KOTA KINABALU: Bella Astillah held back tears when she and her husband, Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, arrived at Padang Merdeka here for their third and last wedding reception.
Bella, whose real name is Dayang Nabellah Awang Astillah, 32, was moved by the large crowds of people who came hours in advance to wait for their arrival just to be part of the public reception or kenduri rakyat here yesterday.
Dressed in a modern traditional fit of black and red, the newlyweds arrived at around 1.30pm, while many had reached the venue as early as 6am.
Many wore traditional outfits, fitting the theme of traditional Sabahan ethnicity for the event.
It was reported that some 20,000 people managed to squeeze into the venue, exceeding the initial expectations of 10,000 guests.
As shared on social media, many said they did not mind waiting since morning because there were food and drinks prepared for registered guests, while many also said they did not mind if the food finished because they were there to show their support for the couple.
Prior to the event, many including content creators had gone on social media to remind their fellow Sabahans to behave themselves, remain calm, and prioritise safety and cleanliness for the event.
When getting ready for the event, Bella also took the opportunity to remind the public to be careful and to “remember to eat and drink”.
During the reception, the couple danced to Sabahan songs while Bella sang her love song for Syed Saddiq.
There were also many other traditional and song performances by local artistes.
The reception, which was scheduled until 4pm, had to end slightly earlier when a thunderstorm began pouring at around 3pm.
