Story and photos by Simon Khoo
Tuesday July 17, 2007
MANY couples were married on 07-07-07, because the date is considered auspicious for tying the knot, but few would have had the romantic garden wedding that R. Tavanesh and his long-time sweetheart Ida Jennifer John had.
Instead of being one of many in a cramped urban venue, the couple was wed in the garden of an English-style bungalow perched on a hill in Brinchang, Cameron Highlands.
Standing in the cool mountain breeze amidst a beautiful view, the couple was serenaded by chirping birds and a string quartet - comprising a violin, viola, flute and a cello - which played Tavanesh and Jennifer’s favourite songs during the wedding ceremony.
Special moment: Tavanesh and Jennifer walking down the red carpet.
Deciding to give the temple and church a miss, the couple exchanged vows and rings, and lit a unity candle together before cutting the wedding cake.
While Tavanesh, 27, read out his vows, Jennifer, 30, sang hers in the tune of “Phantom of the Opera.”
Tears are often shed at weddings and several of the 70-odd family members and close friends did no different.
“I have attended many weddings before but this is my first time at a garden wedding.
Time to tango: Friends of the couple letting their hair down.
“The whole ceremony was so magical and romantic. My eyes were tearing throughout,” a close friend, Amutha Sashitharan, 30, said of the ceremony.
Another friend, Jessica Tan, 25, who came with five others from Kuala Lumpur, likened the wedding to a scene from the movies.
“A lot of hard work and planning had been put in to make the event a success,” she said, adding that Cameron Highlands was an ideal location as guests were able to go sightseeing and do some shopping after the event.
For the couple, who have known each other for nine years, the wedding took seven months of careful preparation.
“I wanted my wedding to be in a place where my guests could be in a naturally cool environment,” said Jennifer, an agency executive with AIA insurance.
She said they chose July 7 as her husband had proposed to her on her birthday last year, which fell on another special date – June 20 (20-06-2006) – at KL Tower.
“Looking for an ideal garden was the toughest part of the planning,” she said, adding that both of them made many trips to look for the ideal location together with her aunt, who works at a tea plantation nearby.
Melodious: A string quartet performing during the reception.
“We both prayed very hard for the weather to be favourable and it turned out just as we wanted it,” Jennifer said, adding that it took her seven months to write her vows to the music.
Tavanesh, who is a content support manager for a mobile services company, said: “It took me like forever to write my vows as I wanted each word to be meaningful.
“To me, she is the most special and wonderful person in my life and I will cherish her in my heart forever,” he said. -- The Star.
1 comment:
Hi Jan. Surprise after surprise for me this week. I'm Tavanesh and thanks alot for putting up the article about our wedding in Cameron Highlands. Stumbled upon your blog while looking for my old blog under my name. Cameron is indeed such a beautiful place.
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