother and other members of the wedding entourage.
“The jeepney was already full but some of them alighted to give way for us. On our way to the Church, it was funny to see that all the vehicles are giving way when the driver and some passengers are shouting that they need to give way because there was a bride on board,” she narrated.
Unforgettable experience
The wedding started more than three hours late, with everyone in the Church heaving a sigh of relief that the bride was able to make it. Some of them could not help but to laugh at the most memorable wedding they attended.
When the ceremony ended at around 8:30 p.m., Ryan said all the guests and their relatives decided to leave their car at the parking lot of the Church and willingly boarded the two military 6×6 trucks that were sent by the military.
This, after the flooding started to subside and the roads leading to Casablanca Hotel were declared passable, only to trucks.
“We did not push through with the reception program, everyone was hungry so we just joined them,” said Ryan, adding that even soldiers who were sent by the military to escort them partook of the food.
“It was unforgettable. What happened in our wedding is something that we are excited to tell to our children, and even our grandchildren,” said Glenda.
In various areas in Albay, local rescue teams were busy implementing forced evacuation on the affected residents which numbered to more than 60,000 later that very day.
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Here are some amusing photographs shared with us by Jayson & Jo Anne Arquiza. The subject is Fr. Allen de Guzman — a priest in Caleruega who uses his iPad during the mass. We were told that he is one techie priest. He uses his iPad as a visual aid for his homily and as a digital misalette to aid couples with their marriage vows.
The pictures below were taken on two separate occasions this year: the January 4 wedding of Jimmy + Christine Pajarillo; and January 15 wedding of Paul & Ria Hernandez.
Enjoy these photos:
Incidentally, there is already an iPad app called iBreviary which contains complete missal — containing all the spoken and sung parts during Mass throughout the liturgical year. The application has been developed by Rev. Paolo Padrini, a consultant with the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Social Communications. Although the app is not an official initiative of the Holy See, Vatican officials have previously praised the iBreviary as a novel way of evangelizing.
Meet Darlene. She is a W@Wie who has recently gotten married to Gboy.
Their altar date was set last April 17, 2010 in Tagaytay. Wedding ceremony was slated at 1PM but during that time, vehicular traffic was on a standstill because of the Tour of Luzon bikeathon, and in the midst of the gridlock was this classic Mustang bridal car.
The bride got a call from her wedding planner informing her that she would have to forgo her bridal march if she arrived 30 minutes after the scheduled ceremony. Left with no other choice, the bride scooped her skirt, train, and veil of her Veluz wedding gown and started dashing towards the direction of the church. Following Darlene’s lead was her bridesmaid and her make-up artist, Eddie Bruan. Upon seeing them on the street, the photo and video guys also got out of their vehicle.
Oly Ruiz of Metro Photo captured in multiple shots as the bride emerged in the two-way gridlock.
“After about 15 minutes of running, we came at the intersection where everything was clogged-up and asked — forced actually — a tricycle to take all of us (all seven of us) to the church which was another mile away,” Oly narrated.
As for the groom, he had tried to hitch a ride with passing motorists but no one stopped. Good thing the couple’s ninang saw Gboy on her way to the church and gave him a ride.
If those weren’t enough trouble for a day, the bride also shared that her wedding gown got burned due to a spotlight under their table at the reception. Darlene further added, “I thought there we were done with all the mishaps, but ‘lo and behold: our big day has almost turned into our last day!!! We almost fell off the cliff due to break dysfunction of our car!!! My goodness! What a day!!! At least we have an exciting story to tell our grandchildren.”
Checkout Gboy & Darlene’s onsite by MG Video. An ample coverage of our dashing bride in the middle of the road and their tricycle ride can be seen towards the end.
Head on to Oly’s blog entry for his eyewitness account and more of the images from the event.
Cheers to Gboy & Darlene for their positive outlook despite the odds. 
(photo by KJ Rosales)
On June 5, 2010, Roger Francis Alcantara and Noemi Katrina dela Paz (Roj & 3na to the W@Wies) tied the knot at the Mary Immaculate Parish, better known as ‘Nature Church’ in Las Piñas City. But what got their nuptials featured in Manila Bulletin was the fact that they held their reception in a McDonald’s outlet!
Below is an excerpt from the said article:
With “I do’s” already exchanged, the newly-married couple treated their guests to the brand of fast food that they both love. Yes, the wedding reception – or “recess,” as the couple likes to call it – took place at a McDonald’s branch along Alabang-Zapote road.
It was a wedding party that was like a children’s party — and perhaps the first-ever wedding reception in a McDonald’s outlet — with an even more playful twist.
The chocolate wedding cake (by Truffle Park Co.) was fashioned to look like a Big Mac, McDonald’s flagship double-layered burger; instead of Roger and Noemi, two McDonald’s mascots were made to do the traditional Filipino Catholic wedding “money dance” while the 120 or so guests who filled the particular branch took home popular “Happy Meal” toys.
And to symbolize their union in a way utterly unique and special to them, the couple ditched the cake-tasting ceremony in favor of taking simultaneous bites out of a Big Mac.
“It was the best bite out of a Big Mac that I’ve ever had in my entire life,” said the groom. You’d better believe him; he’s had countless Big Macs in his burger-munching career. [READ FULL STORY…]
In her email posted in the W@W eGroup, 3na shared that she and her groom even went through the drive-thru window with their entourage in tow.
In sharing their story, the bride said, “I hope this serves as an inspiration to all the future brides out there. The best pa rin if you make the wedding your own. Don’t mind what other people say, kasi kami nung una, ilang beses kaming tinanong ng parents namin kung sa McDo ba talaga kami; and they ended up enjoying the party as much as we did.”
The groom’s advice is best shared with his quote in the Bulletin article: “My advice to other couples who want to tie the knot is to personalize their nuptial, if they can,” said Roj. “Why become like a million others, if you can become one in a million?”
Below is Roj & 3na’s onsite video by Kris Matanguihan.