With more than 20 years of experience, Fadila Rahmatika believes it is her calling to revive the authenticity of Javanese wedding customs and restore their cultural essence, given that many Javanese-themed weddings in Malaysia tend to veer from custom.
According to her, such weddings in Malaysia often focus on bridal attire – but a true Javanese wedding is incomplete if only the bride and groom embrace the theme, while others, such as family members and “rewang” (wedding helpers), do not.
Traditionally, women wear kebaya and men wear batik shirts, creating a cohesive and authentic atmosphere, the 40-year-old added.
Fadila shared this insight with Bernama after being part of the wedding of Nik Nur Elly Ezlieana Salikhin and Muhammad Iqbal Sairi in Kampung Linau Kecil, Bukit Pasir, recently.
Fadila, who runs a bridal make-up business with her two children, stressed that meticulous planning is crucial for an authentic Javanese-themed wedding. Every detail must adhere to the customs and original traditions practised in that part of Indonesia.
“For this ceremony, with the support of the family and the bride’s father, we had to prepare everything within three weeks. This included the dishes, traditional performances, and many other essential elements,” she said.
Fadila was excited to introduce the authentic customs of Javanese weddings to the locals, including dishes such as rawon, kulit lembu, asam pedas urat lembu, sambal goreng and bakso.
The guests were also entertained by a Barongan performance, a traditional element often overlooked in local ceremonies.
In addition to the bridal attire, the “pelamin” (wedding dais) was adorned with floral and coconut leaf decorations – elements that play a crucial role in highlighting the distinctiveness of Javanese wedding traditions.
“Customarily, the bride and groom also wear several outfits representing different regional traditions, such as Solo Javanese, Jogja Javanese, and Sundanese customs, adapted to Muslimah attire,” she noted.
Meanwhile, Nik Nur Elly Ezlieana shared that they had decided on a Javanese theme for her wedding as a way to honour the heritage of her ancestors, who hailed from East Java.
“Most Javanese-style weddings in this country have been blended with modern concepts, which has diluted their authenticity,” Elly said, adding that this is why she had reached out to Fadila through social media to bring her traditional vision to life.