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Glittering jewels and the echoes of a 17-gun salute marked the climax of wedding celebrations for the daughter of one of the world’s wealthiest men, the Sultan of Brunei.
Princess Hajah Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah, 32, and Pengiran Haji Muhammad Ruzaini, 29, were presented to the royal court in a lavish traditional ceremony at the Sultan’s 1,700-room palace on Sunday.
Sunday’s event marked the height of more than a week of festivities in the tiny oil-rich Muslim sultanate on Borneo island. The bride, dressed in a crystal-beaded beige and silver gown, was ushered into the throne-room by sixteen royal guards carrying ceremonial spears and shields. She was seated at the head of the hall in front of 3,000 guests, including Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Philippines President Benigno Aquino and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Visibly nervous, the groom, wearing beige and gold brocade to complement his wife’s ensemble, was escorted to the bridal dais, where the Sultan took Ruzaini’s hand and placed it on the bride’s forehead — a symbolic blessing and gesture of affection in Malay culture. The brief, 20-minute ceremony concluded with the state religious leader reading a prayer for the newlyweds asking for God’s blessing on the union.
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