A couple from Dagupan went viral this year after the bride had no choice but to ride a jeepney for their much-awaited wedding day.
Last September, Glaiza Mae Ventanilla-Solomon rode a “jeepney bridal car” to say I do to her longtime boyfriend, Lester.
“Sa dinami-dami ng araw na pwede akong sumakay ng jeep, sa kasal ko pa talaga. Sabi ko, ‘Sige na d’yan, try na natin, gusto ko na pumunta.’ Kasi nahiya din po kay Bishop kasi parang isang oras na po ‘yung na-late po kami. Nag-dream po ako ng magandang sasakyan, ng maayos na flow, na bababa po ako sa bridal car na may flower, pero jeep pala,” she told The Philippine STAR.
Lester and Glaiza are based in United Kingdom. They just went home in the Philippines to get married and be with their families.
A few days before the wedding, they already experienced inclement weather around their hometown.
“Around the church, there’s flooding but then it’s still passable… and then mixture na rin siya ng high tide. ‘Yung event coordinator contacted us asking kung ano pong Plan B. Eh ang nakita namin is ‘yung si Typhoon Nando that time hindi siya directly dadaan sa Dagupan. We both decided to push through and stay with the same church,” Lester recalled.
The couple admitted that they were worried about the possible effect of the weather on their wedding day.
“Nag-panic po ako slight kasi syempre, ala, ang dami na nag-aantay. Paano ‘pag walang pumunta dahil sa baha? Worst case scenarios na po naisip ko. Pero sabi ko, matatapos din po itong araw na ‘to. Magpapakasal kami. Walang makakapigil sa amin. We have decided to stick with the plan. Itutuloy namin. Baha lang ‘yan,” Glaiza noted.
They were very happy when they woke up to better weather conditions until their organizer broke some news to them.
“Walang ulan. Very clear skies. Sunny day. The problem is I think it has been a long-standing issue na ang sabi is catch basin ‘tong area namin. So, ‘yung pag-ulan from high areas, nagfo-flow dito sa amin. We haven’t actually expected na ganun siya tataas. Sobra, sobra. Sa dinami-dami po ng araw na pwede pong tumaas ‘yung tubig sa araw pa po ng kasal namin,” she narrated.
“Nung bandang mga 11 [AM] na, sabi nila, ‘Naku, ma’am, hindi na po kakayanan ng sedan.’ Sabi ko, “Hala. ‘Yung bridal car ko, sedan.” Ayaw na nung sedan na idiretso niya ‘yung sasakyan kasi masisira. So sabi ko, ‘Hala. Baka po may kilala kayong may Fortuner o kahit mataas na SUV.’ So hinatid muna lahat ng guests para balikan po ako. Kaso, nasa tuhod na po ‘yung tubig. Super scared na po ‘yung mga nasa church Naghe-hesitate din kasi sila kasi mas lalong tumataas, in some other parts, nasa halos nearly bewang na ‘yung taas,” she added.
Glaiza, along with other family members, was left in the hotel a few minutes away from the church venue.
“‘Yung isang event coordinator, napaka-grateful ko po sa kanya kasi lumabas siya ng hotel, nagpara siya sa kalsada ng jeep. Buti po empty po ‘yung jeep,” Glaiza said.
She then did not think twice to ride the jeepney just to push through with the wedding.
“It was an experience po. Nung dumating po ko doon, tuwang-tuwa po pati ‘yung mga traffic enforcers. Sabi nila, ‘Hay! Salamat sa Diyos, nandito na po ang bride.’ Inisip ko na lang po na okay lang ‘to. Importante po, makarating po kami nang maayos doon. Wala pong magkakasakit, walang madidisgrasya. Safe lang po. ‘Yun lang po yung prinay ko ng araw na ‘yun,” she said.
Despite the small hiccup on their special day, the two were very optimistic about spending the rest of their lives together.
“It was, everything was worth it in the end. Lahat ng pagod, pagiging anxious. To be frank, I haven’t slept for almost three days prior to the wedding day. Ang masasabi ko lang diyan, literal na, sa hirap at ginawa. Buntong hininga nung nairaos. Wala pang one day after the wedding na na-test na kaagad ‘yung pagmamahalan natin,” Lester stressed.
