KUANTAN: Newlywed royal couple, Tengku Arif Bendahara Tengku Muhammad Iskandar Ri'ayatuddin Shah and Tengku Natasya Puteri Tengku Adnan, performed the traditional 'istiadat berinai' (henna application ceremony) at Balai Temenggong, Istana Abdulaziz here today.
Both the bride and groom's family members were elegantly dressed in matching blue attire as they took their seats in the hall for the ceremony which began at 8.20pm.
Tengku Natasya Puteri was ushered into the hall and took her seat with her hands placed decorously on her lap, resting on a board.
The Tengku Ampuan Pahang Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, led the women guests for the henna application ceremony on Tengku Natasya Puteri, followed by the bride's mother Datin Seri Anggraini Sentiyaki and other female members of the royal family.
The royal wedding tradition was kept alive when candles brought by the 16 jejawat (palace assistants) were lit as soon as Tengku Muhammad Iskandar stepped into Balai Temenggong.
The Sultan of Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah was first to apply a dab of henna to the palms of Tengku Muhammad Iskandar, his second son, followed by Tengku Mahkota Pahang Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah and Raja Muda Terengganu Tengku Muhammad Ismail Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin.
Others who applied henna on the groom were the bride's father, former federal territories minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, Tengku Panglima Raja Brigadier-General Tengku Amir Nasser Ibrahim Shah, Tengku Panglima Perang Tengku Ahmad Ismail Mu'adzam Shah and Tengku Arif Temenggong Pahang Tengku Fahd Mua'adzam Sultan Ahmad Shah.
Yesterday, Tengku Iskandar and Tengku Natasya Puteri's (marriage solemnisation) ceremony (marriage solemnisation) ceremony was held at Balai Mahkota, Istana Abdulaziz.
The ceremonies will resume with the royal wedding reception held at Istana Abdulaziz at 8pm on Sunday.
It will be broadcast live on giant screens at the Kuantan City Council Field 1 and Dataran Muzium Diraja in Pekan.