My Brother's Wedding

We flew back to Kelantan last Saturday to be with the clan for my youngest brother's wedding.  We were all grown-ups and married with children of our own when Balya came into our lives.  Agewise he is sandwiched between my two boys, Nazim and Faiz, and they were playmates everytime we balik kampung for the holidays.  My youngest sister then was close to 18 when Balya was born.  She was already well known as Mak Su La (Acu La for short) among the nieces and nephews and heaved a big sigh of relief for with a male younger sibling she can still retain the title.  With such a big age gap, Balya was raised much a loner, siblingwise, as those close to him were away in either boarding schools or colleges.  Ma passed away when Balya was in his early teens and he is shuffled between pondok schools without really graduating from any.

Time passed and with some start-up financial assistance from father he grew-up an entrepreneur. Too early to call him a success (though that is what we are wishing for him) but he is making a fine living for himself and employing a staff of eight (I don't have even a single soul under my employment!).  He met his match recently and with an elder brother mediating, his marriage was solemnised on July 21, 2011.  The majlis Kesyukuran Sambut Menantu (reception on the groom's side) was held on Sunday July 24, 2011.  The reason for us to be home. 

It would have been great had all my children and their family balik kampung together.  But with everybody having commitments of sort, it was just the hubby, Aiman and I that took the flight home.  Driving would have been too streanous for us and Aiman who have to skip school.  Thanks to AirAsia, the trip was affordable.  With the family home gathering crowd, we chose to lodge at a rented abode, a stone's throw away.  My youngest sister (Acu La) with her big family chose Zainun's Palace.  She was lucky, Pn. Zainun, the proprieter, was around when she checked-in.  She was offered the biggest room at the lowest charge.  Benefit of a small town community.

The bunting announcing the event

Arrival of the bride's entourage

The newly weds

The oldies (pengantin lama)

The newly weds, the siblings and father

Our threesome with father

Faizal teasing a younger sister

The family home was buzzing with activities when we arrived.  The kenduri tents were under construction and nieces and nephews were running around.  There wasn't much activities in the kitchen as we catered food needed for the reception.  Any cooking done in the house was to prepare the required meals for the family members present.  There was a heavy downpour late in the evening accompanied by strong winds drenching the workers working with the tents.  Everybody had to call it a day leaving with promise of coming in early tomorrow to finish the job.

We turned-up early Sunday to help with whatever job that needed attending to.  My husband and the men of the family busied themselves arranging the chairs and spruicing up the reception area. I turned to the kitchen.  We, the sisters, had earlier decided to share preparing the hidangan beradab between us.  I took to cleaning and preparing the prompfet for masak tiga rasa, the youngest sister took to preparing the steamed siakap and fruit cocktail, a niece the syrupy gula hangus pudding (she took the shortcut in ordering the ayam golek from a restaurant in town)!, a sister-in-law took to skewing the prawns and another cutting up the melons.  Later we have my brother's (the groom) staff bringing in the fern shoots (pucuk paku) and helped turn the vegetable to mouth-watering kerabu dish.  Gotong royong has never been this fun before!  I know Ma is smiling at us all for putting up this fine show together.

The full clan with in-laws, nieces and nephews

The first guest start arriving at about 12:30 pm and the flow went unabated until about past six!  This is a kampung setting and any time limit to a kenduri is a big no no.  The bride's entourage came in past 3:00 pm and were immediately usured to the the makan beradab table.  Then it was meeting the family and photography sessions.  All starts and ends well and we are all happy for Balya and his wife, Ayu, the brand new addition to the family.

Wishing you the very best Balya and Ayu dearest.