We love how seamless this wedding was, from incorporating modern elements into a traditional celebration to bringing together two cultures from Sri Lanka and Malaysia. Tying it all together was a minimalist colour palette of green and white, which was perfect for the surrounding natural environment and gorgeous mix of prints and patterns. Many thanks to MunKeat Photography for sending us this lovely set of photos!
Hana: “The most memorable parts of the wedding were having my closest friends from all over the world with me and as my bridesmaids, walking down the stairs of the house with my dad to be solemnised in marriage, and without a doubt, the heartfelt speeches and performances by my family.
“We had three wedding events over a weekend – the ‘nikah’ or solemnisation, a dinner for our close friends and family, and the ‘bersanding’, which is a traditional Malay custom where a large crowd is invited to witness the announcement that the couple is married. Since we had 3 events, I needed 3 dresses! I wanted a touch of simplicity and lightness in all of them as we were having our celebrations outdoors. I wanted my ‘nikah’ dress to look almost ethereal whilst protecting my modesty, and Habsah Abang Saufi designed the perfect dress with fine silk and tulle, with lace appliqués attached to look like butterflies.
“For my evening dress, I wanted something elegant and floaty, and Melinda Looi designed a beautiful A-line illusion neck dress that made me feel like a princess. For the final reception, we wanted to stick to traditional elements and channel an old school vibe. Habsah Abang Saufi designed a lace and songket ‘kebaya’, which I wore with a small tiara and delicate heirloom veil. Usman wanted to bring some of his culture through and wore a ‘sherwani’ instead of a Malay outfit. Something I cherish is that I was able to wear my late maternal grandmother’s jewellery set. It has been distributed amongst all her daughters and it was really special that they’d brought their respective items from Brunei and Sarawak so I could wear it all on the day!
“Our wedding planner and decorator did a fantastic job transforming the same space for all 3 events, utilising a lot of the same flowers but playing around with arrangements and colours. I wanted the solemnisation to stick to a palette of white and green, the evening event to be more bright and tropical, and the ‘bersanding’ event to have lots of traditional elements to celebrate my heritage. I’ve always wanted an outdoor wedding and to celebrate close to nature. The wedding theme was green to encompass not only the colour but also an appreciation of nature, greenery, and our environment.
“I also wanted to incorporate elements of my culture and heritage so 3 Cheringin in Janda Baik turned out to be the perfect location. It’s not only nestled in the hills but also has an old traditional Malay House on its grounds, which fit in with what I envisioned. Some of the traditions that we incorporated included having ‘hantaran’, or gifts, from the bride to the groom and vice versa. Traditionally the groom gives an odd number of gifts and the bride reciprocates with an additional two gifts. Usman had a big hand in putting together his ‘hantaran’ trays and even displayed handpicked quotes on love.
“Finally, we also had my grandma toss coins to the children, which is a traditional Johorian custom, and brought in a traditional Sarawakian Gendang group as I’m Sarawakian on my mother’s side. It was important to me to add personal elements to our wedding and fuse our two cultures. Our wedding cake topper was two silver elephants from Sri Lanka, and my family wore traditional Malay outfits paired with Sri Lankan sarongs. Our dais bench featured my grandparents’ traditional mother of pearl inlay piece, and the cushions were the same ones my aunty used over 30 years ago.”
Tips from the bride: “My tips would be to stay true to yourself when planning the wedding, add personal touches, and decide what’s important and don’t get too hung up on the rest. Forget about the technicalities of things on the day itself and just be present! It’ll go by in the blink of an eye so whenever you have a moment, stop and take it all in with your partner. Don’t do everything yourself and have someone close to you throughout the process. It was such a wonderful experience to have my mum with me for all the dress appointments and food tasting sessions, as they are memories we can both cherish.”
HANA & USMAN {Malaysia}
Photography by MunKeat Photography / Videography by WSVS (White Spaces and Void Society) / Venue 3 Cheringin, Janda Baik / Number of Guests 100 (Nikah), 300 (Reception), 800 (Bersanding) / Wedding Planning by Khareyan Events / Bridal Gown by Habsah Abang Saufi and Melinda Looi / Bride’s Shoes by Clarks, Melinda Looi, and Nine West / Hair and Makeup by Kenny Yee of Makeup Miracle / Groom’s Attire by Allen Khoo / Flowers and Décor by Khareyan Events / Wedding Cake by Maimun Mohd Jani / Wedding Catering by The BIG Benquet and Groupbase / Wedding Favours by Delectable by Su and Ole Ole Manis / Art and Stationery by Lim Ru Hui and DIY / Entertainment by Mosaic Entertainment Group, Orkes Rangkaian Melati, Gendang Melayu Sarawak (Kumpulan Sri Buana)
{Read more about this in the magazine}