I think I panicked and gasped at the same time for a whole 1 minute.

Actually, Yee Xing’s sister Yee Ming had contacted me a few weeks before the ROM and asked if I was available to shoot the event and also some family portraits on that day. I was mentally prepared for a family shoot but wasn’t prepared for such an elaborate event. What made matters interesting was that there were 2 other videographers hired on that day, plus one other photographer from Singapore. Can you imagine all of us trying to squeeze on that tiny platform in the middle of the pool, including the bride, groom & wedding officiant? I had to do a lot of creative framing on that day . :)

In the end, everything turned out well and I am pleased with the outcome of the images.

Colin & Yee Xing, I hope you like these images and I look forward to your wedding banquet!

Yee Xing was one really calm bride. While we were getting ready in the room, her zip actually broke and we couldn’t zip up her wedding gown! Her make up artist and my assistant Yih Wen was busy trying to sew up her wedding gown, and everything was delayed by 45 minutes. But through it all, she was smiling, completely unfrazzled! Of course, that gave me more time to take portraits of Colin!

Some family photos before the ROM starts.

Before she walked down the aisle, Yee Xing actually sang a beautiful song for Colin. So sweet!

Another family photo for the road.

Credits:
Photographer: Grace, assisted by Yih Wen
Location: Capella, Singapore 

I experienced a few new things while covering this wedding. Firstly, I traveled about 100+km around Singapore. For real. Ian checked the odometer in his car, and it was a long drive! We literally rounded Singapore… traveled from Bishan to Jurong West to Bishan to Punggol back to Jurong West, then to M Hotel in the city. Phew…

The other thing I experienced was photographing the bridal pick up games in the narrow HDB corridors.

Finally, it was the first time I saw a pink London cab – the one and only in Singapore!

Some of my regular blog readers might have seen Kevin and Katherine’s (also known as Feng & Shan) pre-wedding photos in Nikoi Island before. About a year before the wedding, Kevin and Katherine made the trip to KL to discuss their wedding plans and book me for their wedding day shoot. (Actually, I think it was just an excuse for them to eat at A&W which I found out later that they love!).

Since that meeting, we’ve been on a great journey together… as clients and now, friends. It’s really awesome to be able to photograph a client before the wedding day (pre-wedding) so that we could get to know each other better. It breaks the ice, and both parties would feel more at ease with each other on the wedding day!

You know a couple is really well organized when they planned their wedding 2 years from the proposal date. They had the perfect sunset at Japalama Resort, Tioman, perfect row of surprises from Kevin… which led to the perfect surprise proposal in 2009! While they dined under the stars that night, Kevin gave Katherine a series of envelopes to open in sequence. He was a little worried initially that she would see his bulging pockets but she didn’t notice a thing!

So one after another, she opened the envelopes, and he placed the messages next to their soft toy mascots for her to read… combined, the message read… “Baby! Happy 66th month anniversary!”

Finally, he gave her the last envelope, and while she moved towards the light to read what it said, Kevin promptly went on his knees, took out his proposal ring… and verbalized his love…

The words said, “Will you marry me?”

And so, the journey began…

Definitely an interesting one for Kevin, and for the guys! (I have to let you know that they tried to dance… they did… )

Love the little customizations that were done for the wedding, including these t-shirts! Each pig had a different personality, specific to the wearer, and was drawn by one of the guys! My favourite is the one in the paintball outfit.

The highlight of the dinner was the 2nd entrance… which was also a surprise dance performance for the audience! It was really great seeing Kevin and Katherine perform, especially after they had practiced hard for this day!

Congratulations to the both of you! Do come back and visit us here in KL more often… you can do some shopping and eat at A&W! :) Wishing you lots of exciting moments ahead and more perfect sunrises / sunsets to come!

I am really looking forward to the Christmas holidays though, as that will be the first break I am getting in many months. I will be planning for next year and also trying to sort out everything for the new office… we will be moving into SS2 mall early next year! Once the studio is opened, we will have some promotions, so do keep a look out on this blog!

Just as a little teaser, here are some images I took yesterday at the gorgeous Capella Hotel in Sentosa, Singapore. Definitely one of the prettiest outdoor locations I’ve seen so far!

Have a great Christmas season and happy shopping!

