Move over, Nick Young and Rachel Chu. Give way to Jusup Maruta Cayadi and Clarissa Wang!
Inspired by the massive success of the film Crazy Rich Asians, Jusup and Clarissa, both citizens of the East Java capital of Surabaya, have been dubbed “Crazy Rich Surabayans” by the local media after details about their hugely excessive and expensive wedding emerged and went viral online.
And why wouldn’t it? After all, the couple has a dedicated Instagram page for their wedding, which, according to a post showing their invitation card, will be held this Saturday at The Mulia Hotel & Resort in Nusa Dua, Bali. Check out their intricate 3D wedding invitation below:
But that’s not where the excess ends. Jusup and Clarissa are reportedly going to give their guests actual gold coins as wedding souvenirs. Not only that, one lucky guest could bring home a Jaguar sports car if they win the door prize. There are even rumors that they’ve hired Danish soft rock band Michael Learns to Rock to play at their wedding.
The insanely luxurious wedding has been confirmed by Bali Wedding Association Secretary Marcelino Wuran.
“Guests from Indonesia and abroad will attend their wedding. Some of them will have all of their expenses paid for by the couple,” Marcelino said, as quoted by Tribun Bali. Another unnamed source said the wedding would be attended by no more than 1,000 guests, and some of them will stay at the super expensive Mulia hotel.
If that all sounds, well, crazy rich, you should know that Jusup proposed to Clarissa with a flash mob in front of hundreds of total strangers at The Venetian Macau!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JomBMF7suIw
Local news outlets have estimated the cost of the wedding to be anywhere from several hundreds of billions up to 1 trillion rupiah (USD 68.9 million).
Jusup is the youngest son of Rendra Tjajadi, a palm oil tycoon from Sidoarjo, East Java. Rendra’s company, Best Group, is one of the five biggest Indonesian palm oil companies. Established in 1982, Best Group produces palm oil-derivative products such as margarine, palm oil sap, soap, and others — that’s likely where they got the moolah to fund this wedding, not to mention the prewedding photoshoot that took place in FIVE continents.
Before Jusup and Clarissa became the meme’s ultimate embodiment, the term “Crazy Rich Surabayan” first emerged when Crazy Rich Asians hit Indonesia cinemas in September. Thanks to the popularity of the movie, a viral meme emerged in which people tweeted their experience encountering various crazy rich Surabayans, who are said generally be low-key about their wealth while also taking their kids to Japan to be vaccinated or giving away iPods to children at birthday parties, among other extravagances.
People are free to hold their weddings however they want, as long as they have the budget to match. But, however you feel about Jusup and Clarissa’s wedding, it’s hard not be a little bit cynical especially during a time of great social and economic inequality in Indonesia (how many schools could have been fixed/built with that kind of money?).
If we had to describe the wedding using a current internet catchphrase, we’d have to say, “Weird flex, but ok.”
