Brunei Sultan's Daughter Weds in Elaborate Ceremony

Sunday, 23 September 2012 Glittering jewels and the echoes of a 17-gun salute marked the climax of wedding celebrations for the daughter of one of the world’s wealthiest men, the Sultan of Brunei. Princess Hajah Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah, 32, and Pengiran Haji Muhammad Ruzaini, 29,  were presented  to the royal court in a lavish traditional ceremony at the sultan’s 1,700- room palace on Sunday. Although the couple was legally wed on Thursday after signing the marriage contract, Sunday’s event marks  the height of more than a week of festivities in the tiny oil-rich Muslim sultanate on Borneo island. The bride, dressed in a crystal-beaded beige and silver gown, was ushered into the throne room by sixteen royal guards carrying ceremonial spears and shields. She was seated at the head of the hall in front of 3,000 guests,  including Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Philippines  President Benigno Aquino and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. Visibly nervous, the groom, wearing beige and gold brocade to complement his wife’s ensemble, was  escorted to the bridal dias where the sultan took Ruzaini’s hand and placed it on the bride’s forehead — a  symbolic blessing and gesture of affection in Malay culture. The monarch also bestowed the groom with the royal title “Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak”, which roughly  translates as “Son of His Highness” and is reserved only for the upper tiers of Brunei’s aristocracy. Two pots of crystal flowers, with eggs tied on to the stalks, were  placed next to the bride and groom on the  dias to represent the hope of a fertile marriage. The brief 20-minute ceremony concluded with the state religious leader reading a prayer for the newlyweds  asking for God’s blessing of the union. As the smiling couple was ushered out of the room by the bride’s younger brother Prince Abdul Mateen, they took turns to kiss the hands of the royal family, including the monarch and Queen Saleha. A state banquet will be held in the evening, where Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and other foreign dignitaries are expected to attend. Queen Elizabeth II also sent a message to the Brunei royal family — which  has ruled the sultanate for 600 years — congratulating the newlyweds and wishing them “a happy wedding day and many blessed years together”. The pomp and pageantry of the royal wedding is a rare source of excitement in Brunei, which is known for its slow pace of life and lack of nightlife — alcohol is largely banned under Islamic practice. It is the first time one of the sultan’s children — five sons and seven daughters from three marriages — has married since 2007. Hafizah, who has a degree in business administration, is the fifth child of the sultan and  Queen Saleha and works as an officer at the finance ministry. Ruzaini is a civil servant in the prime minister’s office. The sultanate, which dates back to the 15th century, is a Malay  Muslim absolute monarchy which gained full independence from Britain in 1984. Situated on a sliver of Borneo island, with Malaysia and Indonesia occupying the rest, it is a major producer of oil and liquefied natural gas. The energy wealth has brought Brunei’s citizens, who number fewer than 400,000, one of the highest per capita incomes in Asia. Sultan of Brunei's Daughter's Wedding May Cost $20 Million, is Going on for a Week Possibly the most lavish wedding the world has ever seen happened Friday, in Brunei, where the Sultan's daughter Hajah Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah, 32, married a 29-year-old civil servant. The ongoing week-long celebration is estimated to involve 2,000 guests and will end this Sunday night when the newlyweds are presented at court. The ceremony itself, according to the UK paper The Daily Mail, took place in the Istana Nurul Iman Palace, a 1,700 room palace that's home to the Sultan and his family. The princess's older brother, heir to the throne of  Brunei, married in 2004  at a speculated cost of   $5 million, reports say, but wedding planner Maya Kalman, founder of Swank Productions in New York City confirmed Yahoo! Shine's suspicion that this wedding might cost much  more than that. "The rule of thumb for our average luxury wedding is $1,000 per guest," Kalman says. "I would guess timate that a no-holds-barred event like this could easily be $15 to $20 million." Those figures include only wedding itself.  Additional celebrations throughout the week could be an additional $15 to $20 million, Kalman speculates. -- Valerie Isakova -http://shine.yahoo.com
Pix: Bernama   The bride, dressed in a crystal-beaded beige and silver gown, was ushered into the  throne room by sixteen royal guards carrying  ceremonial spears and shields.      http://muafakatmembawaberkat.blogspot.com/2012/09/brunei-sultans-daughter-weds-in_24.html Brunei's newly wed bride, Princess Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah, poses during her wedding ceremony with Muhammad Ruzaini at the Nurul Iman Palace in Bandar Seri Begawan today. Pix: Reuters The brief 20-minute ceremony concluded with the state  religious leader reading a prayer  for the newlyweds asking for God's blessing of the union.  PENGIRAN HAJI MUHAMMAD RUZAINI BERSAMA AYAHANDA DAN BONDAnama Pix: Bernama As the smiling couple were ushered out of the room by the bride's younger brother Prince Abdul Mateen, they took turns to kiss the hands of the royal family, including the monarch and Queen Saleha.    Puteri Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah(32) mengahwini Pengiran Haji Muhammad Ruzaini(29. Puteri Hafizah merupakan anak ke-5 Sultan Brunei dengan isterinya Permaisuri Saleha. Kedua pengantin ini merupakan kakitangan kerajaan dan Puteri Hafizah yang menpunyai degree dalam Business Administration bekerja sebagai pegawai di kementerian kewangan dan Pangiran Ruzaini pula merupakan penjawat awam di Pejabat Perdana Menteri. Tahniah kepada pasangan diraja ini oleh kami di AmazingNara.Com. Semoga kekal ke anak cucu!!   The Royal couple Princess Hajah Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah and Pengiran H aji Muhammad Ruzaini prays at the end of the sitting-in-state on the royal dais ceremony at Istana Nurul Iman. Pix: AFP        MAJLIS ISTIADAT NIKAH @ MASJID SOAS BSB      ISTIADAT BERBEDAK PENGANTIN DIRAJA DI BALAI SINGGAHSANA INDERA BUANA  ISTANA             Istiadat Perkahwinan Diraja Yang Teramat Mulia Paduka Seri  Pengiran Anak Puteri Hajah Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah binti  Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda  Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah  dengan Yang Mulia Pengiran Haji Muhammad Ruzaini  bin Pengiran Dr.Haji Mohd.Yakub (MAJLIS  ISTIADAT MEMBUKA GENDANG JAGA-JAGA  DI LAPAU BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN).      JUNJUNG ZIARAH SEMPENA HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI 2012 DI ISTANA NURUL IMAN (PAGI)   http://www.malaysiandigest.com BANDINGKAN DGN PACKAGE PERKAHWINAN DI MALAYSIA