Some months back, I blogged about my travel to Nikoi Island for a pre-wedding photo shoot. I met Kevin & Katherine (also known as Ruifeng & Peishan) about a year ago when they traveled from Singapore to KL just to meet up with me. Katherine is an avid supporter of my work which I am grateful for. :) She comments on so many of my Facebook updates which is really really nice! Kevin & Katherine flew me into Singapore for their wedding on the 22nd of October, and prior to that, their pre-wedding shoot in Nikoi island.

I must say, I have a weakness for beaches, the sea and islands. Over the next few weeks, you’ll find a number of postings on the blog related to beach weddings – we photographed so many over the past few months! Back to Kevin & Katherine’s pre-wedding shoot – this was a memorable event for me. Actually, the trip itself was an adventure. Alex and I had to fly to Singapore, catch a ferry to Bintan island, take a 45 minute taxi ride across Bintan to another jetty, hop onto another ferry for 30 minutes, and then we reached Nikoi island! Phew! But it was worth it! I love the seclusion of this island, plus I could walk around it in 20 minutes. Alex and I had a private chalet to ourselves, thanks to Kevin & Katherine’s generosity.

To be precise, the chalet looked like this:

Since Katherine loves details, she planned and transported all these items for her photo shoot in Nikoi.

The first time Katherine laid eyes on Kevin was during their Mathematics lecture back in National University of Singapore…

Katherine: To be exact I only caught sight of his back more than his looks and that was only because my male friend said there is a good-looking guy sitting in front of us. My first impression? Oh my goodness! How can he be good-looking?! I thought he looked rather unfriendly! Haha!

But from then on, I noticed him all the time since we were in the same faculty and course. I decided to do a search on the then-popular Friendster and found him. From there, I realized that Kevin was actually from the same junior college as me and decided to get to know him by sending him a private message through Friendster.

Kevin: One fine day, I got a message from *tadah!* Katherine via Friendster, and I was surprised to find out that we were both from the same junior college! With this common bond, we sent a couple of private messages and started chatting with her on ICQ. Somehow, we seemed to connect really well and enjoyed our late-night online chats. It felt like we were old friends rather than two individuals who barely knew each other for less than a month!

First impressions? Tall. Slim. Somehow, a little different from the other ladies in our course, but I didn’t really think too much about it at that time. Love at first sight? Definitely not for us, I guess! One thing led to another. We met up on campus, went on a date, and the rest is history.

I promise you, the skies are real!

The next morning, we woke up early to catch the sunrise. Our make up artist Cherry had a hard time doing her make up in a dim chalet at 4am but she did a great job.

Kevin & Katherine, thanks for your hospitality. I felt pampered while I was there at Nikoi for our shoot. Glad the weather was great! I had a good time in Singapore over the weekend too. Hugs and kisses!

* Images of Holiday Inn Resort, Kandooma Maldives taken from hotel website.

If you’ve dreamed of traveling to Maldives and having your portraits taken on this beautiful island, this is the chance for you!

This promotional rate of USD3,400 includes:

- A 3D2N stay for 2 persons in the Sea View Beach House at Holiday Inn Resort, Kandooma Maldives, inclusive daily buffet breakfast at Kandooma Cafe (excluding beverages) and return airport transfers
- 6 hours of pre or post wedding photography by Grace
- Unlimited number of images on DVD (printable up to 4R size)
- DVD slideshow of selected images
- 15″ x 10″ classic album (20 pages)
- 15″ x 10″ canvas art print
- Wedding gown from That Special Occasion
- Accommodation for photographer

This promotion is valid for ONE couple only. Do note that the rate does not include flights (for the couple & photographer).

- Valid till 1 February 2012
- Reservation in advance required and room is subject to availability
- Not valid during peak season 20 December 2011 to 10 January 2012 and 19 January to 31 January 2012

The resort looks amazing! Do check out more details on the resort online and read reviews on Trip Advisor. Email me at grace.tan [at] stories.my to make a booking before 31st October 2011.

Oh the 2 weeks in this magical land just felt too short. There’s just so much to see in Turkey! I had an amazing experience, despite the cold winter breeze, fingers frozen from holding my camera body, feet soaked from the wet snow…

Thank you, Edwin & Dawn.

