Lock In For Life 💍

It has been 2 months since the wedding. I’m still in disbelief, wondering how so many months of planning, anticipation, and excitement boiled down to the happiest and most beautiful hours of my life that felt like minutes, and then boom!!, it’s over.

A day before, I just found out that Luqman has to prepare the dowry, or “mas kahwin” physically. You know, in this era where technology plays a big part in our lives, we thought Luqman could just transfer the money to my bank and print the receipt as a proof. Hahahaha, silly me. It didn’t work that way. I was anxious and flooded with all the what-if situations in my head. Getting a handsome amount of money within a day is impossible, especially during the weekend. The bank was closed. Luqman was on his way to my place, which took him half a day to get here. Plus, he was with his driver, and it might not be safe to carry a huge amount when you have a stranger around. Even if he could, he has a limited amount he can withdraw. On the other hand, I have limited ways to get money as I don’t really use my Malaysian bank that often. I only can withdraw money from ATM that has VISA. Thank God, my umi and ayah came to the rescue and had the money ready. So, Luqman could easily transfer the money to their bank account. Phew~

December is monsoon season on the east coast, so it is expected to rain. But we did not expect it to be that heavy. The weather was beautiful a week before my Nikkah. But the rain didn’t stop pouring when my big day approached. I went out with Luqman and his mom and sister to pick up our other dress. I was super anxious a day before and I could not stay still and followed my sister to pick the youngest from school. I remember all my parents, siblings, uncles, and aunties were busy preparing for my big day under the rain the night before. I could not thank them enough for their extra help. The night before went by pretty quickly. Everyone was busy preparing for the next day, and it felt weird because I used to do all the preparation for my friends’ weddings in the States, but it was my turn now. I didn’t really help much that night, plus I had to do my henna. My sister-in-law helped me with the henna. I was planning to go to sleep early, as that’s what I heard from my friends. I planned but didn’t happened. I did my henna and my skincare and looked at the clock; it was already 12:30 PM. My sisters and I slept together in my bedroom that night. The rain hasn’t stopped…

My brother knocked on my door the next morning when I awoke. He informed me that Fauzan, my non-biological twin, had just arrived. I nodded and tried to sleep again. The time was 5 a.m. I have to get up and ready at 6 a.m. I tried to close my eyes, but I couldn’t. I was both nervous and excited. It was my special day. It had finally arrived! I had no trouble getting out of bed that morning. When I entered the kitchen, my siblings and sister-in-law were already preparing the food. I showered and prepared myself. It continued to rain… In the interim, my photographer arrived and took some photos. I finished my makeup around 9:30 a.m. I was expecting Luqman’s side to arrive. Ayah approached me and requested my permission to marry me to Luqman. Ayah does not express his love in an obvious way. It was a touching moment for me.

The rain suddenly came to a halt. The sun finally came out. Luqman and Tok Kadi have arrived at my house. The MC tuned in selawat. I walked beside Umi to the pelamin. I saw Luqman in his white Baju Melayu. He looked good and neat. I was anxious as everyone was there waiting for the ceremony to start. The Tok Kadi proceeded with the ceremony, and he asked Luqman whether he knew how to ucap lafaz nikkah. Well, he said no. Everyone laughed. Luqman just goes with the lafaz nikkah he learned when we went to Majlis Nikah orang lain. The ceremony was done in 30 minutes. I did not expect it to be that fast and simple. We proceed with the ring exchange session. We were both awkward. Luqman was puzzled, as he didn’t know where to put the ring on my finger. And once again, everyone laughed. He is very good at making jokes.

I don’t really have an exact flow to my Nikkah ceremony. We just played it by ear since the rain hadn’t fully stopped. It drizzles sometimes, but we have canopies. We had makan beradab after that. Unfortunately, the caterer did not prepare the special food for the groom and bride. But I don’t really take it seriously, and that issue did not really affect me. We had a lot of food. I mean, a lot! My parents tend to be extra generous when it comes to giving food. Guests are king, y’know. We had gulai kawah, ayam masak merah, nasi minyak, fruits, and beverages from the caterer. On top of that, my family cooked extra food too. Some brought kuih-muih. My brother and his wife made Mee Kari, and my sisters cooked Colek Ayam. I don’t really eat much that afternoon. Maybe because I was so on a cloud. 

The MC was very good with her duty. She walked around and asked our family to give a speech on the spot. Luqman and I were not excluded. Luqman’s speech was funny. “Saya sangat bahagia hari ini, saya harap anda pun bahagia”, he said. This guy never fails to crack jokes. Everyone was pretty amused by his speech. Luqman’s family stayed until noon. Later that day, many more guests arrived. Umi and Ayah’s friends and extended families were mostly present. The rest of the day went even faster. Soon, it was an outdoor photoshoot. We went to the beach. I’m glad that the rain had stopped by then. The shoot was successful. We went home with half-wet clothes and sand everywhere. There were stains on my Baju Kurung and Luqman’s Baju Melayu. By the end of the day, I was exhausted. I was starving that night. And finally, I got to eat all the food. I would say that everything eventually falls into place. Months of worries were completely worth it. 

Even after a month, the feelings are still there. I’m deeply grateful for everyone who helped make our day so perfect and for the outpouring of love from people who’ve been an important part of our story.