KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 ― Women from the north peninsular states and Johor are the brides of choice for Malaysian men overall, according to local matchmaking firm Agensi Jodoh.

Its manager Zainudin Md. Jaafar said this was based on his observation in his decade-long career where close to 1,000 couples found their match through him, Malay daily Utusan Malaysia reported today.

"I am also not sure what is the distinction of women from the north, but based on my experience, many men select wives from there.

"For Johor women as well, maybe there are certain distinctions or characteristics that men desire in women from these states,” he was quoted saying.

On the other hand, he found that Malaysian women prefer men from Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, suggesting that they may prefer men from urban areas.

As for Kelantan men and women, they prefer to stick to someone from the same state, he said.

Zainudin said many of his female clients are those aged over 28 with good career and looks, adding that these professionals were using his services as many men were afraid to approach them.

"With a good career and highly-educated background, many men are certainly apprehensive of attempting to court them because they feel the wedding costs will surely be high,” he said.

Zainudin, who also serves politicians, artistes, dignitaries and Muslim clerics, said he has 800 male clients and 700 female clients that are still waiting to find their match.

His matchmaking agency only serves local Muslims and also accepts Malaysian women working abroad in countries such ae Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Brunei.

He said he sincerely wanted to help his clients find their match and added this is also part of the agenda to increase the numbers of Muslims and Malays.