I am really glad you took us along on this whirlwind trip to the land where bright coloured lamps abound, funny looking structures rise from the ground, and roasted chestnuts (kestane) on carts line the streets all day long.

Edwin & Dawn wanted to travel to Turkey after their wedding for some post wedding portraits. Dawn visisted Turkey some time back, and absolutely fell in love with it. I am still amazed at her Turkish vocabulary! Everywhere we went, she would mention a Turkish word and people would instantly warm up to her. She even managed to communicate what she wanted for her hair and make up in a smattering of Turkish to the make up artist. Dawn brings such joy and a sense of warmth everywhere she went. The cold weather didn’t make a difference.

Edwin, on the other hand, had never visited Turkey prior to this trip. He was the secure and calm person who would carry all the bags for Dawn, and willingly do whatever she suggested. You know that he loves Dawn deeply by his acts of kindness. Edwin, you are truly a gem.

When we traveled to Cappadocia, I felt so amazed at the landscape there. While in Cappadocia, I heard this piece of music that totally complemented the landscape. It’s just surreal. I instantly fell in love with it. It was just perfect for the images that we created in this trip. From Istanbul to Cappadocia… from the Ayasofya to the Blue Mosque to Eminonoue… presenting… Edwin & Dawn.

The underground cities of Derinkuyu.

The temperature in Turkey was about 0-5 degrees, but Dawn was brave enough to step out in the cold without her coat most times…

My response is simple… I make time for it.

When I think back about it, I am amazed as well. Of course, there are days when I am overwhelmed with the workload. Since I started running my own business 3-4 years ago, I discovered that time is such an important asset. Everyday is a rush to complete the backlog of work that somehow manages to miraculously pile itself on my desk. Before I know it, a day has gone by, a week, a month, a year… where did the time go?

I am still learning the art of prioritizing my time. There are certain things I know I need to do, and those things are high on my priority list. Blogging is one of them. I feel it’s so important to have fresh content on the Stories blog, that no matter how busy I am, I must make time to blog. In my mind, blogging = marketing the Stories brand. How can I neglect something as important as marketing?

So yeah… I make time for it.

Here’s a simple update to what’s been happening the past one week:

Noel & Hui Yi’s pre-wedding shoot in Putrajaya

I love Pullman hotel for pre-wedding photography. The ambience is beautiful!

Kevin & Katherine’s pre-wedding shoot in Nikoi Island, off Bintan, Indonesia

With an amazing beach like this, you can’t help but feel soooo blessed at having a job that brings you places.

Kevin & Katherine (also known as Feng & Shan), would prefer to have their pre-wedding photos posted after their wedding in October, so it’ll be a surprise to the guests. So yeah, you’ll have to wait for it. It’s worth the wait. A hint… it’s filled with yummy-licious props in the shades of blue & white! Also, lots of love + blue skies.

Here’s the view of the chalets we stayed in (it’s super luxurious considering it’s one couple per chalet)

And here’s a view of the couple that enjoyed the chalet…

From Nikoi, Alex and I traveled by speedboat, ferry, taxi, bus, van and plane to Kuching, Sarawak for Phong & Laura’s wedding. (it’s a long story on why we needed to do that). Mark met us in Kuching for the shoot.

Phong & Laura’s wedding in Kuching, Sarawak

Meanwhile, on the same day, Johan & Ben were in KL, covering Jonathan & Germaine’s wedding dinner (since I just got back to KL, I haven’t collected the photos from Johan so no image here for now).

After Phong & Laura’s wedding, I stayed on in Kuching to do a personal video project with my church friends. It involves the recording of Christian testimonies in Sarawak. On one of the days, we traveled to Serian village to do a video recording with this family.

Overall, a really hectic but fruitful week. That’s all for now! Hope your week was a good one too!

Years ago, there was a possibility of me moving to Singapore. Other than the relationship pull factor (my ex was Singaporean!) plus the thought of earning a higher income… Singapore seemed like a decent place to live. Not surprising that Istvan and Shirley decided to hop over the causeway to work some time back. I met Istvan and Shirley for the first time on their pre-wedding shoot day. They were so easy to get along with. I am really thankful for clients like these because it just makes my work so much easier!

