I accompanied my son to the registration department in Meru to witness registration of his marriage. There was signage on the dress code. For the groom, it was a photo of a man in western attire wearing a coat, tie and pants. For the bride, it was saree and long dress. There were photos of dresses which were not allowed.
There were a number of couples who had come with their relatives and friends to register their marriage and no one was wearing a coat; the nearest was a groom who wore a long-sleeve shirt and a tie. Men were wearing shirt and pants. A number of women were wearing sarees and long dresses. No one was wearing the type of attire that was banned.
Though registration of marriage is not considered a formal marriage, couples, their relatives and friends who come there wear their best clothes. Marriage is usually consummated after the traditional marriage ceremony takes place in a church, temple or other places in front of relatives and friends. Couples consider this as their marriage date. During various ceremonies of traditional marriage, couples wear different costumes including western attire and occasionally bizarre dress, but all dressing would be decent.
I wonder why our government thinks Malaysians are stupid and do not know what to wear for the occasion. The public should not be taken for granted.
As far as dressing is concerned I think the best is to wear what is suitable for our climate and not ape others.
A. Jeyaraj
