Top model's wedding became a hometown extravaganza

NGAWI, East Java (JP): She was no Lady Di, but Indonesian top model Ratih Sanggarwati created a royal atmosphere last Saturday when she waved back to a crowd which lined the streets of Ngawi, a small town in East Java.

It was the day she married businessman Budi Septa Zen, 39. Dressed in a long white brocade kebaya (traditional costume), to match her long Sidomukti prada batik cloth, designed by Iwan Tirta, Ratih glowed with happiness as she and her husband rode in a richly decorated traditional horse carriage to a mosque for a religious marriage ceremony. A happiness that infected the whole town, as well as her Jakarta guests.

It was by no means a commonplace wedding, especially for the urbanites of Jakarta. Unlike the usual Jakarta wedding reception of the rich and famous, usually held in sophisticated halls or ballrooms, Ratih's wedding was held over four days in her hometown, which is about 80 kilometers from Surakarta in Central Java.

Before the wedding, the couple vowed not to see each other for 40 days, as required by traditional Javanese customs. "But we talked on the phone because we had to manage the invitation lists. We had to!" said Budi.

However, one must admit that it was really the remote and not easily accessible location of the ceremonies that made this wedding special. The invitation was much like a tourist brochure. Quite an effort had to be made to get to Ngawi, and attending the celebration became a unique touristic trip.The hotels where the guests were expected to stay -- either in Surakarta (Solo) or Madiun -- were also listed, complete with listings of addresses, telephone and facsimile numbers. There was a Jakarta-Solo airplane schedule, and an indication of the distances from Solo to Ngawi and Madiun. In many ways, it was even better than the practicalities of most guide books to Java!

The wedding ceremony was conducted in front of an audience of thousands at the Mesjid Jami of Ngawi. Prominent literary figure Umar Kayam and former ambassador E. Suryanegara were also present as official witnesses. Jakarta celebrities, who attended the reception in the evening, included top fashion designers Iwan Tirta, Poppy Dharsono, and Itang Yunas; models Enny Sukamto and Kintan Kumari; film makers Eros Jarot and Gotot Prakosa; and dancer/choreographer Sardono W. Kusumo.

The celebration became a spectacle for the residents of Ngawi, who were notified through a number of banners placed at several strategic locations in town. Ratih had a stage built in front of her house for her large audience. Among the events was a traditional reog (masked) dance from Ponorogo, and a ketoprak (traditional Javanese play) performance by Ketoprak Gaya Baru Siswobudoyo, supported by artists Reny Jayusman and Harry de Fretes from Jakarta.

During the reception, designers Chossy Latu and Itang Yunasz even went on stage and presented some songs, accompanied by a local band. On Sunday night, the celebrations were concluded with a wayang kulit (leather puppet) show by Sujiwo Tedjo, a reporter of Kompas daily.

Ratih's guests from Jakarta were really "dressed to kill," even by Jakarta standards. The reception was filled with the glittering costumes worn by the Jakarta celebrities.

As a model, it is usually Ratih who presents the creations of local fashion designers in their shows at urban centers around Indonesia. This time, it was the turn for those who usually patronize her and her acquaintances, to be placed on her stage.

In many ways, it was Ratih's own extravaganza. But then she deserved it, given her national and international achievements as a model.

Ratih's career started in the 1980s, when she appeared in a fashion show organized by the Muhammadiyah Orphanage at the Madiun Public Hall in East Java. A few years later, in 1983, she was chosen as the None (an appellation of the women of Jakarta) in the Abang and None Jakarta contest.

A few years ago Ratih was contracted for a year by a modeling agency in New York, appearing in international magazines such as Vogue and Women's Affairs. After New York, her career continued in Milan. Shots of her photographed in Morocco appeared in the September, 1992, issue of Italian Vogue.

The wedding was an experience that both guests from Jakarta and residents of Ngawi enjoyed. Most guests commended Ratih's decision to hold the wedding back home. It shows that even though Ratih has become part of cosmopolitan Jakarta, and has attained an international reputation, Ngawi, her home town, is still a very important part of her life.

-- Amir Sidharta