I was excited to shoot at Marina Bay Sands. The view is amazing! Thanks Istvan and Shirley for your generosity in putting us up for one night at Marina Bay Sands. Alex and I enjoyed the pool very very much. :) Hope you’ll like these images… I can still remember the heat from the deck! The both of you are amazingly sporting for doing all sorts of things under the hot sun.

A quick change and we headed to Southern Ridges…

Awesome view too! I wish Malaysia has amazing locations like these!

Back to Marina Bay Sands for sunset…

All the best for your wedding, Istvan & Shirley! Hope to see you in KL soon, and maybe we can have pizza and drinks together again! This time, without the tomato sauce incident… :)

One week after Jamie & Ann’s beautiful chapel wedding in the Gold Coast, Alex and I traveled to Melbourne for her next wedding celebration. It was held at Sails on the Bay, very near Brighton beach (which I later managed to have a peek at… and did some of my own posing in front of those famous colourful Brighton beach houses). The amazing thing about this wedding in Melbourne was that everything was DIY – well, everything except the food and cake. So be prepared for a huge post on details!

Look at this gorgeous venue. I love it how the pre-wedding, wedding in Gold Coast and now Melbourne had a beach theme running through it. Sigh, I wish Malaysian skies looked this good!

Do these flowers and vases look familiar? They were used during the pre-wedding too! All the decorations you see at this wedding were a labour of love. Even Ann’s parents had a hand in it, cutting fresh flowers to put into the vases that Ann purchased before the wedding.

Their friend Jesse hung these lanterns the day before. I also heard that Jamie and Ann didn’t go home till the wee hours of the morning on the day of the event, just so they could perfect everything! Amazing.

The decorations for the stage (also done by Jamie & Ann).

The Melbourne reception was a rather fun and relaxed event. Even the walk in was a highlight!

If you have heard the song Marry You by Bruno Mars, you can just imagine the walk in dance that the bridal party did, Glee style!

When they got to the stage, Jamie & Ann’s friend who emcee-ed the event made a slight mistake by announcing them as “Jamie & Melissa”. Everyone started laughing because Melissa is Jamie’s sister.

Since the vows were already uttered the week before, Jamie & Ann did something different for this ceremony. They had a seed planting ceremony to symbolize their life together. If it was me getting married, this ceremony would never happen – purely because almost everything I plant dies, including cacti!

On to the next part of the event – a fun photo booth session! Everyone had a chance to go up to the props table, choose an item or two, and do a fun pose!

Jamie & Ann had appointed responsible and Speedy-Gonzales type friends to help with the photo taking and printing session. Everything was done efficiently, and by the end of lunch, everyone had a little photo frame to bring home!

Another pose for fun…

And yet another…

Of course, Alex and I couldn’t help but participate too…

This part of the wedding details is my favourite. I love it because it’s so original. You see, Jamie’s a dentist, and Ann’s a pharmacist. So, for the wedding favours, Jamie and Ann devised this amazing plan on how to distribute favours to their guests. This is how it works (view images from left to right):

1. Collect a prescription card from the table.

2. Fill in your prescription card with whatever message you have for Jamie & Ann (in the case of the kid below, scribbles would do too).

3. Drop off your prescription card in the box prepared.

4. Then pick up your prescription, which are little bottles of mints!

Brilliant! Here’s a closer look at the prescription card.

Another look at the lanterns. Wow, I can just imagine how much work this is.

After mingling around with guests, everyone proceeded to the lunch reception area. Of course, you have to find which table to sit at, so these photo frames will tell you.

The placecards in the glass weren’t placed there by Ann (don’t panic!). We did it for a photo to highlight your names. :)

I heard this location has gorgeous views of the sunset. I didn’t stay on to find out, but the sea just looks amazing! I love weddings held during the day, with lots of natural sunlight coming into the venue.

I also found out that the bridal party had spent hours cutting the circles you see on these placecards. I didn’t realize the menu was at the back of the placecards until Alex pointed it out to me. Thank God for meticulous husbands. :)

Alex and I managed to sample some of the delicious food that day too. Yummy.

The day was filled with fun, laughter, friendships and good speeches. Thanks Jamie & Ann for counting us as friends, after our journey together in Australia. We really enjoyed ourselves and I am soooo glad you flew us there to photograph your epic wedding!