Johor princess marries Dutchman
JOHOR BAHRU: Johor princess Tunku Tun Aminah Sultan Ibrahim and Dutch-born Dennis Muhammad Abdullah were yesterday pronounced husband and wife after their “akad nikah” (solemnisation of marriage) ceremony at Istana Bukit Serene, here.
The ceremony, held in Johor royal tradition, was witnessed by the Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar and Permaisuri Johor Raja Zarith Sofiah Almarhum Sultan Idris Shah, and close family members and friends.
Also present were the groom’s parents, Martin and Henriette Verbaas, his brother and sister, as well as close family friends who had flown in from the Netherlands to witness the wedding ceremonies.
According to a statement released by the Royal Press Office here yesterday, Dennis Muhammad, looking smart and handsome in a traditional ‘baju Melayu Teluk Belanga’, solemnly affirmed his marriage to Tunku Aminah before the state Mufti, Datuk Muhammad Tahrir Shamsudin.
The groom was then led to a special room on the first floor of the palace for the ‘istiadat menyarung cincin’ where he placed the wedding ring onto Tunku Tun Aminah’s fourth right finger.
He also gave her a ‘mas kahwin’ or dowry of RM22.50.
The couple then jointly paid their respects by kissing the hands of their respective parents, as well as their aunts and uncles in the main lobby of the palace.
The families of the bride and groom had earlier exchanged other dowry or ‘hantaran’ comprising trays laden with gifts and which were carried into the hall by Johor Military Force personnel.
The gifts from the Johor royal family to the groom included a Quran, prayer mat, gold ring, a set of traditional ‘baju Melayu Teluk Belanga’ and ‘sampin’, ‘sirih junjung’ (betel leaf arrangement), a cake, the traditional ‘halwa maskat’ which is a sweetmeat, and ‘bunga rampai’ (potpourri of fine pandan strips and flower petals).
Earlier, during the engagement ceremony, retired State Secretary Datuk Ismail Karim, in his role as the foster father of Dennis Muhammad, formally requested for Tunku Aminah’s hand in marriage from her father, the Johor Sultan.
Following this, Dennis’s mother, Henriette, put an engagement ring onto Tunku Aminah’s fourth right finger.
The royal wedding ceremony continued last night with the ‘istiadat bersanding” (sitting-instate) ceremony at Istana Besar (Grand Palace) here attended by 1,200 guests.
Meanwhile, a Singaporean was among several admirers of the Johor royal family who arrived early outside the entrance to Bukit Serene, here, yesterday to record the historic moments of the marriage of the Sultan’s only daughter, Tunku Tun Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah Sultan Ibrahim and Dennis Muhammad Abdullah from the Netherlands.
Zaki Zakaria, 22, could not hide his joy and excitement went he gathered together with members of the local and foreign media outside the entrance to the palace to capture pictures and video of the auspicious occasion.
“I started becoming interested in the Johor royal family after I met Tunku Tun Aminah at a cafe in the city one year ago.
“The princess was friendly and I really like her personality and fashion style,” he said when met outside Istana Bukit Serene, yesterday morning.
An architecture student of Temasek Polytechnic, Zaki is also a fan of the British royal family and he always follows the developments involving both royal families via the conventional and online media.
“Just after dawn, accompanied by my father, I crossed over to Johor Bahru just to capture this historic event,” said Zaki.
The blue Rolls-Royce car carrying the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar was seen entering the palace grounds at 8.45am.
About an hour later, a black Rolls-Royce with the Tunku Mahkota Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim was seen arriving at the palace.