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PERSANDINGAN (Wedding Ceremony)

The Bersanding celebrations included photograph sessions and poses at the pelamin by the couple and family, friends and close relatives, for family photos.

The hari langsung, literally “the day of completion” , which also involves the bersanding or ceremonial seating on the dias, is considered the high point of a Malay Wedding.

In the morning before the bersanding ceremony the bride will change into new clothes, and various fashions may be tried out in selecting the dress to be worn for the bersanding. Popular bersanding fashions include those of from the Minangkabau tradition, Kelantanese styles as well as styles derived from the West.

WEDDING DAIS (PELAMIN)

Definition: A raised platform in a hall. Generally this is where the bride and groom are seated. Also used by florists to describe the bouquet on the bride and groom's table, which may cascade over the front of the table.

The Pelamin or Wedding Dais is specially created for the "bersanding" ceremony - the highlight and perhaps the most essential event besides the akad nikah (marriage contract) - in a traditional Malay wedding. It is usually grandly designed and gaily decorated, to create some symbolism of a king and queen sitting in state.

The highlight of a Malay Wedding is this Bersanding ceremony. The Malays call the wedded couple as "Raja Sehari" (Royals for the Day) and they are treated as such, like the use of yellow, for decorations and attires, which is the color associated only with royalties. The Bersanding ceremony is a way to show the married couple first hand in person, to all the relatives, friends and guests and to allow them to get to know the couple. The public will witness that the two have now tied the knot and are now husband and wife.

The pelamin, with seats for two on a raised platform, serves at least a dual purpose. For one, as royals for the day, the wedded couple "sitting in state" must, according to stature, be higher than their "subjects" or rather guests.

Secondly, guests and visitors are able to see more clearly the wedded couple (and the "merenjis" ceremony) when they are higher than the rest. Well, one of the reasons for a wedding ceremony is to enable the public and close relatives to know and recognise the newly married husband and wife. But alas, guests can also clearly see the embarassing blushes of the bride or groom on the dais! Oh well, let them be. They are royals for the day, and they can blush or laugh or cry or do funny things on the dais as they like, right? But on a day like this, when all eyes Skilled decorators are sought to create a wonderful theme for the wedding. To achieve the desired effect, the pelamin is usually made at least three to five days beforehand. This is to be in time for other decorations to be made in the hall or house compound to create a wonderful wedding atmosphere.

Of course, nowadays, especially in the towns, there are ready-made and packaged pelamin designs with the accompaniments like seats, cushions, etc., that can be assembled and fixed up quickly. But in the villages, skilled kampung carpenters usually make them from scratch and therefore more time is needed to make them ready.

Fragrant and beautiful flowers and floral arrangements always add to the liveliness and beauty of a place. And you can be sure that floral arrangements are part of the decorations for a pelamin. You will notice that at both sides of the dais there are some bouquet and bunches of floral arrangements, most often placed on a pedestal.

These are called "sirih junjung", with betel leaves making the bulk of the arrangement mixed with other beautiful flowers. As you know, Malay weddings always include the sirih (betel) leaves as an essential part of the wedding custom and tradition.

And usually, you will also find a pot or vase of "bunga telur" also on both sides at the front of the dais. A bunga telur is immediately given to those who do the "merenjis" ceremony -- the traditional sprinkling of rice, fragrant potpourri and scented water on the wedded couple. The seats used are usually specially created wedding chairs or sofa, although creative decorators can use normal chairs or sofa and make them look different and unique.

The wedding dais is usually decorated in the color of the theme for the wedding and also to match the colors of the costumes worn by the wedded couple. Well, in this page are samples of the pelamin for a Malay traditional wedding. Just observe the imaginative decorations used.

And observe the "sirih junjung" decorations on both sides (normally at the back) and the vases of "bunga telur" (at the front) of the pelamin.