The akad nikah: registered with ROMM, not ROM
A Malay wedding in Singapore is generally a Muslim marriage, and the legal registration for this runs through the Registry of Muslim Marriages (ROMM), separate from the civil Registry of Marriages (ROM) used for non-Muslim marriages. The ceremony itself is the akad nikah, a solemnisation conducted according to Muslim requirements, often held at a mosque or at the bride's family home, led by a Kadi or Naib Kadi appointed under ROMM, not by a civil ROM solemniser.
Because the akad nikah and a civil ROM solemnisation are different processes with different requirements, it is worth confirming directly with the couple, or with ROMM at romm.gov.sg, which parts of the day are the legal solemnisation and which are cultural or family events that follow it. Some families hold the akad nikah as a small, quiet gathering with only close family present; others treat it as a more attended event. Ask in advance how many guests to expect and where exactly the akad nikah will take place.
Bersanding and the pelamin
Bersanding refers to the couple being seated together, usually on a raised, decorated dais known as the pelamin, as the centrepiece of the celebration that follows the akad nikah. The pelamin is often elaborately decorated, and families put considerable effort into its design, so it is generally treated as an important backdrop to photograph clearly and in full, not just as a setting for portraits of the couple.
Lighting around the pelamin varies a great deal by venue — a void deck or community hall may rely on fluorescent lighting and whatever additional lighting the event organiser sets up, while a hotel ballroom will usually have more controlled staging. Scouting the pelamin and its lighting before the couple is seated gives a photographer time to adjust rather than working it out once the ceremony has already started.
Merenjis: the sprinkling ritual
Merenjis is a ritual in which guests, often elders or close family, sprinkle scented water or petals on the couple's hands as a form of blessing, typically while the couple is seated at the pelamin. It tends to happen in a queue or sequence of guests taking turns, which makes it a moment worth having a fixed camera position for, since it repeats several times over a short period rather than happening once.
As with other blessing or handover moments at a Malay wedding, it helps to ask the family or event coordinator roughly how many guests will take part in merenjis, so the crew can judge how much time this part of the programme is likely to take.
Where the sanding is held
The bersanding and its surrounding celebration can take place in a range of settings — a void deck decorated for the occasion, a community centre or CC hall, or a hotel ballroom, depending on the family's plans and the scale of the celebration. Each setting brings its own practical considerations: a void deck event may be more exposed to weather, ambient noise and passers-by, while a hotel ballroom offers more controlled lighting and space but may come with its own house rules on photography setup.
Confirming the exact venue and its layout in advance, rather than assuming a hotel-style setup, helps a photographer and videographer plan equipment and positioning that suits the actual space rather than a generic one.
Two families, sometimes two receptions
It is common for a Malay wedding to involve celebrations hosted separately by the bride's side and the groom's side, sometimes on different days or at different venues, each with its own bersanding and its own guests. Confirm with the couple early whether coverage is needed for one event or two, since this affects scheduling, travel between venues, and whether the same crew can cover both or whether a second team is needed.
Where two receptions do take place, some elements — the pelamin, the attire, the guest list — may differ noticeably between the bride's event and the groom's event, so it is worth treating each as its own shoot to plan for rather than assuming the second will mirror the first.
Attire: baju kurung and songket
Malay wedding attire commonly includes the baju kurung for the bride and the baju Melayu for the groom, often made from or paired with songket, a fabric woven with metallic gold or silver threads. Songket in particular reflects light differently from plain fabric, which can affect exposure and how detail in the fabric's pattern shows up in photographs, especially under mixed indoor lighting.
Because these outfits and their accessories — headpieces, jewellery, layered fabric — are often a significant part of the family's preparation, it is worth allowing time before the ceremony for close, detailed shots of the attire itself, not only wide shots of the couple wearing it.
Modesty and gender considerations
Some families prefer a female photographer or videographer to be present in the bride's preparation room, particularly if the bride will remove her headscarf or be in a state of undress at any point before being fully dressed. This is not a universal rule across all families, but it is common enough that it is worth asking directly, well before the wedding day, rather than assuming either way.
More broadly, it helps to ask the couple or their family about any modesty expectations for the day — where cameras should not point, whether certain moments in the preparation room are considered private, and whether there are guests who prefer not to be photographed closely. Every family's comfort level is a little different, and asking in advance avoids an awkward moment on the day itself.
Working around prayer times
Prayer times can shape the schedule of a Malay wedding day, particularly if the akad nikah, meals or breaks are planned around solat. It is worth asking the family or the appointed coordinator whether specific prayer times need to be built into the day's run sheet, and whether the crew should expect a pause in proceedings around those times.
Building this into the schedule from the start, rather than treating it as an interruption if it comes up, keeps the day running smoothly for the family and avoids a photographer or videographer being caught mid-setup when the programme naturally pauses.
Every family runs their akad nikah and bersanding a little differently, so the details above are general starting points to confirm rather than fixed rules. If you would like to talk through coverage for your akad nikah, bersanding or a two-sided celebration, check your date with us, or read more about our actual-day wedding photography.