Conquering love: Malaysian couple scale the heights to mark their new life journey

A Malaysian couple decided to immortalise their relationship by taking their pre-wedding pictures at the top of Mount Kinabalu in Sabah to symbolise their love and life’s journey.

The photo of Mr Low Chee Seng, 30, in a dark suit and bow tie, with his partner Lilian Wang, 30, in a flowing red sleeveless gown, against a backdrop of the craggy mountain peak and clear blue sky, was widely carried by local media and caught the attention of the Sabah Tourism Board.

For the couple, the journey up the 4,095m mountain is emblematic of who they are.

The pair – who have known each other since they were nine, but whose romance blossomed only during their university days in Sarawak – have always enjoyed the outdoors.

Mr Low, an e-business consultant, and Ms Wang, a packaging specialist with a multinational firm, both hail from Kuala Lumpur. They enjoy spending time outdoors doing activities like hiking, cycling, diving and running marathons.

After Mr Low proposed to Ms Wang at the top of Mulu Pinnacles in Sarawak’s Mulu National Park in May 2022, the adventurous duo started to prepare for their wedding – including finding the perfect location for their pre-wedding pictures to be taken. Their requirement: a unique place that highlights the beauty of nature.

They shortlisted places like the tea plantations of Cameron Highlands in Pahang, Tempurung cave in Perak, which is famous for its rock formations, and Sipadan island in Sabah, one of the world’s top dive sites.

In the end, the couple decided on Mount Kinabalu.

“We feel that hiking is a resemblance of love and relationship, the ups and downs (of a relationship) as you walk along the trails. It reminds us that it is all about the journey and not the destination,” Ms Wang told The Straits Times over the phone.

“The hiking element and love is emblematic of Mount Kinabalu, and that is why we chose to have our pre-wedding pictures taken there,” she added.

Mr Low said they wanted to highlight Borneo island – where the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak are located – as many people were unaware of the states’ natural beauty.

“Borneo also holds a very special place in our hearts because that is where our love story started,” he told ST.

In May 2023, they began their climb up the mountain with a photographer and guide.

The latter two are experienced climbers, with the photographer having hiked up the mountain nine times.

The quartet reached Panalaban base camp in the afternoon after five hours of hiking from the foot of the mountain where, according to regulations, everyone has to rest before starting the next stage of the climb at 3am.

Mr Low and Ms Wang woke up at 1.30am for her to do her make-up, before having a meal and attending a briefing by the authorities.

The four then started the second stage of the climb, with Ms Wang carrying her gown in her backpack while Mr Low carried his suit, shoes and a tent in another bag.

Two hours later, they reached South Peak, the most photogenic and popular peak of Mount Kinabalu, where they watched the sunrise before changing from their mountain gear to the formal clothes for the photo shoot.

By then, it was 6am and the temperature was a freezing 3 deg C.

“I was wearing a windbreaker over my gown and took it off when we had our pictures taken, and put it on again when we moved to another location,” said Ms Wang.

The wind was “blowing my hair all over the place”, said Ms Wang. Mr Low helped by holding her hair during the shoot and wiping her nose.

“It was chaotic, cold but fun,” recalled Mr Low, adding that the guide also helped by holding the ends of Ms Wang’s gown to make it look flowy.

The shoot lasted for about 2½  hours and by then it had become warm and sunny. They changed, packed up and descended the mountain.

Most of their family and friends learnt of their feat only during their wedding on Nov 2, 2024.

It was also on the wedding day that Mr Low posted one of the pictures on his Instagram account.

Days later, Sabah’s tourism board reposted the photo on its Instagram account as part of its campaign that highlights the beauty of the state.

Mr Low said their parents thought “we were crazy” when he told them of their plans two days before leaving for Sabah.

Although their parents tried to dissuade the couple, they were used to them doing spur-of-the-moment things, said Ms Wang.

“They didn’t see the pictures until the day of our wedding,” said Mr Low, adding that they spent between RM8,000 (S$2,400) and RM10,000 for the five-day trip in Sabah.

One thing the couple did not anticipate was the overwhelming well-wishes they received on social media.

“It was heart-warming to see the messages. We didn’t think it was a big deal because, to us, it was a mini adventure to commemorate our journey of love,” said Ms Wang.

So which mountain will the adventurous couple climb next?

“We will take a short break from hiking and go diving in the Maldives instead,” said Ms Wang.

While they have not planned on what they will be doing for their one-year anniversary in November 2025, it will be “somewhere in either Nepal or India”, in a place surrounded by nature, of course.