VALENTINE’S DAY WEDDING: 87 couples tie knot amid pandemic

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – In celebration of the love month, 87 couples tied the knot on Valentine’s Day in the middle of the pandemic in Silay City, Negros Occidental.

Mayor Mark Andrew Arthur Golez served as the solemnizing officer during the mass wedding held at the Natalio G. Velez Sports and Cultural Center on Feb. 14.

All participating couples were fully vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), according to Golez.

Clad in white wedding dresses, the brides, along with their grooms in their barong and formal attire, exchanged “I dos” in a garden-themed wedding ceremony.

In his message, Golez urged the couples to always put God in the center of their relationship, as everything will fall into place.

On its sixth consecutive year, the annual mass wedding organized by the city government legitimized the union of couples who want to be married but cannot afford to do so.

“We are bringing joy to the couples, we are strengthening the bond in them” which is also important in building a strong family in their respective homes,” the mayor said.

The oldest couple – Regie Demetillo, 41, and Carmen Nadura, 47, both of Barangay Rizal – thanked the city government for the early gift this year.

The newly-weds also received five kilograms of rice from the city government.

The other city government officials who were present during the mass wedding served as principal sponsors of the couples.