Mass Wedding

KUALA TERENGGANU: The success of the My Idol Raja Sehari 1Malaysia mass wedding has prompted the state government to plan another grand event this year. The inaugural state-sponsored event saw 10 couples including former footballer Mohd Shaharidan Jaafarudin taking part in the ceremony at Masjid Kristal here last October. Each couple also received RM5,000, wedding costumes and spent their honeymoon fully sponsored in Malacca. Kuala Terengganu parliamentary development officer Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh described the event as “a resounding success”, noting that some of the brides were already pregnant. “Last year's event saw 20,000 people, including tourists, attending the grand ceremony held at Dataran Syahbandar,” he said. Wan Ahmad Farid said this year's event would be grander the organising committee was sourcing for more goodies and honeymoon packages for the 10 lucky couples. “The scale of the event will depend on the budget given to us. However, it will be better than last year,” he said here yesterday. Wan Ahmad Farid said the committee, comprising representatives from state government agencies and the state Family Development Foundation, would meet soon to discuss plans for the mass wedding. “We aim to help couples who earn a low income realise their dreams for a grand wedding.”