A couple in China were so determined to go ahead with their wedding despite severe flooding that they used a boat and a fire truck as transportation.
They planned to hold their ceremony on the morning of June 19 in their hometown of Guilin in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China.
Then came the heaviest rains since 1998, and as the bride was on her way to the wedding, the area was flooded.
Video footage captured by locals shows the bride’s father and the groom pushing a homemade boat while the bride sits inside with an umbrella.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen a bride traveling to her wedding on a boat,” an observer told mainland Chinese news channel Jingshizhibo.
The bride, whose name was not disclosed, said the water level was up to people’s chests but they had to go ahead with the wedding because “everything was planned”.
In China, especially in rural areas where traditional values are still strong, people believe that weddings must take place on an auspicious date and that moving this date could bring bad luck.
In addition, newlyweds do not want to inconvenience their guests, as some of them may travel a long way to attend their wedding.
The bride had been to a nearby county for makeup and was on her way home in a friend’s car that got stuck in a sudden flood.
They met a group of firefighters and asked them for help to return to their town. The fire engine took 20 minutes to complete the 20-kilometer journey.
The groom then borrowed a homemade boat from his friend and used it to transport his new wife. His father-in-law helped him push the boat two kilometers through the flooded streets.
The bride said it was an “unforgettable” experience.
“I am impressed by how strong her will is to get married,” wrote one online observer on Douyin.
“Their wedding cars look much cooler than luxury cars,” said another.
“They have literally ‘crossed the lake in the same boat,'” said a third, referring to a Chinese phrase meaning “pulling together in difficult times.”
