From Tampines to Bangsar, thousands of fans throng Syed Saddiq’s public wedding reception in Muar

MUAR, Johor – Some say this is the “wedding of the decade”, and Singaporean retiree Jalil Rahmat and his wife are not about to miss it.Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and singer-actress Bella Astillah – the couple known as BASS by fans, using their initials – were tying the knot, and it was a personal wish of Jalil’s wife Shimah Ahmad, 67, to meet them.They drove over three hours from their home in Tampines Street 81 to Melaka on Oct 24 before heading to Muar the next day, covering over 300km.Clad in matching blue outfits, the 69 year-old and his wife braved snaking long queues under the scorching morning sun to catch a glimpse of one of Malaysia’s most prominent couples walk down the aisle.“I’m here to fulfill my wife’s wishes as she had been following them for awhile,” Jalil told The Straits Times.“I wanted to personally wish them well and wish them a blessed marriage,” he added. He even conveyed a poem to the couple at the reception.The couple were among more than 15,000 attendees at the public wedding reception. Fans, mostly Muar residents and visitors from other states, had begun queuing as early as 9am for the 2pm reception. Some told ST they wanted to show their support for the couple and greet them personally.Singaporean Jalil Rahmat and his wife, Shimah Ahmad, drove all the way from Tampines to Melaka before heading over to Muar for Syed Saddiq and Bella Astillah’s public wedding reception. ST PHOTO: HARITH MUSTAFFATraffic was gridlocked at Jalan Bakri, forcing residents to wait up to an hour for parking. Some had even opted to park in nearby amenities like an Econsave supermarket before walking several hundred metres along narrow gravel paths to the wedding venue in over 30°C heat.The public darlings had announced before their Oct 10 solemnisation ceremony that they would host two public wedding receptions or “kenduri rakyat”. The first was on Oct 25 at Yong Sheng Banquet Hall in Syed Saddiq’s parliamentary constituency and the other will be in Kota Kinabalu, in Bella’s home state of Sabah on Oct 31.Some attendees told ST they had come from other parts of the peninsula to soak in the atmosphere.“It’s the wedding of the decade,” Bangsar resident Farid Yaacob, 39 said. He said he had attempted to book a hotel in the main town of Muar, but found it was all fully booked. He opted for a homestay instead.For local Muar residents the reception was more than just a wedding, which was supported by 125 crew members. It was a way for their MP to share the joy and love with his constituents.To commemorate the occasion, more than RM500,000 (S$156,387) worth of sponsored goodies were given to attendees.“We came here to show support for our YB (salutation for Yang Berhormat given to elected representatives), and we were overjoyed when our YB was to marry Bella... so we want to support them,” said Bakri resident Adilah Ahmad, 31 who queued for two hours to enter the venue since noon.Sungai Abong resident Haslina Mohamad said: “Public wedding receptions like this don’t happen often for us in Muar, so it truly is special for us.”Muar residents Adilah Ahmad (blue) and Haslina Mohamad (purple) queued for two hours before entering the venue at Syed Saddiq and Bella Astillah's public wedding reception. ST PHOTO: HARITH MUSTAFFARise of a celebrity power coupleThe couple’s popularity shot through the internet after rumors of their blossoming relationship began when they appeared for a traditional Malay apparel advertorial shoot for local fashion label PrimaValet in 2025.The pair even climbed Mount Kinabalu together, wearing the traditional costume as part of the brand’s marketing campaign.They became a sensation particularly as their relationship had developed while they were both going through a turbulent period in their lives.Syed Saddiq and Bella Astillah’s wedding dias at the public wedding reception in Muar was inspired by Mount Kinabalu. ST PHOTO: HARITH MUSTAFFABella, a mother of two, had initially reconciled with her Singaporean singer and actor ex-husband Aliff Aziz after a first divorce in 2019. They divorced for the second time in June 2024 after religious authorities caught him in “close proximity” with another Malaysian artiste.Syed Saddiq, a former youth and sports minister, on the other hand had been marching in and out of court for six years since the former Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s Youth chief was charged for the embezzlement of his former party’s election funds and money laundering in 2021.He was convicted in 2023 and was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment and 10 strokes of the cane along with a RM10 million fine. But the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA) founder and former president eventually walked away a free man after a federal court in July 13 this year acquitted him of all the charges.Throughout this period, the pair – who first met by chance in 2022 at a radio station – had grown closer behind the scenes.After Bella’s high profile divorce in June 2024, Syed Saddiq made a cameo appearance in her song release in October that year.They then began working together on a festive outfit marketing campaign the year after, which culminated in a proposal at Malaysia’s tallest mountain, Mount Kinabalu, in early 2026, after more than a year of denials and subtle hints.Syed eventually ended the subtleties by posting a video which has since recorded a whopping 21.1 million views on Instagram of their proposal on March 27 this year with a caption: “I asked, she said yes.”The pair were officially pronounced husband and wife at 10.40am on Oct 10 at their solemnisation ceremony in Menara Merdeka Maybank in Kuala Lumpur. This was followed by a special reception dinner on Oct 18 at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre, kicking off a slew of celebrations including the one in Muar.Community events matter in rural seatsAddressing the public reception, Syed Saddiq told attendees: “I am thankful for a beautiful, loving and caring wife whom, God willing, I will be by your side to listen to you as you sing the song.”Bella Astillah then treated guests by singing Bersama Aku Setia Selamanya (Together I am Faithful Forever), a song composed specially for her wedding.Syed Saddiq’s father Syed Abdul Rahman, who originally hails from a village in Paya Lebar, Singapore told ST he is thankful for the guests who came to celebrate the wedding.“I am also told that there are Singaporeans who came without me knowing about it,” he said. “I am touched and really thankful to all who came to celebrate and wish my son well.”Snaking queues at an adjacent residential area for Syed Saddiq and Bella Astillah’s public wedding reception in Muar on Oct 25. ST PHOTO: HARITH MUSTAFFAAnthropologist Serina Rahman, a lecturer in the department of South-east Asian studies at the National University of Singapore told ST that community events such as weddings, funerals and festive celebrations matter much for rural communities.This is especially true when the local politician is already “ever present” in their lives and garners a high following, with the added fandom of a celebrity spouse, she said.“Events like these give people status and recognition, and make people feel that they are cared for,” Serina said.“If people’s lives are so very ordinary, the chance to go to something celebrated in the news would definitely be an exciting opportunity for many, not to mention bragging rights.”“Syed Saddiq is young and knows how to attract the crowd, and with a celebrity wife, the pull is even larger,” she added.Sign up for our weekly Asian Insider Malaysia Edition newsletter to make sense of the big stories in Malaysia.