The Filipino community in Newfoundland and Labrador celebrated four couples getting married at the same time on Saturday, and although it's not often seen in this province, it is a 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 echoed inside the church as guests took their seats. At the altar, the four grooms waited for their brides to walk through a veil of flowers. The parents waited in the middle to hand over the wife to the husband.Myhra and Mario Ibabao said their blessings, exchanged rings, and kissed. They couple said the entire group of four couples are all actually close friends who decided to get married at the same time to save costs but also to keep up with tradition."We call it as a mass wedding," Myhra Ibabao told CBC News."We were so happy with the community itself and our family and friends who are here to witness our wedding."
But Saturday wasn't the Ibabao's first wedding. The couple already had a civil wedding, have been together for over 14 years and have three children. But, Myhra Ibabao said, 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.
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 virtues worth keeping."Mass weddings are also a way to share the celebration with many people, said Allester's sister Althea Henion, who travelled from 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 said different families are coming together. Her husband is Ukrainian and was able to 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.
Hazel Ouano Alpuerto, considered by many in the community as a mother figure, led one of the brides down the aisle because her parents couldn't arrive 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."