Pop princess Siti Nurhaliza Tarudin today married a wealthy businessman in a grand ceremony attended by Malaysian royals and broadcast nationwide on television.

Siti, 27, wore a traditional ethnic Malay dress made of white lace studded with crystals, and a white headscarf and tiara for her marriage to Khalid Mohamad Jiwa, who is 20 years her senior.

Billed as the wedding of the year, the couple had a traditional Malay engagement ceremony before then exchanging vows and rings at the Federal Territory mosque in Kuala Lumpur under tight security.

Khalid presented his bride with a dowry of RM22,222, which the state Bernama news agency said signified the date that the Koran was recognised as Islam's sacred book.

The couple also exchanged trays of traditional engagement and wedding gifts, or hantaran. Siti's presents to Khalid included silk cloth, cake and clothing, according to the private TV3 channel which televised the ceremony.

An emotional Siti, who has been the focus of intense interest from the Malaysian media over her relationship with Khalid, hugged her father after the wedding ceremony.

The event was attended by royalty from Pahang, from where Siti hails.

Lavish wedding reception

Her romance with the recently-divorced entrepreneur, who has four children, was the subject of fevered tabloid speculation for months until the couple confirmed their relationship and announced their wedding plans in July.

A lavish wedding reception has been planned for Aug 28 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, the city's newest exhibition space.

A national icon in Malaysia, Siti has released 14 Malay-language albums which mainly feature love songs.

Her wholesome, girl-next-door image is popular with the region's large Muslim population which frowns on sexy foreign artists.

She also has legions of adoring fans in neighbouring Indonesia, Brunei and Singapore, and has won MTV music video awards for the past four years.