More than a hundred couples wed on auspicious date

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IT was a day of double celebrations for kindergarten teacher Cheh Yoon Seong on the auspicious date of Nov 11, 2011, or 11.11.11, as she married the man of her dreams on her 25th birthday.

Cheah met her prince charming Tan Tzer Wei, 25, who works in food and beverage sales, during a stint as a product promoter eight years ago.

“I’m really happy to be marrying the love of my life on my birthday,” she said, adding that they had planned for the specific date months ahead.

Cheh and Tan were among 100 couples who tied the knot on the once-in-a-century date at the Ipoh Chinese Chin Woo Athletic Association building.

Promise taken: The grooms giving their lovely bride a kiss on the cheek during the mass wedding ceremony.

Couples with radiant smiles and relatives filled the association’s hall to the brim as they prepared for the mass-wedding ceremony.

Among them was the youngest bride, self-employed 20-year-old Mun Mei Xin, who met her groom, Yong Kien Hong, 25, through a mutual friend.

“The reason we chose 11.11.11 to get married is because in Mandarin the date means, “yi xin yi yi, yi sheng yi shi” (one heart, one lifetime) and I wanted it to be special and memorable for us both,” Mun said.

Association president Datuk Ooi Foh Sing said the date was significant as it only occurred once every 100 years.

“Many people choose this date because its rare but I hope that no matter what happens, the couples here will continue to cherish and love each other,” he said.

He quipped that, without true love and compromise, the auspicious wedding date remained only a date and the marriage would not be able to last.

“Being a registrar of marriages since 1994, I have had the honour to register more than 9,800 couples and to witness this momentous occasion,” he said.

The couples were later treated to a tea party sponsored by Ritz Garden Hotel and Rowell Bridal & Wedding Planner.

Meanwhile, 67 couples took the plunge in a registration ceremony held at the National Registration Department on the auspicious day.

One of them was businessman Lai Kar Teck, who married his sweetheart, Wang Yu Rong from Sichuan, China.

Wang, 36, said their relationship blossomed on the Internet where they met a year ago.

“I came to Malaysia to meet him eight months ago and he suggested we get married today,” Wang said.

Lai, also 36, said he had chosen the date as it was easy to remember.

“Besides, we can join in the fun of getting married with so many other couples at the same time,” he added.

Sales and marketing manager Sin Chee Sen, 28, said he and his wife Leong Lai See were colleagues who fell in love after a night out for a karaoke session.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Lee Chee Leong, who witnessed the couples’ registration, said a total of 723 couples registered their marriages with the department nationwide.

“This figure does not include couples who registered their marriages at associations, temples and churches,” he said.

Urging couples to register their marriages, Lee said all marriages conducted after March 1, 1982, had to be registered with the department to avoid any problems for their spouses and children later on,” he said.