Sadly, some couples feel pressured into splurging large amounts of money they don’t have on fancy weddings they don’t really need.
But there have been some brave souls who bucked the trend by celebrating their marriage in a way that doesn’t cost a bomb.
A young pair of newlyweds in Malaysia is making waves online for their simple and extremely budget-friendly nuptials, which came up to a grand total of RM1,000 (S$300).
Source: @wydsetan on Twitter
To save money, the bride wore old clothes and the groom’s family cooked all the meals.
Last Saturday (4 Mar), Twitter user @wydsetan posted a few photos from her wedding the day before.
In a follow-up tweet, she added that she did her own makeup and that all the photos were taken with a phone instead of hiring a photographer.
Source: @wydsetan on Twitter
Then, on Sunday (5 Mar), the OP shared a rough breakdown of what she and her husband spent money on.
This was in response to another user who asked what the absolute must-haves for a simple wedding are.
Besides the ring, the couple spent RM380 (S$115) on registering their marriage at the Islamic Religious Affairs Department, the dowry, as well as the imam and witness fees.
Source: @wydsetan on Twitter
Another RM200 (S$60) went to the food, and the bride got her gorgeous henna design done for RM55 (S$17).
Source: @wydsetan on Twitter
As for their outfits, she shared that they “bought clothes that can be worn for a long time”.
Speaking to mStar, the bride, 25-year-old Nur Ashiekin Johari Hamki, said that she and her husband Ahmad Farith Zulkefli, 26, agreed on having a simple ceremony as they did not want to waste any money.
The pair tied the knot at the Central Melaka District Religious Office on Friday (3 Mar).
Since there was already a wedding dais in the building, they decided to just take all their photos there.
Ms Ashiekin added that she wore old clothes and that her husband’s family offered to cook white rice and asam pedas dishes for the guests.
In total, they spent no more than RM1,000 (S$300) on their big day, including the ring.
As the eldest of nine children, Ms Ashiekin explained that she understands how hard it is to earn money, which inspired her to have such a simple wedding.
Her husband is self-employed and she only has a part-time job, so she thought it was more important to focus on life after marriage.
“We need money to buy furniture, food, and so on,” she mused. “There are a lot more things to spend money on after the wedding.”
Thus, Ms Ashiekin tried to keep her budget under RM1,000, which she said was “not difficult”.
“We just had to set aside what was important and necessary,” the bride explained. “You can also just use what you already have.”
While some people might worry about the impression such a no-frills affair could give off, Ms Ashiekin asserted that she never thought about what others would think of her.
“What matters is my life and my partner’s life,” she said. “This is enough for us. There’s no need to go into debt, and there’s no need to show off to others.”
That said, Ms Ashiekin acknowledged that as Muslims, they could not do away with customary practices.
She also emphasised the need to get consent from both sides of the family.
“You have to slowly explain to them what’s important and what’s not,” she said.
At the end of the day, Ms Ashiekin hopes that the story of her S$300 wedding will help other brides-to-be so that they do not become entangled in debt for the sake of a grand ceremony.
Ms Ashiekin and her husband have proven that you don’t need an extravagant banquet or other elaborate details in order to have a meaningful wedding.
After all, a wedding is only for a day, but marriage is for life.
Judging by how aligned the couple were in planning their big day, we think they’ll be able to handle anything that comes their way in the future. And that, we believe, is priceless.
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Featured image adapted from @wydsetan on Twitter.
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