A Tribute to the Malay Wedding Craft

I’ve always admired the master craftsmen/women who are skilled in the Malay wedding floral art. Their fingers worked like magic, creating lovely and exquisite floral arrangements to be used as part of the ‘hantaran’ gifts, the ‘bunga telur’ or wedding favors, the ‘pelamin’ (wedding dais), bedroom and reception-hall décor. No Malay wedding is complete without any of these floral arrangements. Here are some examples:

Buying a ready-made floral arrangement from a bridal boutique can cost quite a fortune depending on the type of materials used. As for me, my time is quite limited, thus, I only design and make a floral arrangement for very close friends and family. Therefore, the price of the ones made by me will only be half than a similar floral arrangement that can be found in bridal boutiques around KL since I only need to cover the cost of the materials needed. The most popular materials for making the flowers are nylon, faux-crystal beads, organza, Q-dip and mesh-wire. Take a look at these delicate Q-dip or crystal-dipped flowers:

Here’s a tip, the best place to get quality materials is at the Bunga Reben shop at City One. The materials sold there are clean and in good condition as compared to other shops, and the sales assistants are very friendly and helpful. While you were at City One, don’t forget to visit Zalia at her boutique, her crafts are absolutely gorgeous and exquisitely done. Her shop have the best betel nut flowers (bunga pinang), bunga kapur and gambir rosettes for sirih junjung arrangement.