Pop princess ties the knot
August 21 2006 at 10:47AM
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Malaysia’s pop icon sweetheart Siti Nurhaliza Taruddin, 27, married a businessman two decades her senior in a lavish wedding ceremony steeped in Malay tradition and broadcast live on television on Monday.
Dressed in a white Malay costume with silver embroidery and encrusted with blue crystals, a veil and a tiara, Siti sat a distance away from divorcee Khalid Mohamed Jiwa while a Muslim religious leader pronounced them husband and wife.
“I accept her hand in marriage, with the dowry of 22 222 ringgit (R42 730),” Khalid said, sealing the ceremony held the Masjid Wilayah Persekutuan mosque in central Kuala Lumpur, aired live on Malaysia’s largest private network, TV3.
Siti did not speak during the ceremony. Instead, a man appointed by her father stated her intent to get married.
The wedding will culminate in a grand dinner reception on August 28 in Kuala Lumpur and another reception in Siti’s hometown in central Pahang state on September 3 for family and fans.
The couple’s announcement of their marriage was also carried live by the network on a women’s television programme last month.
The bride and groom’s sides earlier on Monday morning exchanged about 16 gilded silver and gold trays of “hantaran” – elaborate gifts like silver wedding rings and decorative items that serve as welcoming presents in Malay culture – while representatives from both sides traded love poems and ditties.
The pair had been the talk of the town for more than a year, but both had been tightlipped over their romance. Malaysian newspapers dedicated pages to news and features on Siti’s wedding after the couple formally announced it.
The wedding follows the finalisation of Khalid’s divorce from his first wife, Tengku Zawyah Tengku Izham. They have four children, ages eight to 19.
Siti, one of Malaysia’s top-selling artists, has won numerous awards both at home and in regional competitions since she launched her career in 1996. She is a household name in Malaysia, but also has significant followings in neighbouring Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei.
Her wedding has also generated interest in Indonesia, where the couple plans to host another reception. The reception to be held there is expected to be aired over a television station there. Details were not immediately available. – Sapa-AP
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