Malay Wedding in Kuantan

We were invited to a Malay wedding here in Kuantan at the Dewan Jubli Perak Sultan Ahmad Shah. My English tuition student Karimah, and her husband, celebrated the marriage of their daughter Rosmaliza (Rose) to Nahar. We received this elegant invitation card about a month ago from Karimah:

This is a beautiful piece of calligraphy in Arabic of a verse about marriage from the Holy Qu'ran

Here are a few views of the Dewan Jubli Perak Sultan Ahmad Shah, where the Malay wedding was held:

The garden surroundings bore some lovely images of nature:

We entered the building and took our seats at an empty table, and I began snapping away as guests and VIP's arrived intermittently, some on time, some awfully late.

A rose petal-lined carpet led to the marriage seat

The garden theme continued inside the building where the names of the wedded couple were crafted with white flowers

The stage was decorated with candles and lanterns

A water feature, snazzy bridge, and a couple of (real) swans completed the decorations

REAL swans! Yes! I was amazed that they didn't just fly away during the ceremony. It was almost as if they had been trained to specifically stay exactly where they were.

Meanwhile, these are the pictures taken from our table before the bride and groom made their entrance:

Lauren was a little bored at first...

...but she soon puckered up once we got her new stamps out!

Terry the tortoise came along of course, and took his seat!

Lauren brushed her hair so that she could look her best!

The walk down the aisle began, culminating with the arrival of the couple, Rose and Nahar

Photographers thronged the carpet to get the best shots

Accompanied by bridesmaids and smartly dressed boys in bow-ties, Rose and Nahar make their way to the marriage seat

The actual ceremony was quite short, which was nice, and then the food was devoured by all in attendance. The dessert, a chocolate fountain with assorted fruits, was my highlight!

Next came the time to cut the cake. Rose and Nahar had a five-story cake to get their hands on, back on stage:

The groom prepares a slice of cake for his wife

She pauses for the cameras before eating it up, to his delight

Nahar gives his bride a kiss on the cheek

They stop on the bridge for more pictures

They must have been tired of all the smiling as a constant stream of photographs were taken of them at every opportunity

There were some other little decorations which added a beautiful touch to the entire wedding ceremony:

The lighted lanterns beside white roses were an exquisite touch as the bride and groom partook of the food on offer, as is seen on the giant screen in the background

The swans were a big attraction

Budgerigars observed the events quietly before being released to their freedom after the wedding ceremony came to an end

Eggs in miniature buckets were given out as gifts for those in attendance

Me with my lovely batik shirt, just before we left at the conclusion of the wedding ceremony

A final family picture in the car park area