Tausug event organizers bring wedding dreams to life

ZAMBOANGA CITY – As more young Muslim Filipinos become mainstream professionals or entrepreneurs, many of them would prefer having big and glamorous weddings with their hard-earned money.

This makes events coordinating a profitable business, with Hadja Kasma Abraham and her young partner, Alnadz Asbi, among the budding entrepreneurs.

After freelancing as informal special events organizers for the past five years, they finally set up their own shop in Zamboanga City to better offer their services to expectant would-be grooms and brides.

They inaugurated their shop last December 13, only the second of its kind in the city. They named their shop “Royale Vows”.

Their forte is they can take charge to put together an authentic traditional Tausug wedding ceremony – in a total package and experience.

It could start from the “pagkawin” or engagement, down to the pre-nuptial celebration, to designing and sewing of wedding attires, venue contracting, Muslim food menu and officiating imam.
Their services also include video-photo documentations and everything in-between.

A traditional Tausug wedding – to include that of their traibal Sama and Yakankindreds – means wearing customary garbs.

These are called “batawi” for the bride and “lapi” for the groom.

The batawi is a long-sleeved blouse, usually made of shimmering cloth and embroidered with glittering sequins, and paired with loose trousers of same material and color.

The bride also dons a closed circular sash over her one shoulder, trailing down her hips and over her back, which Hadja Abaraham calls “habultiahan”.

The groom’s lapiis likewise made of a long-sleeved shirt and trousers, but he instead dons a sash called ‘pizsiabit” and a cloth belt with a pouch called “dulis banding”.

They also both wear headgears.

During the wedding rites, women sponsors would wear “badju pagkawin”, which Abraham’s shop could either sew for or rent to them.

These are long gowns, which she said Royale Vows also imports from Indonesia or Saudi Arabia. Each gown must be accompanied by a richly-designed “habul” which wraps around the waist and held up by one end hanging over an arm.

They can also opt to use a hijab designed and decorated appropriately for such glamorous occasion.

Aside from traditional garbs, their shop can also design and sew Western-style wedding gowns and suits.

Some modern-minded millenials, Asbi said, prefer to wear such.

Majority of their clients are Muslims, he said, but a few occasional ones are Christians, too, probably because of their total package deal.

Their clients come from all over the Sulu area and Zamboanga peninsula. As event organizers, Asbi said they are capable of holding the ceremonies in their clients’ towns if they requested.

Hadja Kasma is first-degree aunt to Asbi, whose mother is her sister and they are natives of ZamboangaSibugey province.

They are bonafide Tausugs, though, since their patriarchy is from Sulu. That’s a big plus for their business, which is also advertised in their Facebook account.

They also organize other events like debuts and anniversary celebrations.

Preparing for a wedding can be an emotionally and mentally boggling job for excited lovebirds. But with events organizers like Asbi and Kasma, the walk down the aisle and cozy nest beyond is a piece of wedding cake.