Photographer shares dramatic photos of Filipino couple's wedding amidst Taal volcano eruption

Thousands in the Philippines fled as far as they could from the Taal volcano eruption on Sunday (Jan 12), but one couple did not let it int-errupt them from getting married. 

Filipino couple Chino Vaflor and Kat Bautista Palomar had already booked the Savanna Farm by Solange in the town of Alfonso, Cavite, which is a mere 16km from the active volcano.

It was about 2pm when photographer Randolf Evan was taking photos of the wedding preparation that they started noticing unusual activity from the Taal volcano, Channel NewsAsia reported. 

But that didn't deter them from carrying on with the ceremony, amidst white smoke and ash spews. The wedding team kept constant monitoring of the volcanic activity via social media and discussed the measures to take in a worst-case scenario. 

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It also helped that the wedding venue was on higher ground and Evan felt they were safe from the volcanic activity, except for the light rain of ash.  

"Surprisingly everyone was calm and relaxed. It was an intimate wedding so guests were mostly the couple's family and close friends, and thus nobody really left", said Evan to BBC.

In the photos shared by Evan on Facebook, the couple can be seen smilingly happily. The wedding reception held under a marquee showed guests enjoying the celebrations, which was juxtaposed against the sky filled with thick smoke and flashes of lightning, creating a series of stunning and dramatic photos.

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/randolfevanphotography/photos/pcb.2733510740059920/2733509706726690/[/embed]

When contacted by AsiaOne, Evan said: "When it (the ashes turning mud-like) came, the reception was already almost over".

Said Evan: "I still haven't processed it completely at this point. But I'm just grateful to have experienced such a unique, and one of a kind moment in my photography career".

It'll definitely be a wedding to remember, and the extraordinary photos have been garnering eyeballs on the internet.

It isn't the first time that people have made use of erupting volcanos as backdrops for one-of-a-kind photos, but we do advise taking necessary precautions and staying safe in the midst of a natural disaster.

ALSO READ: Thousands evacuated, flights cancelled after volcano spews ash near Manila

melissagoh@asiaone.com