JOHOR BARU - The wedding ceremony of the Johor Sultan's only daughter and her Dutch-born fiance will be steeped in the Johor royal family's unique traditions and customs, the palace said on Saturday (July 29).
The bride-to-be, Princess Tunku Tun Aminah, was quoted in a press release as saying that Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar wants her and her beau, Dennis Muhammad Abdullah, to be dressed in outfits similar to what the Sultan's parents wore on their wedding day in 1956.
"Tuanku Sultan showed me a picture of his father (Almarhum Sultan Iskandar Ibni Almarhum Sultan Ismail) and mother (Enche' Besar Kalsom Abdullah) at their wedding. He said that Dennis and I should emulate what they wore as a way of perpetuating Johor's royal culture and traditions," Tunku Aminah was cited by the Royal Press Office (RPO) as saying.
"Otherwise, he fears that our uniqueness as Johoreans will be lost forever."
Tunku Aminah, 31, is the second of six siblings and the only daughter of Sultan Ibrahim and Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah.
Her betrothal to Dennis Muhammad, 28, will be held at 10am on Aug 14 at Istana Bukit Serene followed by the solemnisation ceremony, RPO said.
The "bersanding ceremony" (sitting-in-state ceremony) will be held at 8pm on the same day at the throne room of the Istana Besar.
The princess was cited by the palace as saying that despite her partly Western education at an international school in Singapore, she is very proud to don a traditional "Baju Kurung Teluk Belanga" for her wedding.
Her mother, the Permaisuri of Johor, had made her first baju kurung when she was just one-year-old.
The Baju Kurung Teluk Belanga was introduced in the late 19th century during the reign of the late Sultan Sir Abu Bakar; it has no collar and the neckline is stitched in the style known as 'tulang belut' (or eel's spine).
The Baju Kurung Teluk Belanga originated, as its name implies, from the island in Singapore, which was previously the capital of the state of Johor.
"As this is exactly what my parents also had in mind, I am happy to wear it at my wedding," the princess said according to RPO.
Dennis Muhammad will wear the men's version of the Baju Melayu Teluk Belanga.
"My father would also like him to use the same two brooches on his 'songkok' (Malay headdress), which my late grandfather (Sultan Iskandar) wore at his wedding. These brooches were given to Almarhum Sultan Iskandar by his mother, Almarhumah Sultanah Aminah," she said.
Tunku Aminah said the wedding itself would be a relatively simple but elegant event with family and friends.
"I would like it to be a meaningful occasion for my family and friends...that is what matters the most to me. It does not have to be grand or lavish," she said.
