Johor royal wedding on Aug 14
TUNKU Tun Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah Sultan Ibrahim will marry commoner Dennis Muhammad Abdullah in a private ceremony.
TUNKU Tun Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah Sultan Ibrahim, the only daughter of Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar and Permaisuri Johor Raja Zarith Sofiah, will marry commoner Dennis Muhammad Abdullah in a private wedding ceremony at Istana Bukit Serene here on Aug 14.
Johor Council of the Royal Court president Datuk Abdul Rahim Ramli said yesterday Tunku Aminah, 31, and Dennis, 28, will tie the knot in accordance with traditional Malay and Johor palace culture.
Dennis, born Dennis Verbaas in Lisse, the Netherlands, converted to Islam on May 31, 2015.
Earlier this year, Dennis achieved outstanding results in written, oral and practical Islam under the tutelage of former state secretary Datuk Ismail Karim.
“The state ceremonial flag will be raised on Aug 8 to mark the start of the royal wedding ceremony,” Rahim said.
A tahlil and thanksgiving prayer will be held at the Pasir Pelangi mosque on Aug 10 before the betrothal ceremony on Aug 14 at 10am.
“This will be followed by the (marriage) solemnisation ceremony, which will be conducted by Johor Mufti Datuk Muhammad Tahril Shamsudin.
“The bersanding ceremony will be held at the Throne Room of Istana Besar on Aug 14, while the royal bathing ceremony will be held at the Bukit Bintang Pavilion, Royal Botanical Gardens of Istana Besar on Aug 15.”
The newlyweds will pay their respects to Johor’s late sultans at the Mahmoodiah Royal Mausoleum the day after the bathing ceremony.
Dennis studied at the Fioretti College Hillegom before pursuing vocational studies in mechanical engineering at the ROC Leiden, both in the Netherlands.
He has loved football since he was 6 and turned semi-professional for a football club in Lisse and VV Katwijk.
His love for travel had brought him to Johor, where he worked with the Johor Football Association as manager of the JDT Concept Store and Cafe.
After that stint, Dennis, who also loves cycling, reading and motorcycle riding, worked at the Tampines Rovers Football Club in Singapore as a marketing manager.
Tunku Aminah, the second of six children, studied at the Johor Baru Convent School and Sekolah Sri Utama Johor Baru before furthering her studies at the Australia International School and LaSalle School of Fashion and Design, both in Singapore.
Tunku Aminah, who loves horse riding, jogging and hiking, was appointed president of the Johor Darul Takzim (JDT) Football Club last year and helped her brother, Tunku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, who is the Football Association of Malaysia president, bring Malaysian football to greater heights.
She serves as patron to the Johor Baru International Festival City and Johor Baru Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
As news of the impending nuptials began to spread yesterday, happy Johoreans were eager to congratulate the couple.
The New Straits Times spoke to several people who rejoiced at the news.
Nurhidayah Abdullah, 24, an administrative employee, said she was a big fan of JDT and congratulated the Johor royal family.
“I learnt about the news of the wedding today and am happy for the couple.”
Hafizah Sufian, 22, a student of textile design, said she respected the couple’s wish to have a private wedding, but if there were a public gathering, she would love to attend to catch a glimpse of the newlyweds.
“Johor is going to have another big event, and I can’t wait for it.”