Large turnout at Bella Astillah and Syed Saddiq’s final wedding reception

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Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and his wife, Bella Astillah, wave to well-wishers at their wedding celebration in Kota Kinabalu on Oct 31.

Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and his wife, Bella Astillah, waving to well-wishers at their wedding celebration in Kota Kinabalu on Oct 31.

PHOTO: BERNAMA

  • Bella Astillah and Syed Saddiq held their third and final wedding reception at Padang Merdeka, Kota Kinabalu, with Bella moved to tears by the huge crowd.
  • About 20,000 people attended, far above the expected 10,000, after many arrived from 6am for the public kenduri rakyat and Sabahan-themed celebration.
  • The couple danced and performed with local artistes, but the event ended early at about 3pm when a thunderstorm hit, despite plans to continue until 4pm.

AI generated

KOTA KINABALU, Sabah – Malaysian singer-actress Bella Astillah fought back tears as she and her husband, Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, arrived at Padang Merdeka in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, for their third and final wedding reception.

A large crowd had gathered at the venue, with some waiting for hours to catch a glimpse of the couple and be part of the public reception, or kenduri rakyat, on Oct 31.

Dressed in black-and-red modern-traditional outfits, the newlyweds arrived at around 1.30pm. Many guests had arrived at the venue as early as 6am.

Many of the attendees wore traditional outfits, in keeping with the event’s traditional Sabahan theme.

It was reported that about 20,000 people turned up, exceeding the initial expectations of 10,000 guests.

In social media posts, many attendees said that they did not mind waiting, since food and drinks had been prepared for registered guests. Many also said they did not mind if the food ran out, because they were mainly there to show their support for the couple.

Prior to the event, many people, including content creators, had taken to social media to remind fellow Sabahans to behave themselves, remain calm and prioritise safety and cleanliness.

While getting ready for the event, Bella, whose real name is Dayang Nabellah Awang Astillah, took the opportunity to remind the public to be careful and to “remember to eat and drink”.

During the reception, the couple danced to Sabahan songs while Bella, 32, sang a love song to Syed Saddiq, 33.

There were also many other performances by local artistes.

The reception, which was scheduled to run until 4pm, had to end slightly earlier when a thunderstorm brought heavy rain at around 3pm. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

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