PETALING JAYA, June 20 — Learning how to dance, self-made props and preparation notes all put into multiple decks.

That is what one Malaysian couple, Benjamin Wong, 34, and Megan Chin, 29, did just to have their dream wedding.

An Oscar movie-themed one, no less and they got additional time to plan it due to the Covid-19 pandemic that saw the big day being postponed.

The result was a film-themed extravaganza, which even featured a wedding walk-in to the tune of Star Wars’ Imperial March and the iconic dance scene from Dirty Dancing.

Still, as Wong spreadsheets can attest to, pulling the whole thing together was no small matter.

"He loves his decks,” said Chin with a laugh, as Wong pulled up his meticulously crafted slide deck outlining every detail of the reception ceremony.

"The amount of research and time he put into creating all the additional props; he put so much work into it, so it’s definitely a proud moment when people ask us about how we pulled it (the wedding) off.”

Wong chimed in to exclaim: "She has a natural flair for looking good in photos!”

"She looks totally believable as the movie characters, for me it takes additional effort to blend into the scene we’re trying to recreate.”

The couple also staged various wedding shots as film and comic book characters - including recreations of iconic movie posters.

While the couple had rented or purchased the costumes used, Wong created many of the additional props and embellishments himself.

"I had to learn everything from scratch, with the help of YouTube tutorials,” he said, as he proudly shows off his replica Green Lantern prop.

"It’s not always easy — it’s definitely an investment of time and money — but I’ve really enjoyed making these things and putting everything together.”

Chin meanwhile, said that the process was also one of compromise.

"He got his Star Wars, so I got my 80s dance routine,” she said slyly, in reference to the couple’s Dirty Dancing-inspired dance at the ceremony.

"We took lessons from a friend who's a dance instructor, and it took us nine months to get the routine down."

Now they’ve had a taste of the cosplaying life, the pair says they’re open to pursuing this interest further.

"I don’t know if I dare call ourselves cosplayers, but it’s definitely living a childhood dream to roleplay as these movie characters,” said Chin.

Wong added: "We’re not looking to be 100 per cent accurate or anything, it’s more about recreating the spirit of the film — and sharing our love for movies with each other.”