The wedding preparation

Our engagement is unexpected but it shows sincerity. No engagment dowries, no celebration, no engagement dress n not even a piece of cake. Some might say it is such a rush. Well, i say its a blessed. Blessed in a way that everything went so smooth than we planned. Clearly, the old saying is true ; "When it is your fate, no one can take it away from you and God will make things went smooth".

After the ceremony, we went to Langkawi Harbour Park and ate some bread at The Loaf owned by our former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohd. Sight-seeing, talking and laughing with the ocean breeze. It is such a pleasant evening.

The next day, we did some shopping and flew back to KL. From there, we went back to his house which is opposite his sister's house. So i spend the night at his sister's. The next day, i went back to my rented apartment at Bukit Tinggi Klang. And it was there that i realize i am someone's fiancee. This feelings was strengthened when he sends me flowers on my 25th birthday, april 12th 2010. There's a card...

"Happy bitrhday to my beloved fiancee.." - Love, Your Fiance ; Abdul Halim Abu Bakar"

I couldnt erased those sentences from my mind for the rest of my life eventhough the flowers has long been wilted and died.

We engaged on February, my birthday was on April and on May he sent me a handmade Teacher's Day card. It was so lovely. I love it so much. TQ dear.

Time is running fast. My Oh my ! Its May!! Our big day was on 29th May. Less than a month, our preparation is almost completed. Here i listed several things that we've managed to prepare :

1) The invitation card and bunting
2) The wedding dress, pelamin and canopy
3) The photographer n videographer
4) The caterer
5) Bedroom set
6) Wedding car
7) Eggs with flowers, souvenirs and gift
8) Dowries
9) Groceries
10) The inai, Etc.

Well, dont expect me to list all things, the event involved many people, of course i couldn't remember the whole details.. Thanks so much to my parents and family for what they've done.

As I am very meticulous on what i did, i monitored every preparation personally two days before our wedding. My mother, maklang n me decorate the hantaran, my sisters and siblings prepare the eggs and flowers together with the souvenirs and gifts, & paksu and me decorate the wedding car until 3 a.m. in the morning. That's crazy..i need to sleep !

My advise to a bride to be is 1) get enough sleep and 2) rest well. Its really helps you to face your big and special day. And mine, has been so sweet until i will choose another blog entry to tells you about it =) So, dont missed it and see you on the next entry yaa ;)

The Engagement

A week after our unplanned return (upon my father’s request) to my hometown via AirAsia which cost both of us RM800 to and fro (I still cannot believe that we did that) ; me, him, and his family – together we flew back again to Langkawi from KLIA.

I still remember the arrival; it was Saturday around 11.30 in the morning, February 6th 2010. Two rented Multi-purpose Vehicles awaits us. Everything went very smoothly, and there we are, welcomed by my father, granddad,tok imam, my relatives and several elder respected folks. All of us sat in a semi circle at the center of my house. Oops! I’m not in the semi circle. I was with my mother. My mother? Well, you know where evergreen girls are ; they love to be in the kitchen – chit chatting, laughing, gossiping, etc. But I am not with my mother to chat, laugh or gossip. I was there to distance myself from the tense conversation at the center of my house.

My father, granddad, Tok Imam (pious man, trusted leader of Muslim prayer at a mosque), and the elder villagers, sat face to face with Halim’s family for the first time, talking about me, my marriage, my future.. How can I not feel the tense? Or at least feeling nervous? That is why one minute I am in the kitchen, one minute I am in my room, and then back to the kitchen again – helping mother and her girlfriends, attempting to make myself busy and trying to be cool.

With blouse and jeans, I’m serving drinks to peoples in the semi circle. Cold drinks. Hoping the conversation will become cooler, lighter and easier. The conversation, also known as the Merisik Ceremony is a ceremony where the family of a man will ask the family of his desired girl whether the girl already belong to someone or not. I know it is not practical anymore nowadays as man and woman already know each other before they send they parents to hand in a marriage to their girl. But in my case, it is a need to make his family and mine get closer to each other as both families are living in a state that is very far from each other.

