Saying ‘we do’: The 36 couples who exchanged their marriage vows on the auspicious date ‘9.9’ at the Ipoh Chin Woo Athletic Association hall. — RONNIE CHIN/The Star
IPOH: He has lost count of the number of times he popped the question to the love of his life before she finally said “yes”.
Gardener Hoh Yok For, 58, said he prayed hard during a church service and told himself that this would be his last attempt to woo Wong Yee Li, and if they were indeed meant for each other, God would answer his prayer.
“To my surprise, she said ‘yes’ a year ago when I once again expressed my feelings for her.
“We both go to the same church here and have known each other for a few years. For me, it has always been love at first sight,” he said after a mass wedding registration ceremony here yesterday.
A total of 36 couples exchanged their vows at the ceremony at the Ipoh Chin Woo Athletic Association hall in conjunction with the auspicious date of Sept 9.
Wong, 42, an insurance agent, said she was shocked by Hoh’s proposals and told him that she just wanted to be friends initially.
“I tried to stay away, and he told me not to do so and it was okay if I didn’t want to accept anything beyond a friendship.
A new beginning: Hoh (right) and his bride Wong decided to tie the knot after knowing each other for a year.
“I told him I was not running away from him but just needed some time,” she said.
For sales executive Yean Kin Foong, 38, and his graphic designer bride Chung Lee Khee, 29, what started as a social media acquaintance led to marriage.
Yean said he randomly added her as a Facebook friend a year ago, and they started to chat.
“After chatting for some time, we decided to meet face to face. During our outings, we somehow clicked.
“I guess it was fated for us to meet this way, and after knowing each other for a year, we decided to make our relationship official by registering our marriage,” he said, adding that it would also be easier to remember his wedding anniversary every year.
Lam Tat Shong, 35, and Wong Poi Sun, 34, also sealed their union after dating for 17 years.
Hailing from the same school in Gunung Rapat, Wong, now an accountant, said she was in Form Five while Lam, now a sales manager, was in Form Six when they started going steady.
“Our love grew stronger day by day and we told ourselves, if we are meant to be together, nothing can come between us,” said Wong.
Lam said both of them wanted to be financially stable before committing to one another.
“Now that we are stable, we decided to exchange vows on this auspicious day,” he added.
Sales adviser Law Zhe Sheun and his sales and marketing executive bride Chu Su Yee, both 27, also took time off from their work in Singapore to recite their vows yesterday after having been friends since their college days in Sarawak. They met in 2015.
“However, once college was over, we parted ways. She went back to her hometown in Sabah and I came back to Ipoh.
“Then, after a few years, she forwarded a message to my WeChat account. We started to keep in touch again, and the rest is history,” he said.
Make-up artist Yong Yi Ting, 25, and her groom Yang Der Lih, 38, a businessman, took the plunge a year after meeting each other through mutual friends.
“We went out for some time to get to know one another better. One fine day, there was this spark between us, and that was when we decided that we loved each other,” she said.
Restaurant chef Leong Chee Wah, 40, and his hairstylist wife Choy Chuy Yeng, 34, became friends over social media.
“It was definitely love at first sight for me, but she was extremely shy, and it took her time to confess her love for me. So, after going out for three years, she accepted my proposal,” he said.
Wishing the couples a happy married life together, Ipoh Chin Woo Athletic Association president Datuk Ooi Foh Sing said the double-nine symbolises longevity or eternity in Chinese.
“What is important is to respect one another, and each other’s parents and family members.”
