Tommy marries his dream girl<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto's youngest son Hutomo Mandala
\nPutra, or Tommy as he is widely known, was married yesterday in a
\nstylish ceremony that combined traditional Javanese regalia and
\nIslamic ritual.<\/p>\n
The limited number of guests who went to the Pendopo Agung
\nSasono hall at Taman Mini did not prevent the wedding of the
\nprominent businessman to Ardhia Pramesti Regita Cahyani, being
\nthe wedding of the year.<\/p>\n
Cabinet ministers State Minister of Research and Technology
\nB.J. Habibie and State Minister of National Development
\nPlanning\/Chairman of the National Development Board Ginandjar
\nKartasasmita acted as witnesses during the religious rituals.<\/p>\n
Virtually all the cabinet was seen at the ceremony, as was a
\nhost of the country's top business leaders. Some ambassadors were
\nincluded on the invitation list that had to be expanded from an
\noriginal 1,000 to 1,800 guests.<\/p>\n
The widowed President accepted congratulations with his eldest
\ndaughter Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana.<\/p>\n
State protocol, including security arrangements, remained in
\nforce and guests had to pass through metal detectors.<\/p>\n
Thirty-five-year-old Tommy, president of the widely
\ndiversified Humpuss group, and long considered Indonesia's most
\neligible bachelor, was the last of President Soeharto's six
\nchildren to marry.<\/p>\n
Soeharto, 75, has been widowed for just over a year. Mrs. Tien
\nSoeharto, in the last years of her life, often publicly repeated
\nher wish that her youngest son would find a wife.<\/p>\n
It was a short courtship kept out of the public eye. News of
\nthe wedding only became public last month.<\/p>\n
The 22-year-old bride, affectionately known as Tata, is a
\ncivil engineering graduate from the University of New South
\nWales, Australia, and has spent most of her life abroad. She is
\nthe eldest daughter of Bambang Sucahyo Adjie Soerjosoebandoro, a
\nshipping executive based in Singapore.<\/p>\n
The ceremony began with Tommy presenting his bride a dowry of
\na copy of the Holy Koran, a prayer kit, and 99 grams of gold.<\/p>\n
It was followed by an elaborate Javanese royal wedding
\nceremony<\/p>\n
With gamelan music being played in the background, the
\nnewlyweds were first led to another hall.<\/p>\n
At the door, Tommy and Tata threw betel leaves, symbols of
\nlove, at one another. Tommy then stepped on a raw egg, and Tata
\nwashed his foot. This was symbolic of her love and loyalty.<\/p>\n
Sungkem was then performed, when the couple shuffled around
\non their knees and begged for forgiveness from those closest to
\nthem. This was an emotional moment but the President managed to
\nhold back his tears.<\/p>\n
A rite that drew laughter was one in which female guests were
\ninvited to grab gifts if they wished their children to marry
\nsoon.<\/p>\n
\"Pity you won't find any Timor cars there,\" quipped the master
\nof ceremonies, referring to the brand name of Tommy's \"national
\ncar\".<\/p>\n
In another rite, when Tommy and Tata handfed one another, the
\nmaster of ceremonies, second guessing what Tommy whispered to
\nTata, said: \"I've met 1,000 fairies, but you are the most
\nbeautiful.\"<\/p>\n
Tommy, in his bachelor days, was associated with celebrities
\nlike singers Maya Rumantir and Nia Zulkarnaen, beauty queens
\nIndira Soediro and Alya Rohali and MTV host Nadya Hutagalung.
\nNone were present yesterday.<\/p>\n
A happy and relieved-looking Soeharto thanked the guests, and
\nturning to the newlyweds, said they should start their life
\ntogether with strong faith. \"When you love and support each
\nother, you will eventually reach the coast of happiness,\" he
\nsaid. (06)<\/p>",
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