JOHOR BARU • Final preparations for the wedding of the Johor Sultan's only daughter and her Dutch-born beau have begun, the palace said yesterday, four days before the much-anticipated event.
Princess Tunku Tun Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah Sultan Ibrahim, 31, and Mr Dennis Muhammad Abdullah, 28, will marry in a grand ceremony on Monday at the 151-year-old grand palace, or Istana Besar, in Johor Baru.
The Istana grounds have been decorated with coloured buntings, manicured flowers and other decorations, while all main streets in the city are adorned with state flags and buntings, the palace said.
The wedding celebrations began on Wednesday with the official initiation ceremony, known in Malay as istiadat meletak kerja, on the grounds of the grand palace, the palace said in a media release.
The palace said special prayers and a Quran recital were also due to be held yesterday evening at the Pasir Pelangi Mosque.
Most members of the Johor royal family were expected to attend the event, it said.
The wedding day will begin with the betrothal ceremony at Istana Bukit Serene at 10am. It will be a private event attended by only the bride and groom's families and close friends, the palace said. The couple will then go through the akad nikah, or solemnisation ceremony.
The wedding ceremony proper will be held inside the throne room of the grand palace, and is restricted to only royalty and VIPs. Other guests will be able to watch the proceedings from giant screens under white canopies erected outside the grand staircase leading up to the grand palace. The bersanding, or sitting-in-state ceremony, will be held at 8pm on the same day at the throne room of the grand palace.
The public will be able to watch the live telecast of the wedding ceremony on two LED screens set up at Dataran Bandaraya - the main square of Johor Baru - as well as on the giant screen at the Johor Baru City Council building.
State mufti, Datuk Muhammad Tahrir Shamsudin, will conduct the ceremony as the Sultan's official representative, the palace said.
