How Long is a Malay Wedding?
Short answer: A typical Malay wedding reception in Singapore or Malaysia lasts between four and six hours. But you don’t have to be there the entire time. If you time it right, all you need is an hour. You can leave after you feast, congratulate the newlyweds, and pay your tax (duit salam).
Long answer: Malay weddings are multi-day affairs with numerous ceremonies and rituals, each with a specific length of time. In this article, we’ll look more closely at the various phases of a Malay wedding and how long they typically last.
Depending on the unique customs and traditions of the couple and their families, the length of a Malay wedding typically lasts between one and three days and up to seven days.
The length of the wedding celebrations can also change based on a number of factors, such as budget, number of guests, type of reception, and location. For instance, a wedding celebration with hundreds of guests held in a grand ballroom is likely to go on longer than one with fewer, more private guests.
1. Pre-Wedding Events: How long?
There are a number of pre-wedding activities that happen before the wedding itself. These activities, which can last anywhere from a few hours to a whole day, are significant components of the overall wedding celebration.
The first stage of a Malay wedding is the proposal event, or Merisik. At this point, the groom’s family formally approaches the bride’s family and suggests that the two families join together. Normally, this ceremony lasts about two hours.
The second stage of a Malay wedding is the betrothal ceremony, or Bertunang. This ceremony serves as a formal declaration of the couple’s engagement and impending nuptials. This ceremony, which can last anywhere between two and four hours, usually involves the groom’s family bringing gifts to the bride’s house.
2. Wedding Day: How long?
The main event in a Malay wedding is the Nikah, during which the couple officially becomes husband and wife. This event typically lasts between two and four hours and is mostly attended by family and close friends.
Following the wedding ceremony, there is a Bersanding or wedding reception, which can go on for a number of hours. Family and friends can congratulate the newlyweds at this lavish celebration of their marriage.
After the wedding reception, there is typically a feast, or Kenduri, where family and friends gather to enjoy a delicious meal.
Nowadays, the Bersanding and the feast is done at the same time and lasts between four and six hours as we mentioned earlier in the introduction
3. One to Three Days
To sum up, the length of a Malay wedding can range from one to three days, depending on the couple’s and their families’ unique traditions and financial constraints.
Also, it is not uncommon now to have a Malay Wedding that lasts just a day. The Nikah ceremony in the morning, and the Wedding reception and feast at noon or at night.
