KUALA LUMPUR: An estimated crowd of over 10,000 guests gathered in Muar, Johor, this afternoon for the wedding reception of Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and popular actress Bella Astillah.
Conceived as a kenduri rakyat (people's feast), the grand affair drew well-wishers not only from the local community, but also from across Malaysia — including Perlis, Kedah, Terengganu, Kelantan, Sabah, and Sarawak — as well as neighbouring Singapore.
Although official proceedings were scheduled to begin at 1.30pm at the Yong Sheng Banquet Hall, eager crowds had started lining up as early as 6am.
By the time the newlyweds arrived, a massive, snaking queue had formed under the blazing sun.
Police officers and civil volunteer corps personnel were on hand to escort the couple safely into the venue as excited onlookers surged forward.
Addressing the crowd, Syed Saddiq thanked everyone for their overwhelming support.
"I asked for her (Bella's) permission to keep my speech brief because I want to spend as much time as possible with the people who have been waiting outside in the blazing heat for hours.
"We are deeply indebted to everyone who came — some travelled from Perlis, Kedah, and Terengganu, others flew in from Kuching, and some even drove up from Singapore.
"We apologise from the bottom of our hearts for any shortcomings.
"We never expected people to start queuing as early as 6am all the way until 2pm, so we will do our best to meet as many of you as possible," the Muar MP said.
The couple, affectionately known as BASS, turned heads in matching light blue traditional Malay outfits adorned with subtle gold lining, custom-designed by Rizman Ruzaini.
Rather than hosting a purely private affair, the couple designed the reception to share their joy directly with the public, securing over RM500,000 in sponsorships that were channelled back to the community.
"Thank you to everyone who made this mission a success, returning RM500,000 in the form of food, drinks, tens of thousands of kilogrammes of rice, coconut milk, and basic items for the people of Muar," Syed Saddiq shared on social media.
As part of the initiative, local brand Jasmine Food Corporation sponsored 1kg packs of rice and 200ml boxes of coconut milk as door gifts for the first 10,000 attendees. Laptops were also distributed in conjunction with the event.
To feed the massive turnout, at least 15 local food and beverage vendors set up stalls on site, serving up coffee, pizza, fried chicken, ayam gepuk, and ice cream.
To help ease traffic and transport, organisers provided guests with a special Grab discount code, BASS25.
Syed Saddiq, 33, and Bella, 31, officially tied the knot on Oct 10 during an akad nikah (solemnisation) ceremony on the 118th floor of Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur.
This was followed by a reception at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) on Oct 18.
Following the Muar reception, the newlyweds will host another kenduri rakyat in Bella's home state of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, on Oct 31 as a token of appreciation to their East Malaysian fans.
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