Indonesian Princess Weds in Historical Sultanate

An Indonesian princess married her prince Tuesday in the historical sultanate of Yogyakarta.

Princess Nurastuti Wijareni, 25, married 29-year-old Achmad Ubaidillah in a traditional Javanese-Muslim ceremony attended by more than 2,000 guests that included the Indonesian president.

Yogyakarta, around 400 kilometers (250 miles) southeast of Jakarta in the centre of Java island, is one of Indonesia's last remaining sultanates, where the sultan acts also as the special region's governor.

The groom, a commoner, works at the office of Indonesia's vice president.

Din Syamsudin, chairman of Indonesia's Muhammadiyah Muslim organization, described the ceremony as a grand cultural expression that should be preserved.

It was "a cultural treasure that should also be revitalized, so that future generations continue to understand and love their own culture," he said.

Tens of thousands lined the streets in the afternoon to greet the couple, who were married at the sultan's 200-year-old palace in a ceremony led by the bride's father, Sultan Hamengkubuwono X.

Guests made offerings of banana wrapped in golden paper and flower arrangements to symbolize the sacred bond of marriage and to wish the couple a happy life together.

The groom arrived in a traditional horse-drawn Javanese carriage and sat next to his bride, as they recited their marriage vows before the sultan.

At the end of the ceremony, the couple threw betel leaves at each other to symbolize two hearts uniting.

Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono last year criticized the sultanate, encouraging the region to begin free elections for the governorship.