“I can’t help myself from trembling every time I’m there,” says Rina, who has now become a wedding planner.

“While people pray for couples’ happiness, angels are actually there too — witnessing and listening to the good prayers.

“That’s why in that very sacred moment,” she continues, “I always extend my prayers to the couple, hoping their marriage will last forever.”

JP/DIAN KUSWANDINI

It is perhaps not surprising that Rina finds herself deeply disappointed whenever she hears couples whose weddings she helped arrange ended up getting a divorce.

“Like when [actress] Dina Lorenza divorced her husband. I felt terrible inside,” says Rina, who is married to actor Teddy Syach.

“I witnessed their romance and I know what they went through to make their dream wedding come true.

“That really made me wonder ‘what went wrong?’”

Rina has her own reasons for feeling this way. While some may say wedding planners are professional service providers, Rina regards herself as part of her clients’ families. With a strong personal attachment to them, Rina listens to them like a member of the family would, and prays for everyone.

“From the beginning, when I talk in front of the whole family, I always say, ‘I’m here as a part of your family… I’m not a stranger’,” she says.

“I have maintained good relationships with all of my clients. I still get invited to their family events and I’m so blessed for that.”

Being responsible for so many highly admired nuptials, Rina never dreamed of becoming a wedding planner. In fact, she accidentally jumped into the business in 2001, when comedian-turned-lawmaker Eko Patrio begged her to organize his wedding with actress Viona Rosalia.

“Previously, my friend [singer] Krisdayanti asked me to organize her daughter’s birthday party,” says the 36-year-old, who started her career as a singer, dancer and presenter.

“It was my first time but it was a success, and from there, people started to ask for my help organizing events.”

Then one day, Eko came to her and said, “Would you help me organize my wedding?” Surprised at the offer, Rina asked about the wedding date, and to her bigger shock, Eko replied: “It’s next month!”

At such a short notice, Rina turned down the offer, saying she had no experience in organizing weddings. Eko, however, insisted and assured her she could do it. The rest is history — when one famous wedding is a success, word-of-mouth does its magic. And until today, Rina has organized countless weddings including those of famous people like Bunga Citra Lestari and Ashraf Sinclair, Titi Kamal and Christian Sugiono, Adinda Bakrie, Nico Siahaan, Ferry Maryadi, Monica Oemardi, Cici Faramida, and the families of ministers and high-ranking officials.

“I know some people might think I only handle high-profile clients, but that’s not true. I have organized very modest weddings for kampung residents in my neighborhood.

“For me, a wedding is everyone’s big dream, so I should help them make their dreams come true,” Rina says.

Planning someone’s wedding is not something fancy. In fact, it’s a job where one has to get over their ego for the sake of clients’ satisfaction, she says.

“It’s a job where you have to smile all the time — no matter what,” Rina says.

“You don’t argue with your clients, and you take their complaints and anger with a smile.”

It’s the same philosophy she has passed on to her employees.

“It happens all the time — my staff deal with clients who express their anger with profanities,” she says.

“It’s sometimes out of line, but I keep reminding them, ‘keep smiling and don’t say a bad word in return. If you want to cry, do it later in the bathroom!’”

That’s why working as a wedding planner requires patience and strength, she says.

“Because a wedding is a big thing for everyone, people tend to be sensitive about every single detail,” Rina explains.

“In many cases, you witness fights among couples and family members. Parents disagree with their children, and so on.”

So, wedding planners “listen to everyone, and calm them down. It’s never easy, but that’s how it works”.

A stressful life, indeed. And just how does Rina handle all this pressure? Apart from her “smiling” weapon to keep her calm, there’s another thing that keeps her alive.

“Deep inside, I believe marriage is sacred, and being involved in making it come true is a gracious thing to do,” Rina says.

“Whenever I pray for a marriage, it makes me think of my marriage, and I pray for it too.”

Rina can be grateful for her marriage to Teddy, with whom she tied the knot in 1999, and which has never been the target of gossip in the media. While Rina admits she has a packed schedule, she has her own tricks to make everything run smoothly — both at work and at home.

“I will never start work in the morning before my husband leaves and my children go to school,” says the mother of two (Aqshal Ilham Syafatullah, 10, and Karnisya Rahmasyach, 7).

“And I make sure I return home before my husband arrives and my children wake up from their afternoon nap,” she says.

The weekend, Rina adds, is also dedicated to her family, although most of the time she has to attend her clients’ weddings.

“Almost everybody gets married on the weekend, so what can I do?” Rina says.

“And they all want me to come. They tell me they would feel safer if I was there with them.”

Well, with three weddings on the one day, you can imagine how Rina struggles to hop from one place to another. And, no, she doesn’t use a car.

“A car couldn’t do it! I kidnap my ojek [motorcycle taxi] driver for the whole day!” she says, laughing.

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