Brunei holds Royal Banquet to celebrate wedding of crown prince

Thousands of distinguished guests, including several royals, dressed up for the Royal Wedding Banquet here Friday night to celebrate the wedding of Crown Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, heir to the throne of Brunei Darussalam.

Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, along with members of the Royal family, was present at the grand party, which brought the more than two weeks of wedding ceremonials to another climax after the Bersanding wedding ceremony held at the throne hall of the Istana Nurul Iman royal palace Thursday.

The 30-year-old bride groom, who was formally inaugurated as the Crown Prince of Brunei on August 10, 1998, married Dayangku Sarah binti Pengiran Salleh Ab Rahaman, 17, at the majestic and glittering Royal Wedding ceremony.

The ceremony capped 19 days of rituals in what has been described as Asia's wedding of the year.

The state banquet was attended by dozens of VVIPs including Malay Sultans, regional leaders, Middle East and Japan royalties and ambassadors, high commissioners, permanent secretaries and heads of departments.

The banquet was followed by a fireworks display which lit up the skies of this capital city. The public is entertained with a variety of colorful fireworks that featured new designs said to have never been seen before in Brunei.

Another two fireworks displays are scheduled for Saturday and next Friday.

Source: Xinhua