Tunku Aminah and Dennis Muhammad pronounced husband and wife

The ceremony, held in Johor royal tradition, was witnessed by the Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar and Permaisuri Johor Raja Zarith Sofiah Almarhum Sultan Idris Shah, and close family members and friends.

Also present were the groom’s parents, Martin and Henriette Verbaas, his brother and sister, as well as close family friends who had flown in from the Netherlands to witness the wedding ceremonies.

According to a statement released by the Royal Press Office here today, Dennis Muhammad, looking smart and handsome in a traditional ‘baju Melayu Teluk Belanga’, solemnly affirmed his marriage to Tunku Aminah before the state Mufti, Datuk Muhammad Tahrir Shamsudin.

The groom was then led to a special room on the first floor of the palace for the ‘istiadat menyarung cincin’ where he placed the wedding ring onto Tunku Tun Aminah's fourth right finger. He also gave her a ‘mas kahwin’ or dowry of RM22.50.

The couple then jointly paid their respects by kissing the hands of their respective parents, as well as their aunts and uncles in the main lobby of the palace.

The families of the bride and groom had earlier exchanged other dowry or ‘hantaran’ comprising trays laden with gifts and which were carried into the hall by Johor Military Force personnel.

The gifts from the Johor royal family to the groom included a Quran, prayer mat, gold ring, a set of traditional ‘baju Melayu Teluk Belanga’ and ‘sampin’, ‘sirih junjung’ (betel leaf arrangement), a cake, the traditional ‘halwa maskat’ which is a sweetmeat, and ‘bunga rampai’ (potpourri of fine pandan strips and flower petals).

Earlier, during the engagement ceremony, retired State Secretary Datuk Ismail Karim, in his role as the foster father of Dennis Muhammad, formally requested for Tunku Aminah’s hand in marriage from her father, the Johor Sultan.

Following this, Dennis’s mother, Henriette, put an engagement ring onto Tunku Aminah’s fourth right finger.

The royal wedding ceremony will continue tonight with the ‘istiadat bersanding” (sitting-in-state) ceremony at Istana Besar (Grand Palace) here which will be attended by 1,200 guests.