Farzan eventually surprised Alicia with a classic Tiffany & Co. wedding band, which she had initially picked out. As for Farzan's ring: "I'm a nature lover, so I got him a ring by Gordon Max, the one with a lab-grown diamond; it was simple but perfect," she says.

The lovebirds initially planned to just register their marriage without a ceremony but were able to organise a small and intimate akad nikah at Saidina Umar Al-Khattab Mosque under a strict SOP that allowed only up to six people, in conjunction with the Malaysian government's easing of restrictions for the Chinese New Year festivities.

"It's exactly how I've always wanted my wedding to be: small and private with the people closest to me," adds Farzan. "Lockdown just made the whole thing easier." 

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Although initially put on a waiting list by the mosque, the couple were overjoyed when they were suddenly given the date of February 14 a week before.

"We're both spontaneous and easygoing, so we said, 'Let's do it!'," Alicia says. "It felt like everything came together so smoothly. It wasn't rehearsed and it was full of fumbling and funny moments, like when Farzan left his wallet in his friend's car just before the ceremony, and he had to call his friend to come back."

For the akad nikah, Alicia donned a beautiful Alia Bastamam bridal gown and Naz Living A Style hijab, looking radiant in peachy blush make-up by Khir Khalid. Later, Alicia wore another Alia Bastamam lace gown with a more dramatic make-up look by Khir Khalid and hair-do by Ckay Liow.

"Planning this really wasn’t stressful. Things that usually matter to a bride like make-up, hair, dresses—well, they were easily accessible to me thanks to my career," Alicia explains. "As a model, I had worked with this photographer, make-up artist and hair stylist, and I knew I could trust them to pull off exactly what I wanted." 

In spite of the limited number of guests allowed for the akad nikah, Alicia and Farzan were able to livestream the ceremony to friends and family around the world via a private YouTube link.

The best part about having an akad nikah ceremony with so few guests?

"Even if you mess up and it’s not perfect, it’s still charming and there’s no pressure to follow an itinerary," says Alicia, who hinted at the couple's running joke about not being sure if Farzan would even be able to take the day off from his housemanship duties for his wedding. 

"The akad nikah was beautiful. And when we came home, we exchanged our vows in a more Western-inspired way. It was really touching." Alicia says.  

At present, the couple are keeping their honeymoon plans on hold until it is safe to travel. 

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