Backlash over celebrity pair’s S$50,000 S’pore wedding do

Fully-sponsored wedding celebration for Amyra Rosli and Amar Baharin by Singapore fans criticised for being wasteful.

PETALING JAYA: A lavish S$50,000 (RM156,000) wedding reception for Malaysian celebrity pair Amyra Rosli, 25, and Amar Baharin, 31, in Singapore has come under fire with many on the island calling it a waste of money, The New Paper reported.

The main complaint is that the couple have already had two receptions in Kuala Lumpur, for family and friends, following their Nov 11 wedding ceremony, and the money could be better spent for those in need.

But for Asliani Abdul Ghani, who heads the Amyra Rosli Supporters Singapore fan club, it was not enough that she got to attend the receptions held in Malaysia, she wanted to share the joy with fellow Singaporeans.

“I can understand how disappointed the fans felt when they were unable to travel to attend the wedding.

“This is a present to their fans for their support over the years,” she told the Singapore tabloid.

She went to work canvassing sponsors to pay for a grand wedding celebration, and she pulled it off, what with her fan club having 29,000 followers on Instagram alone.

The third wedding reception for Amyra and Amar will be held at The Ballroom at East Coast this Saturday.

When word got out that the reception was estimated to cost more than S$50,000, many took to social media to criticise the wasteful expenditure.

However, Asliani, 36, who has been a fan of the couple for four years, said it is worth the effort, after having secured the sponsorship with the help of an events company.

In less than a month, she was able to find 22 sponsors for the entire gamut of activities for the newly-wed couple, from their return airfare to Singapore, to accommodation, venue, décor, wedding car, bridal costumes, food and beverage and even the souvenirs for guests.

According to Asliani, the reception will be attended by 300 fans and other members of the public who wish to mingle with the celebrity couple.

“We gave priority to big fans who were unable to attend past events, those who have paid in the past for their meet-and-greet sessions, and members of the public who have never had a chance to meet the couple,” she was quoted as saying by The New Paper.

The backlash came after news of the upcoming reception was posted on the Berita Mediacorp Facebook page. Many had called it “wasteful” and “stupid”, while others thought the money should have gone to charity.

“This is something we do sincerely as fans. This backlash is normal, so we let it be.

“At the end of the day, we know what our intentions are – and that is to give back to their supporters,” Asliani said, according to the daily. -FMT