Everyone loves a wedding
THERE are many scenic places in Miri with great potential for wedding photography.
The Resort City is, after all, well known for some of the best sunset spectacles, a few gorgeous beaches and locales teemed with nostalgically romantic Malay kampung houses.
Moreover, the Science Museum, Marina Bay Park, Tusan Beach, Taman Selera, Kuala Baram Wetlands, Taman Awam, Miri City Fan and Pustaka Miri are ideal spots for pre-wedding photo shoots as well.
Weddings are once-in-alifetime events, so they are special for the bride and groom and their families, according to wedding gallery owner Karen Then.
She fell in love with wedding gowns and the beauty business at a very young age, starting out as an apprentice before opening her own business — Karen Bridal Gallery — when she was not yet 18 — even before completing Form Five in Batu Niah. And she has not looked back since.
Her gallery imports new bridal gowns every three months from Taiwan, China, Singapore and West Malaysia. She usually provides six sets of wedding attires to the bride and groom for pre-wedding photo shoots, the tea ceremony and the actual wedding itself. She has an award-winning photographer in her team.
“Our prices are quite reasonable. To us, service is the most important. We always make our customers feel comfortable and let them have the best choices — from a full range of Chinese red gowns to traditional wedding costumes. We also have new gowns of every colour and style, modern or traditional, silk, organza, good lace, and all the ‘bling bling’ which many like for their evening gowns,” she said.
Karen Bridal Gallery provides many accessories for makeup, hair-dos and also rents out bridesmaids gowns in the latest colours of champagne, pale peach and lavender.
“Sometimes, the bridal couple only have to come with their own shoes for the wedding. We provide the rest!”
Karen’s team would travel aboard — to places such as Penang, Taiwan, Bali and even Europe — on request from clients.
“It’s not really expensive to do photo shoots overseas these days with relatively cheap air fares. But we do have some very great photos taken in Miri as well,” she said.
A bride who had her wedding in Miri recently, told thesundaypost: “I grew up here. My husband is from the Baram. So Miri is a good choice. For us and our families, we wanted only several things, including make-up, photography, well-chosen gowns and a wedding banquet at a hotel.
“My bridal walk into the banquet hall had to be special as I am the only daughter. It was once-in-a-life time moment — so precious. I just wanted to have a good wedding planner as well as happy and helpful hotel staff to ensure that moment was memorable. I am glad I also had a very good Master of Ceremony.”
“We didn’t have a church wedding but exchanged our vows on the beach with lots of flowers and balloons around us. To me, it was a simple public view of our marriage promises to each other and also an occasion for our families to recognise the contract.
Two hours later, after more touching up of our make-up and a change of clothes, we did our bridal walk into the banquet hall. It was a wonderful evening.” Bridal fairs Mirians can have a glimpse of the offerings at bridal fairs held from time to time in the malls.
thesundaypost recently met up with Kamarul Haji Midin, a pelamin consultant, and Kushiady Abdullah @ Liew of Busana Kerongsang Bridal. Both men are experienced wedding planners, often teaming up to plan the grandest weddings for their clients.
Kamarul has been working mainly on setting up what he called ‘unique pelamin’ or wedding stage Malay-style in Miri, Kuching, Brunei and even Kuala Lumpur. He attributed his success a special mentor whom, he said, made him what he is today.
The much sought after Kamarul is often commissioned to create pelamin but he pointed out it is not an easy job as the right ideas do not come immediately and it is quite common for him to burn the midnight oil to come up with the goods.
“It usually means 24 hours to plan and deliver, especially for back to back weddings — one Friday and another on Sunday — sometimes even Saturday,” he said.
As for Liew, he tries to ‘cover everything’ when doing Malay weddings with the help of his wife, Rozie Hamid — from bridal gowns to special Malay costumes. Sometimes, the wedding dresses are sewn by his wife, making them ‘extra special’.
According to both men, the Internet — mainly via Facebook and Whatsapp — is helping their business a lot. Inquiries pour in and they have to pick and choose. As they cannot do everything, they need partners from different racial backgrounds to help out.
Kamarul himself has a Chinese as well as a Malay business partner.
Liew’s wife is particularly well known for make-up.
“Local brides consider makeup the most important, so bridal cosmetics is a class by itself. Today in Miri, there are many make-up businesses. We really have to work very hard to stay relevant. Competition is really tough,” he said. Trends and styles Expos help wedding planners, make-up artists and bridal galleries to advertise their business.
And for Karen Then, the most important advertisement is still by word of mouth.
Many of the brides who got Karen to plan their weddings knew each other. So they helped to augment her clientele. This is the best advertisement. Traditionally, bridal shops are attached to local photo studios such as Typhoon, Soo Chiew and Universal. Some wedding photographers have also made a name for themselves in Miri and the country as a whole. They have been really good in promoting the wedding business which has helped many hairdressers and tailors to prosper.
Noted one hairdresser: “The more weddings in Miri, the better for us. Some women want their hair done in a special way for their weddings and we are there to provide the service.”
Kamarul, on the other hand, said Facebook helped to promote the styles, trends and settings of weddings in Miri.
Both he and Liew handle weddings in the kampongs as well as in hotels.
“We try to make our customers happy — that’s very important,” Kamarul said. Flowers for the bride Flowers — real or artificial — are very important in their line of business.
Kamarul said his staff often came up with good ideas for bouquets, wedding flowers and indoor decorations.
Artificial flowers are easier to use — fresh flowers are harder to find, especially in large quantity. So Kamarul does a lot of business with the local nurseries.
“We even have to find special ways to solve our problems. We try our best not to disappoint our customers,” he added.
According to a Malaysian florist who does wedding packages, one order she got recently was for RM10,000 worth of white roses. The florist managed all the floral arrangements — both in church and at the banquet. The wedding was very grand and everyone was impressed by the hall bedecked with lovely flowers.
The bride’s parents live overseas while the groom is from Sarawak. And according to the florist, having connections is important.
Weddings — besides being good for the economy of a town — are also important for the cultural and social development of a community. A public declaration of commitment to each other, a contract for life, a happy union or a communal affair, call it whatever you want, a wedding is still a special and memorable occasion for those involved.
Whether you opt for DIY or a wedding planner, Miri is a good place to have a wedding. Make it big or small as you wish, but ultimately, it should still be done in accordance with your wishes and there are wedding planners around to help you make your marriage one of the most meaningful and memorable days of your life.