Sweetly Malaysian
By Avery Khuan
Iconic tile patterns in various shades of blue and pink adorn the table from the tablecloth to sweet trays , flowers in romantic shades of red bloomed from their pots and vibrant colours of tea-time kuihs and snacks make you feel transported to another time and to another era. Even before Crazy Rich Asians hit the silver screens, Malaysian couples were making their heritage a part of their special day!
Some choose to theme their wedding around their roots starting from the bride-fetching ceremony right down to their dinner decorations while others, like Kieron and Jasmine, focus on a single aspect like this dessert bar we styled for the couple! They had requested for a dessert bar that was uniquely Malaysian and also celebrated their Asian roots.
Wooden elements artfully strewn across lent the table an old-timey feel while vibrant batik and Nyonya-patterns from rustic metal cans to individually wrapped chocolate bars evoked a sense of Malaysian-ness. Cheerful dancing ladies, sweet roses and elegant orchids lent the vibrant patterns a floral pop of colour and also softened the overall look. But the true star of the show was the food and desserts.
What is Malaysian food if not equally as colourful as the decorations? Old and young folk alike could not get enough of the various modern and traditional delicacies on display like onde-onde cupcakes, kaya puffs, peanut cookies (hup tou sou), kuih seri muka, angku kuih, haw flakes and more! Aunties even sneakily asked us if we had any more stashed somewhere! P.S. Food wasn’t the only thing they couldn’t stop taking. Pictures of the table were worth a million bucks!
As Alan Bradley says, “Gorging on sweets together creates as strong a bond between two people as being in love.” Kieron and Jasmine are in love and they started off their marriage on a sweet note with a table laden with their Malaysian favourites so, it only goes to say that sweet beginnings bring sweet endings.
