MANILA, Philippines – The bride from Amlan, Negros Oriental, experienced disappointment during what was supposed to be her most special moment. She said that the priest started the wedding ceremony even though everything wasn't ready yet because, according to him, they were late.
In a Facebook post on June 8, the bride Janine Seit Suelto-Sagario shared what happened on her much-anticipated day.
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| Photo courtesy: Facebook/Janine Seit Suelto-Sagario/via PEP |
Sagario shared that their wedding was scheduled for 8:00 a.m. on June 8 with her partner, Jove Deo, but at 11:00 p.m. on June 7, one of their godmothers, a member of St. Andrew the Apostle Parish, informed them that the wedding had been rescheduled to 9:30 a.m. They promptly informed their families and the wedding entourage.
On the wedding day, they arrived at the church before 9:00 a.m. to have enough time to get ready. However, they were scolded by the church staff for being an hour late and were not given a chance to explain.
The priest started the ceremony even though everything wasn't ready, and the bride herself was still at the entrance of the church.
Additionally, Sagario said that in her rush to walk down the aisle, she almost slipped, and she was also pregnant at the time.
She mentioned hearing many negative feedbacks about the church but chose to get married there because she was 'proud' of her parish. However, she couldn't imagine that this would ruin her most special moment.
In the end, the wedding proceeded despite their disappointment.
The Facebook post quickly went viral and garnered various reactions and comments from netizens. Many criticized the church, especially the priest. As a result, St. Andrew the Apostle Parish released a statement regarding the issue.
It can be read, published as is, “THE TRUTH. It is with deep concern that we issue this statement about what happened during the wedding in Amlan Parish last June 8, 2024. The wedding ceremony was officially scheduled at 8:00 A.M. that day. That schedule was set a month before. However, on the night before the wedding, one of the lady sponsors went to the bride and groom’s house and told them that the wedding was moved to 9:30 a.m. and that they should not be in a hurry.”
“She relayed this information in an unofficial capacity. This is unfortunate since there was no instruction at all from anyone in the Parish Office that there are changes in the schedule since there was a scheduled Funeral Mass at 9:30 a.m. of that same morning. Parish Office Staff believe that the lady sponsor may have misread the dates written on the bulletin which she perused the night before.”
“On June 8, 2024, instead of arriving for the 8:00 AM wedding Mass, the bride and the groom arrived at around 9:00 AM. Despite the fact that they were late by an hour, still our Assisting Priest celebrated the Mass out of charity to the couple. But he had to hurriedly make some adjustments, by starting when he saw the bride at the Church entrance, and after sending word to the bereaved family waiting outside the Church that there is going to be a delay in the Funeral Mass and to please wait until the wedding is over. On that day, there were ten other schedules to be served by the Priests. That is the truth about what happened from our side.”
“OUR APOLOGY. However, we humbly admit the fact that along the way, there were statements made carried away by emotions. Hence, we express our sincere apology to the bride and the groom, to their respective families who were directly offended by the turn of these events, and to the people who have seen our humanity as Priests in a time when we were weakest of any possible control. We also apologize and express gratitude to the bereaved family who were made to wait for the wedding to be finished. Pope Francis reminds us that “Priests have to bring compassion and forgiveness in the daily grind of life like Jesus the Lord”. Yet, we also ask for your kind indulgence for the times we were short in meeting that call. In the midst of this unfortunate event, please pray for us as we struggle with our frailties. We pray for the peace of everyone concerned in this event. We hope that the Lord of love will bless our Community with the grace of unity and peace – always!”
The signatory of the official statement was parish priest Msgr. Albert Erasmo G. Bohol.
Meanwhile, the supposed godmother who is also from the church, who allegedly conveyed misinformation to the couple, has come forward to take responsibility for her actions. She admitted to all the mistakes after Janine and Jove's wedding encountered issues.
Charlene Sunico explained her side of the story in a video interview posted on Facebook by Dumaguete broadcaster Anthony Maginsay on June 11, 2024. She admitted that she did not validate the information she received, which stated that the wedding time was moved from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Because of this misinformation, the couple arrived at the church at 9:00 a.m., thinking they still had a 30-minute allowance. However, angry church staff confronted them and accused them of being late. It turns out that the wedding time was not actually changed. She got the information from a fellow church member, yet she did not disclose the name of the person who informed her because she feared that netizens might target them. She also claimed that her intention was in good faith.
The godmother further stated that she immediately approached the newlyweds and their families to ask for forgiveness. She also went to the parish priest to apologize for the trouble she caused, emphasizing that it was not her intention.
She hoped that the issue wouldn't escalate further and that the bashers would not exacerbate the situation, as she had already taken responsibility for what happened.
— Noel Ed Richards, The Summit Express
