Wedding in the Philippines continues despite volcano eruption

A wedding photographer captured smoke and lightning behind the couple.

January 13, 2020, 2:55 PM

Love was in the air along with ash, smoke and lightning during one couple's wedding in the Philippines on Sunday.

As thousands fled after the Taal Volcano erupted, one wedding photographer captured the natural phenomenon as the backdrop for the newlyweds.

Chino Vaflor and Kat Bautista Palomar tied the knot at a venue less than 10 miles from the country's most active volcano near the capital of Manila, according to Randolf Evan Photography, who shared the surreal photos on Facebook.

The couple's Philippines-based wedding photographer told the BBC they did not know something was about to happen.

PHOTO: A photographer captured this couple on their wedding day while The Taal Volcano, near the capital of Manila, spewed ash on Jan. 12, 2020.
A photographer captured this couple on their wedding day while The Taal Volcano, near the capital of Manila, spewed ash on Jan. 12, 2020.
Courtesy Randolf Evan Photography

"We noticed white smoke coming out of Taal during preparations around 2 p.m. and from then on we knew something unusual was already going on with the volcano," Evan said.

Despite the dramatic explosion, Evan explained to the BBC that everyone felt "definitely safe as the venue was on higher ground and not directly around the volcano's vicinity."

The main crater for the Taal Volcano in the Batangas province, about 55 miles south of Manila, was continuously erupting a stream of ash and pebbles up to 9 miles in the sky, according to a bulletin by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

PHOTO: Residents look at the erupting Taal Volcano in Tagaytay City, Philippines, January 13, 2020. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez     TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Residents look at the erupting Taal Volcano in Tagaytay City, Philippines, January 13, 2020. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Eloisa Lopez/Reuters

Volcanic tremors began around 11 a.m. local time, followed by two volcanic earthquakes with magnitudes of 2.5 and 3.9, which were felt in the cities of Tagaytay City and Alitagtag, according to the institute.

The Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone countries, with about 20 typhoons and other major storms hitting the islands each year, according to AP.

ABC News' Julia Jacobo contributed to this report.

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