Summary: 10.11.2012 Meet Shairah & Amar Aziz, the most daring couple up to date I’ve ever met. They are experts in skydiving, paragliding, scuba diving…etc. They would jump off the plane at over 10,00 feet high with pleasure and parachute of course. I knew Amar Aziz from one of my photography class and it was an honour when he asked me to shoot his wedding. It was my first experience shooting a Malay wedding and I am grateful to their patience guiding me through the details of a Malay wedding, I’ve learned a lot and fell in love with it : )
Let me share with you what I’ve learned:
Akad Nikah (marriage contract), which is the legal and religious part of the wedding. The groom signs the marriage contract and agrees to provide the bride with a mas kahwin (mahar,literally ‘marriage gold’ in form of money or goods or anything as requested by the bride). The mas khawin is a symbol to show that the men is willing and are prepared to build a family with the lady he chose to get married to.
The couple’s hands are dyed with henna during the berinai besar (great henna-ing) ceremony where the bride’s hair is also trimmed, eyebrows shaped and make-up applied by Mak Andam. Then the bride puts on her tudung (hijab or headscarf) to cover their hair and a selendang, or embroidered and beaded shawl over that. A crown is also placed on top of the shawl and the bride is ready for the Bersanding ceremony.
Bersanding (enthronement) begins with the groom’s march towards the bride’s home with friends, relatives, musicians and people waving bungamanggar (palm blossom). The main part of the bersanding involves the seating of the bridal couple on a dais and sprinkling them with yellow rice and scented water by family members, relatives and guests as a sign of blessing. Each guest will receive a Bunga Telur (egg flower), as a sign of fertility.
The couple are considered royalty for the day, where various royal customs are performed for them, including musicians playing court music a display of pencak silat.
Once again, congratulations to them !
VINCENT LEE PHOTOGRAPHY 