Wedding A marriage ceremony, a time of uniting two people in marriage and rejoicing in the love they share.

The dictionary defines marriage as the social institution under which a man and woman establish their decision to live as husband and wife by legal commitments, religious ceremonies, etc. Every religion, region and country has different wedding traditions including cultures, customs and traditions, thats the way of weddings. There are some close similarities, yet they are still very different. Amongst many cultures which have influenced the land of Malaysia, for example, only a few have had a lasting impression. Some of these cultures happen to be the Malay culture and the cultures of its two most strong partners in trade- China and India. Malaysias wedding ceremony represents some mutual characteristics; there are equally surprising origins for such traditions depending on the local culture as the ring finger, wedding ring and engagement ring. In every culture, weddings are always very important events, so both of the bride and groom spent a lot to prepare their wedding. According to Malay wedding context, Malaysian law defines a Malay person as a Muslim, which Malay weddings are grand affairs where the couple is treated as royalty. The traditional wedding ceremony is in two parts. The first part is the akad nikah (marriage contract), which is the legal and religious part of the wedding. The second part is the bersanding (enthronement), which is a family celebration. It is usual for the two parts to be celebrated over two days. However, it is becoming common for there to be a gap between the parts of the wedding, during which the couple are legally married, but saving up for an elaborate bersanding. In cases where the couple have family spread around the world, a number of bersanding may be held in different countries to allow everyone to wish the couple well. Usually, both of the bride and groom wears baju melayu and baju kebaya or baju kurung with selendang as their custom clothes during the wedding. Like the Chinese wedding, it is assigned to bring the couple and their families together. Gifts are exchanged between the bride to be and grooms family. Gifts include money, soup, hemp ropes, wine and so on. This gift exchange also can last one to two years. Different cultures and different religions have different wedding traditions. Many people relate to the traditional church wedding but there are many different ways to celebrate this joyous occasion. Whether it takes five months or five years to prepare, happiness is always most important. In some cultures wedding ceremonies are carried out for more than one day

of celebration. A Chinese ceremony can take up to 3-4 years. During the wedding, the bride wears red cheongsam and red veil while the groom wears black upper cloth and red down cloth. Through an Indian wedding, in the beginning of the ceremony, there the young, tanned, dark haired male sits freshly groomed in a poised Indian style position under the mandap also known as a canopy. The flickering yellows, reds, and oranges of the fire that burns before him reflects off his and the face of the priest sitting next to him. They sit and wait for the beauty to appear before them, one obviously more anxious than the other; however, a bright white draped fabric is held in front of him. The soft, bright, white fabric is used to blind the young male of what awaits behind the simple divider. Viewed by all except for the most important individual of the two to be forever joined, appears a beautiful carriage with red and white flowers hanging from the sides being carried not by horses but by four first cousins. A beautiful Indian wedding between two individuals coupled together in front of loved ones. In conclusion, there are three different type of races in Malaysia; Malay, Chinese and Indian celebrating the wedding with their own way depending on their own perception, reliance, culture and traditions since the time of the ancestors. Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind. William Shakespeare.