It's a mass wedding! 4 couples share special day of love, faith and tradition in St. John's - Action News
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It's a mass wedding! 4 couples share special day of love, faith and tradition in St. John's

The Filipino community in Newfoundland and Labrador celebrated four couples getting married at the same time. Although it's not seen often in this province, they say it's a common practice in the Philippines.

4 Filipino couples decide to share the cost and celebration of a wedding day

Four couples dressed in wedding attire. The women wearing bridal dressers and the men wearing suits. They are all standing in an alter inside a church.
A mass wedding was held Saturday in St. John's. From left: Maricris and Brainard Canillo, Cristina and Reyno Braza, John Allester and Arcelli Letigio, Myhra and Marionito Ibabao. (Arlette Lazarenko/CBC)

The Filipino community in Newfoundland and Labrador celebrated four couples getting married at the same time on Saturday, andalthough it's not often seen in this province, it isa common practice in the Philippines.

Family and friends gathered at St. Teresa's Parish in St. John's to witness not just one wedding but four.

The sounds of a piano and hymns echoedinside the church as guests took their seats. At the altar, the four groomswaitedfor their brides to walkthrough a veil of flowers. Theparents waitedin the middle to hand over the wife to the husband.

Myhra and Mario Ibabao said their blessings, exchanged rings, and kissed. Thecouple saidthe entire group of four couples are all actually close friends whodecided to get married at the same time to save costs but also to keep up with tradition.

"We call it as a mass wedding," MyhraIbabao told CBC News. "We were so happy with the community itself and our family and friends who are here to witness our wedding."

A bride in a wedding dress walks down the aisle.
Letigio walks down the aisle at St. Teresa's Parish. (Arlette Lazarenko/CBC)

But Saturday wasn't theIbabaos' first wedding.

The couplealready hada civil wedding,have been together for over 14 years and have three children. But, Myhra Ibabaosaid,it was important to also be married in a church.

"We believe that having the sacrament of marriage would really make your relationship or your marriage last forever," she said.

John Allester and Arcelli Letigio also had a civil marriage and wanted to receive the church's blessing. The couple initially considered having their wedding in the Philippines, but when the idea of marrying in Newfoundland came up, they decided to go with it.

Four couples wearing bridal artier standing in front of a church alter.
The couples were joined by family, friends and members of the Filipino community. Each took their turn saying wedding vows. (Arlette Lazarenko/CBC)

The couples are all a part of a community group called Couples for Christ, which helped organize the mass wedding.

"We go by faith," Allester said. "We practise what worked before and stick to our beliefs. It serves a message to people that yes, there are some virtuesworth keeping."

Mass weddings are also a way to share the celebration with many people, said Allester's sister Althea Henion, who travelledfrom Pennsylvania for the ceremony.

"It's different families brought together," she said.

And although most of the people in the celebration are of Filipino background, Henion saiddifferent families are coming together. Her husbandis Ukrainian and was ableto experience a new tradition.

"[It's] meeting different people and hopefully that the people that you meet will turn out to be have a lasting friendship and relationship with you," she said.

A woman smiling.
Hazel Ouano Alpuerto and her husband were part of the ceremony as they walked a bride down the aisle in place of the parents who couldn't make it. Alpuerto says mass weddings are common in the Philippines, and the event in St. John's reminded her of home. (Arlette Lazarenko/CBC)

HazelOuano Alpuerto,considered by many in the community as a mother figure,led one of the brides down the aisle because her parents couldn't make it from the Philippines.

"It is a joyous occasion for the Filipino community, and I feel so honoured to be part of this celebration," Alpuerto said.

"I don't want to sound so mushy, [but it shows] how cohesive we are, how we are strong in our faith, how we can be one together."

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