Skip to main content

June weddings

June is the month for weddings and invitations in my letter box prove this.

The popularity of June weddings is a global phenomenon.

According to Lesley-Ann Graham, author of WeddingTrix.com, June weddings trace their roots to ancient Rome "when couples would marry in June in observance of Juno, the goddess of marriage". It was thought that the goddess would give her blessing to each married pair.

But there are also "practical reasons for getting married in June" such as nice weather and school breaks.

June weddings are also fashionable in Malaysia where schools take a short break in June and the half-term holiday allows Malaysian parents to plan for their older children's weddings with a lot less hassle than holding them during non-vacation time.

Wedding invitations inundated my mail box this month but I could only attend one. Most painfully, I could not be present at Koh Soo Ling's wedding reception. Soo Ling, if you recall, writes for New Sunday Times and Learning Curve, an education pull-out of the New Sunday Times.

I took the photos below at the Malay wedding ceremony of Fatin and Fattah in Ipoh, Perak. Fatin is my friend's daughter. I am sorry I did not take a picture of the bride and groom; the pair disappeared as soon as the reception ended.

I love the colour combination of this wedding cake.

The baker has an eye for detail.

The traditional bunga telor, a gift for guests, faces extinction if substitutes such as sweets and books continue to gain acceptance. I hope not. Long live the bunga telor.

Shamsiah Daud, mother of the bride, strikes a pose in the bridal chamber.

Songket material turns the bride's costume into an elegant wedding outfit.

A room in Shamsiah's house was turned into a bridal chamber for the newly-wed.

The love seat is for the couple to sit during the bersanding ceremony. 
Labels:
Location: Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Comments

justmytwocents said…
It's really great that you covered this topic as wedding is a celebration of union and regardless of where it's held, several similarities of traditional aspects or details remain such as bunga telur and love seat. Having an elaborately decorated cake was a once-western-element that's now commonly seen in many Malay weddings tailored for a more modern finish. I wish you could include on what was served for the guests and more importantly the lovebirds. Just the thought of eating rendang tok with nasi minyak makes my mouth water! :-)
2 July 2010 at 00:56
Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Who am I?

Malaysian artist Jeganathan Ramachandram will be exhibiting his paintings in Singapore if a deal with a company to display Human Watching: A Visual Poetry on the Science of Human Watching in the island republic is successful. The intuitive artist told Survey that the move is still under negotiation. Human watching made its debut at Galeri Petronas in March, 2009 and was well received by both art critics and art lovers. Fourteen portraits representing females and males born on each of the seven days in a week were put on view. The depictions (acrylic on canvas) were based on his observations of human behaviour for the past 14 years. Images of seven females and seven males inform viewers through symbols of their strengths and weaknesses and their relationships with other people. Those who have seen Human Watching identified with their profiles almost immediately. Admit it: you are curious about yourself! Males, who were born on Sunday ( bottom picture ), were pleasantly surprised to dis...
5 comments
Read more

When a card came out of the blue ...

This post is prompted by a remark made by my good friend Wei Lin. She saw me reading a card I had received from a friend recently and said: "Traditional cards are so old-fashioned." I wondered if that was true and decided to probe into the issue. A Google search revealed numerous articles on the debate between traditional paper-based cards and e-cards. Tracey Grady's examination of the pros and cons of each type is informative. In my opinion, e-cards are not substitutes for the real (traditional) ones and they shouldn't be. I treat e-card e-mails with suspicion because spammers could be using them to download viruses and software onto my computer. I have never sent anyone an e-card and I don't plan to; I dislike the cold impersonality of conveying greetings electronically. I have always liked sending and receiving cards the traditional way. The ritual of going to a bookshop, browsing at the card section, picking a suitable one for the recipient and then walking to...
7 comments
Read more

Dealing with death of a loved one

Today marks the end of Rabiaa's mourning period. She had completed four months and 10 days or 130 days of grieving, the stipulated period for expressing sorrow for Muslim widows.  The death of her husband on Dec 30, 2020 was expected  but it still came as a huge shock to her. It was too sudden, she felt. Yet  observers would not agree. Her husband became bedridden in mid-November after a collision between his big bike and a car which had come from the opposite direction after taking an illegal turn.  In addition to being bedridden, Anwar, lost his voice which was the direct result of the  brain injury he had suffered after the accident. He was diagnosed with traumatic brain injury. How does Rabiaa feel now? The pain is bearable but the memories remain as vivid as ever. She is still unwilling to clear up all of her husband's things and some items remain in their original positions as before he became bound to the bed. His belongings connect Rabiaa to Anwar and sh...
2 comments
Read more