JOHOR BARU: The wedding ceremony for Tunku Tun Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah Sultan Ibrahim, 31 and Dennis Muhammad Abdullah, 28, has begun – much to the excitement of locals and tourists in the city.
A motorcade conveying members of the Johor royal family and their extended relatives and dignitaries was seen arriving at the venue of the morning events at the Istana Bukit Serene here.
Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar and Permaisuri Johor Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah arrived at the palace at about 8.45am. They were seen arriving in one of Sultan Ibrahim's blue and white Rolls Royces.
They were followed by other members of the royal family, including relatives who are members of the Pahang and Perak royal households, including Tengku Mahkota Pahang Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah and his consort Tengku Puan Pahang Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah Sultan Iskandar, who is Tunku Tun Aminah's aunt.
Other VIP guests include heads of state and governments from across the region.
Those on the guest list include the Sultan of Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and his consort Paduka Seri Baginda Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha.
Last to enter the palace this morning was Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
The lavish event will begin with the betrothal ceremony, followed by the ‘nikah’ or marriage solemnisation session.
Johor Mufti Datuk Muhammad Tahrir Shamsudin has the honour of conducting the solemnisation, with the consent of Sultan Ibrahim.
Dennis' family members, including his parents Martin and Henriette Verbaas, from the Netherlands, are among the special guests at the wedding.
Tonight, a bersanding (sitting-in-state) ceremony will be held at the Throne Room of the Istana Besar.
Johor folk will be able to watch a live relay of the ceremony this evening on big screens set up at Dataran Bandaraya and the Johor Baru City Council (MBJB) building.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean and their respective spouses are among dignitaries who will attend the sitting-in-state ceremony tonight.