The daughter of one of Malaysia's most powerful sultans married her Dutch fiance Monday in a tradition-filled ceremony during a day of lavish celebrations witnessed by crowds of excited well-wishers. Princess Tunku Tun Aminah Sultan Ibrahim, 31, the only daughter of the Sultan of Johor, tied the knot with Dennis Muhammad Abdullah, 28, capping a romance of over three years.
The Dutchman, who has converted to Islam, and the princess wed according to Muslim Malay custom at the Serene Hill Palace, the royal family's residence in the southern city of Johor Bahru. The private ceremony was attended by close family and friends. The groom wore traditional white Malay wedding attire and the bride wore a white dress, with Dennis Muhammad placing the ring on his bride's finger in a special room of the palace and offering a dowry of around $5, in line with centuries-old local customs.
An evening ceremony replete with pomp and tradition capped the festivities in the southern state of Johor, with the couple sitting on an elaborately decorated dias as family members and dignitaries dropped petals into their hands and sprinkled them with scented water and yellow rice. Among those offering their blessings to the couple in the "sitting in state" ceremony - traditionally the high point of a Malay wedding - were the bride's father, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, and Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. The ceremony in the throne room of the Grand Palace was also attended by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.