Couple Says 'I Do' as Volcano Erupts Behind Them in the Philippines: 'The Wedding Continues!'
A couple in the Philippines didn’t let a volcano eruption spoil their wedding day — and they have the dramatic photos to prove it.
Chino and Kat Vaflor tied the knot on Sunday, just 10 miles away from the Taal volcano, which erupted that same day, according to CNN.
Wedding photographer Randolf Evan captured a stunning portrait of the couple standing together at the altar as massive plumes of smoke swirl in the background behind them.
“Chino & Kat still made it! 🙏🏻,” Evan wrote on Facebook.
Additional photos show guests dining under white tents as the smoke hovers above them.
Savanna Farm Tagaytay by Solange, the couple’s wedding venue, also shared one of the photos from the big day, showing the large amount of smoke twisting in the sky in the distance.
“The wedding continues!” the caption read.
Evan told the BBC that the volcano eruption was entirely unexpected, but that the couple and their wedding planners first noticed something was amiss around 2 p.m.
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“We were actually nervous because while working we kept on checking social media for updates on the volcanic eruption,” he told CNN. “So we were actually aware of the warnings and escalating levels that was being announced real time. We also discussed discreetly among ourselves what we should do when worst comes to worst.”
Fortunately, the venue was situated on higher ground and was not in the volcano’s direct area, which helped guests feel a bit more at ease, Evan told the BBC — even though ash was falling down onto attendees’ clothing.
“Surprisingly everyone was calm and relaxed,” he said. “It was an intimate wedding so guests were mostly the couple’s family and close friends, and thus nobody really left.”
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He added, “This one is definitely a story to tell. It’s a mixture of thrill and sheer amazement on how it has unfolded for us. In the end, I’m just grateful to have experienced such a unique moment in my career.”
The Taal volcano, which sits in the middle of a lake, erupted Sunday for the first time since 1977, sending tens of thousands of residents fleeing as lava and ash blanketed the ground as far as 60 miles away, the Washington Post reported.
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The eruption shut down the airport in the capital city of Manila about 50 miles away and prompted mandatory evacuations, according to the Associated Press.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the eruption was “characterized by continuous magmatic and hydrovolcanic activity,” and that lava fountains generated plumes of smoke.
An alert Level 4 was still in effect as of Tuesday, meaning that “hazardous explosive eruption is still possible within hours to days.” The institute also warned people in areas around the volcano to be on the lookout for heavy and prolonged ashfall.
