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Grace Tan
In Casual Portraits, International, Outdoor Weddings, Portraits, Wedding Films & Videos, Weddings

Destination Weddings: Bali

Some time back, I blogged about Destination Weddings, a TV program that I worked on for the Travel Channel with Deborah Henry as the host. I finally got my act together and managed to sort through some photos that I took during the shoot. This episode is my favourite out of all the episodes I directed, so I’d like to share some images from 2 very different weddings that we covered in Bali.

Firstly, a traditional Balinese Hindu wedding that was held in a small village about 1.5 hours away from Kuta. One of the sights that greeted us when we arrived was this man walking his giant pig! It was seriously huge and apparently a gigolo pig! I got so excited, I ran across the road to photograph it. Ok, I digress…back to the wedding…

The local wedding was held at this home which was a dedicated space for community events, and even for tourists to come and learn cooking from Pak Wayan. The couple dressed up in elaborate costumes with ornate headgear. I heard that some foreigners actually go through a traditional Balinese ceremony like this for their wedding. Personally, I still prefer my groom to be in a suit… (more of this wedding in a bit).

The second wedding was a western beach ceremony held at the Westin, Nusa Dua and dinner reception at the Melia, Nusa Dua. The weather was perfect, and it was a really breezy day… I wish all my Langkawi beach wedding shoots would be as cool (temperature wise!) as this! Here’s Deborah posing for a promo shot.

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Grace Tan
In Chinese Weddings, Outdoor Weddings, Wedding Films & Videos, Weddings

Intimate Wedding: Gary & Pei Yuen

It was at another wedding 3 years ago that Gary first laid his eyes on the beautiful Pei Yuen…thanks to their friend who actually placed them both at the ‘singles’ table! Triple hurray for matchmaking schemes! To the delight of his grandmother who has been nagging him to get married for 6 years… Gary and Pei Yuen started a relationship. He eventually proposed to Pei Yuen at the picturesque island of Maldives, and in 2012, they tied the knot. Their intimate wedding ceremony was held at Gary’s home and later that night, the dinner reception at The Westin, KL. Do watch their wedding highlights on video below and to hear a really hilarious best man’s speech!

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Grace Tan
In Portraits,

A Parisian Pre-Wedding: Jun Ven & Adelene

It’s been more than 10 years since I got to know Jun Ven while studying in college. We had a group of mutual friends, and through the years, got to know each other better over mamak sessions, church, holidays like to Mulu caves and lots of other gatherings. He’s one steady, collected and easy going guy. Adelene, on the other hand, came into the picture a few years ago when she waltzed into Jun Ven’s working life as an intern in Maxis. I remember him telling me a long time ago that one of the things that attracted him to her was her chatty-ness! Yup, she’s sociable, is a kick-ass badminton player, and a driven person, especially when it comes to her career. She now helms the operations behind this amazing business venture called MyTeksi… if you are a regular taxi user, you should definitely find out more about it!

Since their wedding is this weekend, I thought I’d post a few images from their pre-wedding shoot as a prelude to the big day! And you guessed it right, their wedding is Parisian themed!

Congratulations, Jun Ven and Adelene! So happy for the both of you! Looking forward to the wedding this weekend… hope you managed to get some rest and are not too stressed with last minute preparation details!

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Grace Tan
In Life, Musings, Relationships

From 2 to 3…

A week ago, I became a mum. For 9 months, I carried a little bundle inside of me… a little being that grew from a tiny foetus into a 2+kg baby. I brought her for shoots with me, and we grew, together. When we saw her first few photos on the scan, we were excited (doesn’t matter that it was just a mass of 2 oval shapes showing the head and body). When she kicked, we were delighted. Towards the end of my term, I couldn’t wait to meet her, my little bundle of joy.

A week before my due date, at about 2am, my water bag burst and an hour later, I was in the hospital. By 9am, I had only dilated 1cm and she was facing upwards, which made it hard for her to come out naturally. So by 12pm, a decision was made to go for a Caesarean birth, and within a few minutes, I was in the operating theatre. It felt like a blur, I couldn’t see what was going on, didn’t feel any pain, but I could just feel the gynae touching me and her being pushed out. All throughout the surgery, I was praying and singing the song “Lord you are always here with me”.

At the precise moment I heard her cry, my emotions just overwhelmed me and I couldn’t help but cry too.

She was brought to me not too long later and she was just beautiful!

One week later, and I have already posted countless images of her on Instagram and Facebook. I’ve joined that group of millions of mothers worldwide who are proud of their little kid. Not because of what they can do (she hasn’t earned any A’s in school yet, or started working to earn her keep), but because of who they are. Simply loved because they are their child. I am reminded of that same love that God gave to us… unconditional love, not because of what we can do, but because of who we are… His creation. And nothing we do in this life can take away Christ’s love for us.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
– Romans 8: 38-39 –

Such is the heart of our Father…and a good reminder this Christmas! Have a great Christmas season and a Happy New Year!

xoxo,

Grace, Alex & Krysta

Last 2 Photo credits: Asther Lau Photography

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