KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 10 — With Valentine’s Day just around the corner and wedding season in full swing, one cannot help but be in the mood for love.
Even more so for Malaysians, who are still swooning over the recent unions of two of the most high profile couples in the country.
First, it was Malaysian sweetheart Yuna, who tied the knot with her director husband Adam Sinclair last month.
It has been dubbed “the most beautiful celebrity wedding ceremony in Malaysia thus far”.
And last week, power couple Chryseis Tan — Berjaya Group heiress and daughter of business tycoon Tan Sri Vincent Tan — and SM Faliq Nasimuddin — group managing director of Naza TTDI and son of the late Tan Sri Nasimuddin Amin — got hitched in a dreamy wedding ceremony that set the bar high.
Malay Mail spoke to some of the people who had a hand in creating the two dream weddings.
Perfect setting
Not a stranger to celebrity weddings, YSA Events was responsible for producing the canopies for both nuptials.
In Yuna’s event, all four canopies were adorned with tropical leaves, flowers and 10,000 naked light bulbs — as well as tables and Chiavari chairs.
Judging by the pictures and videos splashed on social media, the couple’s private solemnisation ceremony that took place on the grounds of Puncak Rimba resort in Pahang, looked like a Instagram-worthy fairytale come true.
Wedding planning duties fell on The Calla.
Amir Firdaus, founder and managing director of YSA Events, said Yuna and her family, especially her mother, were really trusting.
“They were not fussy and knew exactly what they wanted, which made working with them fun,” said Amir, who was hired three months prior to the wedding.
The venue, however, came with its challenges. There was only one way to get to the hilltop — via a narrow bridge.
When it rains, the river below it rises, causing the bridge to flood.
And rain it did on the wedding day. The solemnisation ceremony was delayed by almost three hours.
Due to the flood, some guests — including the tok kadi — were stranded at the foot of the hill, before Amir and his team ferried them in his four-wheel drive.
It also rained two days before the big day, when YSA Events and The Calla were still busy setting up.
Amir brought his team of 40 while Nadia Nadzri from The Calla was there to check on her staff when it began to rain heavily.
“The rain went on for hours. It started at about 5pm and only stopped at about 1am. We were stranded because of the flood, and there weren’t any food,” said Amir.
“We could only leave when the flood subsided at about 7am the next day.”
But like Yuna mentioned in one of her Instagram posts, everything happened for a reason.
Two days later, Amir and his team worked on Chryseis and Faliq’s wedding.
Themed “English garden”, The Chateau in Bukit Tinggi was transformed into a dream setting for the ceremony.
His company provided its signature canopies — as well as tables and chairs.
He was asked to finish the setup a day earlier than planned as the bride’s father wanted to take a look — from the top, in a helicopter.
“It was definitely nerve-wracking, I couldn’t sleep until I knew everyone was satisfied. Thankfully, Tan Sri was happy with the outcome, despite some minor changes,” said Amir.
Another challenge was the hot weather during the wedding, which was held at noon.
“It was the bride’s wish to have an outdoor setting for her big day, so she insisted on using transparent marquee tents,” he said.
“We draped the tents with pieces of cloths to shield the guests from the sun, but it still didn’t stop the temperature under the tents from going up. There were four canopies, and usually we have two units of air-conditioners for each. In this case, we used 24 units.”
The team was on standby to refill cooler gas for the air-conditioners.
Amir said Chryseis and Faliq’s wedding, while small with only 150 guests, was spectacular, so much so it felt like it was straight out of a movie.
“Chryseis and Faliq, while humble and easygoing, were truly a power couple, and their wedding reflected that,” said Amir.
A dais like no other
A major talking point for the wedding of Yuna and Adam was the dais, which took three days to complete.
The dais, a departure from the usual ones seen at Malay weddings, caught so much attention on social media, with many brides-to-be expressing their desire for a similar one but with a cheaper price tag.
Its estimated cost was RM70,000, according to Firdaus Othman, the creative director of The Calla who designed it.
Besides the dais, The Calla was also responsible for the decoration as well as planning Yuna’s malam berinai (henna night) to the dinner reception.
The company, founded by best friends Raihan Zubir and Nadia 10 years ago, also provided decoration for Adam’s family reception at Platinum Park in Kuala Lumpur.
It was only their third celebrity wedding, and admittedly they felt nervous when they first took the job, but were excited and honoured at the same time.
“It started when Adam ordered flowers from me to be sent to Yuna as a gift. This was when they were dating,” said Nadia, who also owns Flores KL, which provided centrepieces for the wedding.
“Yuna liked the flowers so much that she ordered more to give to her friends and her mother. She later found out about The Calla, and hired us to handle hantaran for their engagement ceremony.
“She was very happy with our work and naturally, she decided to hire us for her wedding as well.”
Nadia said Yuna was such a breeze to work with.
“She had a lookbook that had everything she wanted for her dream wedding — from the theme, colours, decor, flowers, to her dresses and even how the tables and chairs should look like,” said Raihan, who was presented with it three months prior to the big day.
The first course of action for The Calla was to look for the perfect venue, and it was their suggestion to have it at Puncak Rimba.
“Garden weddings in Malaysia always end up at the same location such as Janda Baik or Aman Rimba. We wanted somewhere different,” said Nadia.
“A good friend of ours owns a villa at Puncak Rimba, so we asked if the place could be rented for the wedding.
“The owner agreed so we brought the couple to look at the place, and they instantly fell in love with it.”
Nadia added the rain was a blessing in disguise.
“The venue turned into this magical setting, with fog rolling in, which made for a beautiful view.
“The weather stayed cool throughout the day. Yuna told us it turned out to be the best day of her life, which made us all very happy.”
Tips for a chic but affordable wedding
Here are tips from the two teams for a wedding that won’t leave you broke.
- Keep the guest list small
- It goes without saying you save more by inviting fewer people. Some 100 to 150 people is a good number. Plus, it will help make your big day an intimate one.
- Get family and friends to help
- Why hire people when you can get family members and friends to help out? Be it catering, decor, packing door gifts or entertainment, there is bound to be someone you know who can lend their talents.
- Book the venue early
- Recce as many places as possible, and as early as you can to find one that suits your budget. Some halls can go for cheap but you must book it a year in advance.
- Simple outfits
- Cannot afford a designer dress? Fret not, you can always go to a trusted tailor to recreate your chosen look or opt for a simpler design. We do not recommend renting — it is your big day after all.
- Mother Nature is the best
- Opt for a simple outdoor wedding and use the beautiful greenery as your backdrop rather than having to build one from scratch.
