GEORGE TOWN: The story about their marriage spanned 300km from Putrajaya to Penang.

       About two months ago, Simsoon Sukumaran and Alisha Amaldas, both 31, tried to get a marriage registration slot in Putrajaya but they were turned away as the date of their request, “22/2/22”, had been fully booked.

       “We felt it was a beautiful date, but we could not register ourselves in Kuala Lumpur as well. So, we checked Penang and managed to secure a spot,” said Alisha, who is a staff nurse based in Penang.

       This marked the start of a significant plan – to get families from both sides to congregate in Penang.

       “I am from Johor while his family is from Selangor.

       “A total of five cars made their way here for our marriage registration.

       “We booked a homestay nearby for everyone and we will celebrate our nuptials there,” Alisha said when met at the state National Registration Department headquarters here yesterday.

       She said she was the only one currently based in Penang.

       Love at first sight: Tang and Koay posing after registering their marriage at the Penang Chinese Town Hall in Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling, Penang. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star

       “Simsoon works in Kuala Lumpur,” she said, adding that their wedding ceremony would be held in July.

       Simsoon, a programme analyst, said the couple had been friends for many years before they decided to get hitched.

       As for registering their marriage on a “Twosday”, he said:

       “It is nice because this is a special date that we will celebrate with many others who are getting married today (yesterday).

       “It will be easy to remember our anniversary as well,” he joked.

       At the Penang Chinese Town Hall in Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling, 53 couples had their marriage solemnised on the palindrome date.

       Engineer Tang Kok Mang, 39, and his bride, admin assistant Koay Yi Kheng, 29, were elated to be married on the special date as their nuptials had been postponed for two years due to the pandemic.

       “We are not ones to observe dates but this one seemed special,” said Koay.

       Recalling how she found Mr Right, Koay said it was love at first sight for her when they met nine years ago.

       Koay said they met at her friend’s wedding where she was a bridesmaid while Tang was a groomsman.

       “He stood out as he was the tallest there,” she said.

       Tang was glad he could finally use the suit he bought for their wedding.

       “It has been two years and the suit is getting tight. I am glad I finally got to wear it,” he said.

       Ooi Weng Kean, 36, and H’ng Lee Mey, 29, were happy to be marrying on such a special date.

       “It sounds beautiful to say we married on ‘22/2/22’.

       “We are not usually the type to observe special dates but we wanted our registration to be special,” said H’ng, who works as a clerk.

       The couple met four years ago when H’ng sent her car to Ooi’s car accessories shop.

       “It was love at first sight for us. Four years on and here we are,” said H’ng.

       More than 100 couples in Penang tied the knot on “Twosday” yesterday.

       The last palindrome date took place on “11/1/11”.