Usually, after several month of Merisik Ceremony, Engagement Ceremony will be held to tie the knot between them (the bride and the groom to be) indicating that both of them belongs to each other. The Engagement will last for a week, 3 months, 6 months, a year, 2 years or more before marriage – depending on the deal between the two families during the engagement day. Also during the Engagement Day, representative of the man will ask the family of his loved girl about the mas kahwin (in India, they call it dowry – a gift in the form of money or others given by a groom specifically to his bride to show his love) and hantaran (money needed by the bride’s family to held a wedding). When these two details have been agreed, the date of a wedding will be chosen. And today is just the beginning for me – that was what I thought.

In Malay tradition, the Merisik Ceremony will then followed by the Engagement and finally, a wedding. But mine was special - 2 in 1. Two ceremonies take place just in one day! – that is not our plan. Thanks Allah (the Best Planner ever) to make it turns out like this – and it couldn’t have been any easier than this.

Our plan is, Merisik on February, getting engaged on Mac, marriage on May. However, during the Merisik Ceremony, his family started to ask mine about the mas kahwin and the hantaran – like people did on the Engagement Ceremony. Without realising that their discussion will change my status to someone’s fiancée, all of a sudden both families agreed about the amount of the mas kahwin and hantaran. In the eyes of the Tok Imam, a knot has been made. And so he declared us as fiancé and fiancée.

With blouse and jeans, I smiled as his mother put on the Merisik’s ring on my finger..and the engagement ring will be given on our wedding day - May 28th, 2010. I am now a fiancée of Abdul Halim, the love of my new blissful life.

Coincidence is how we met

After the engagement, people has been asking me, "is he your college mate?",or,"how did u met him?", or something like "so..he also a teacher la?"-attempting a lucky guess but with no luck.

Usually i will answer "no....(with a continously long dot and smile and with some understandable wink in my eye)" to end the first question, or "he's working in private sector at Sepang" for question number three. But for question number two...erm how to answer or put it into words that will not sound like "i met him in cyberspace"? What? don't show me that unbelievable face..its not my fault.

i love him. Everything about him.

Everything started after my friend ask me to join her in a website since i just ended my 4 years old relationship. The website created specifically for people seriously looking for their soulmate, i repeat, seriously. But i am not so serious. I am joining it for my friend. Like i'm signing up for Friendster, Facebook, that is why i'm signing up for MyJodoh.com..for fun - not realising my future husband was waiting for me there.

Many friends of the opposite sex (men) want to know me after i uploaded my photo..Yes, the above photo. It looks motherly..lovely..and friendly -that's what they said. I dont blame them. I should have put the worst photo of me -the one with lots of pimples hahhaa just kidding. But it is not the photo that attracted Halim..yes his name was Halim. He click my name because of my username - Nor Sheila Binti Reslan - it shows honesty he said. I like.

Receiving an email from him, i notice something special in his introduction. Not so pushy and not sounded like "i'm here just for fun", his writings shows determination in the softer way - the way i like. Simply said, it might be the chemistry and the fate. I like this guy.

The relationship blooms like roses after the rain. Alhamdulillah.

The beginning . The meeting .

This is the starting point of my sweet wedding memorial...brides and grooms-to-be are advised to listen to this entri first and foremost...

U might say i'm crazy if i tell u that the first time i met him, the purpose is really towards a wedding..ya,i know i am crazy.But he also crazy and i am happy with that coz i am not alone.. Hahhahhaahh ;)

Okay, it was 3rd january of 2010..not so sunny,not so cloudy..i remembered it was one fine morning...he fetched me at my apartment. We went out to Jusco Bukit Tinggi. After some bite to eat, he called my parent. Ya..he call my parent on the first day we met. Asking permision from my dad about being serious with me. Convincing enough, i smiled. The photo above is our photo taken on our first date. No comment. ;)

A month and 3 days later... his family, he and I went back to my hometown for a merisik ceremony that turns out to be a meminang ceremony. and the wedding date has been decided, 4 month from now. Ya i know, i am becoming insane. But no worries, all of us are hahhhahhh ;).

And from that on..we started to prepare...and the preparation is never complete until today.