A Union of Two Souls
The marriage of Muhammad Rahmat Geneid and Chika Tatsuzawa is a heartfelt celebration of true love and cultural differences
A coming together of love and culture in the marriage of Muhammad Rahmat Geneid and Chika Tatsuzawa
The story of how Muhammad Rahmat Geneid met his bride sounded as if it was from a script of a rom-com movie. The articulate lawyer was having his dinner at a restaurant when he noticed a group of ladies seated across his table, laughing merrily. Out of those ladies, one in particular caught his attention, a bubbly Japanese beauty by the name of Chika Tatsuzawa. Bedazzled by her and caught up in the moment, he signalled a passing waitress, wanting to pay for their meal.
When the waitress returned to his table, she informed him that Chika and her friends would like his company as a thank-you gesture. Buoyed by the reciprocation of interest, Muhammad made his move soon after and eventually won over his lady. It was only much later that he found out that Chika and her friends never actually invited him over in the first place. The waitress, out of her own effort, played Cupid on his behalf and gave him an opening to woo the woman of his dreams. While the couple never got to find out the particular waitress’s name, they definitely had her to thank for setting up their romantic relationship.
It was a difficult time during the first stages of their relationship, as the couple went through a long-distance courtship with Chika working as an air hostess and Muhammad based in London for his studies at that time, then later practicing in Kuala Lumpur. Despite those trying times, their love grew stronger as they learned to cherish each other and the precious moments they could spend together. Muhammad soon developed the courage to propose to Chika while the couple were at Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur.
Putting together the wedding celebration was an exciting process as it spanned
two cities with two distinctly different cultures. The sheer effort and logistics required to execute the wedding plans made the overall experience a memorable one. Both ceremonies were organised with consideration of the couple’s cultural roots, with details like bilingual emcees and planned itineraries created beforehand for guests in both cities, to ensure that the entire celebration was enjoyed by everyone.
The first segment of the wedding was the akad nikah ceremony. The event, held at the groom’s private residence had the home stunningly decorated in such a way to depict a floral wonderland. The bride’s parents, Kazuya and Fumiko Tatsuzawa were present at the ceremony with some of their family members and close friends having flown in from Japan. Guests were seen dressed in their finest traditional outfits for this joyous ceremony. The solemnisation began with a gift exchange session, followed by the exchanging of vows and rings. The couple then proceeded to indulge in three rounds of nasi temuan,a local Sarawakian wedding game symbolising teamwork in a marriage. Over dinner, a sand artist documented the couple’s love story in a stunningly creative manner.
Two weeks after they were pronounced husband and wife, close friends and family of the couple gathered once more, but this time in accordance with the bride’s cultural roots. The Japanese ceremony was held in the iconic
Putting together the wedding celebration was an exciting process as it spanned two cities with two distinctly different cultures
Meiji Shrine in Tokyo and it was an exciting ritual as most guests turned up dressed in kimonos and hakamas for the day.
The Meiji Shrine’s ritual musicians and priestess led the bridal procession into the shrine which signifies the beginning of the Shinto ceremony. Once inside the shrine, the formalities of the wedding commenced officially. The ceremony, only witnessed by close family members, was to ‘purify’ and marry the couple, as per Japanese custom and tradition. While waiting for the ceremonial proceedings to be completed, the guests took the opportunity to take pictures of themselves in their Japanese attire on the grounds of the shrine.
After completing the ceremony, the happy couple re-emerged and led the guests to the Meiji Kinenkan for the dinner reception. As a symbolic gesture to showcase the coming together of two families, the three couples, consisting of the newlyweds and both their parents, broke a barrel of sake at the start of their dinner reception. Beautifully and meticulously planned, the entire wedding celebration was a grand affair, proving that love transcends all.