Filipino bride doesn't let a flooded church stop her wedding

Jobel Delos Angeles persisted with her celebrations despite an ankle-deep stream of water running down the aisle

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. AFP / Bautista Banares Tere

Resplendent in her white dress, a bride in the Philippines waded through a flooded church to meet her groom, winning the hearts of the world in the process.

Jobel Delos Angeles, 24, did not let monsoon rains get in the way of her marriage to the father of her two children and partner of seven years.

Tropical Storm Yagi and the southwest monsoon brought heavy flooding to the country's capital Manila and surrounding areas, including Mrs Delos Angeles' province of Bulacan.

"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," Mrs Delos Angeles told AFP.

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

Mrs Delos Angeles persisted with her special day, taking a boat to the church when a taxi refused to take her, wading through waters up the aisle, and refusing to let the floods reschedule the wedding.

"We didn't want a new schedule as we were already stressed out. Our hometown is really flood-prone," Mrs 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 Philippines endures an average of 20 typhoons and storms each year, the latest send 20,000 residents fleeing the district of Marikina, where floods swept away cars.

A Facebook video posted by her aunt, Teresa Bautista, has been shared thousands of times on social media. Commenters wished the couple well and congratulated the pair on their innovation, and hailing the event as "wedding of the year".

The ceremony doubled up as a baptism for their five-month-old daughter, and Mrs Delos Angeles said she had no regrets.

"I felt bad for them but at the same time I am happy they got it through," Mrs Bautista told AFP.

"It is truly memorable. I am so happy. It shows the lesson that there are no what ifs."