Grace Tan

Hun Young & Ju Yee’s wedding

Photographers: Grace & Mark
Wedding Highlight Videography: Alex
Hair & Make Up: Remy Ngon
Wedding Gown Boutique: Neoromantic
Cheongsam: Jason Yek
Guy’s Suit: Lord’s Tailor
Wedding Planner: James Kon
Dinner Reception: Crowne Plaza Mutiara Hotel, KL
Decoration: Favors Essence

Since they were teenagers, Hun Young had his eyes on Ju Yee. She’s that pretty girl in school whose smile and laughter captivated him. In that school hall, as Ju Yee played table tennis with her friends, Hun Young could not stop thinking about how she stood out in that crowd. She thought he was cute, but as with all teenagers, the definition of cute is rather ugly but adorable.

Luckily for Hun Young, Ju Yee’s perception of him changed over time and soon, they started going out. His first impression of her as a tomboy was quickly crushed…and now, many years later… they are married!

In my eyes, Ju Yee looks gorgeous. I cannot imagine her in short hair and behaving like a tomboy! I had the privilege of shooting their pre-wedding photos as well in Dusun Garden Fairies, so if you’d like to have a look at the photos, click here.

Grace Tan In Musings, Portraits, Pre-Wedding & Engagement Portraits, Tips + Ideas

Why shoot a pre-wedding?

Some couples tell me that they are into candid shots and don’t really want to do a pre-wedding shoot. All they want are candid shots that show how people are having a great time in their wedding. While that is absolutely important, I do think that it’s equally important to shoot pre-wedding photos. Or post-wedding. Or set aside time on your wedding day, (if only for an hour!) for portraits.

Ok, I am not trying to sell you more of my services (though of course, I’d LOVE to shoot more pre-weddings!).

What’s my reasoning for portraits? Well, how often in your life, have you done a professional photo shoot? And what’s the best time for that than your wedding… when you have most probably slaved at the gym for months to be in your best shape, gone for beauty treatments and spent a thousand dollars or more on your gorgeous gown?

To be honest, I never had a pre-wedding shoot for my wedding, but I set aside some time on the wedding day for portraits. I did realize though that I was constantly chasing after time, (hurry, we gotta get from my house to your parent’s place, or we gotta head to the hotel like NOW!!). On hindsight, I think I would have enjoyed a pre-wedding shoot, done on another day, at a more leisurely pace. Sometimes, I still have crazy ideas like donning my wedding gown (which I haven’t tried on for 4 years, but still hangs in my cupboard, or is in a box?) and doing a post-wedding shoot!

Some of my clients come up with absolutely creative ideas for their pre-wedding shoot, and I love that. I think the first thing that people think of when wanting to shoot a pre-wedding is the question, “Where should we go?”. So here are some tips for brides and grooms who are planning on getting a pre-wedding shoot done.

1. What is your personality like?

Are you a bubbly person, an extrovert who loves to laugh a lot and chat nineteen to the dozen, or are you an introvert who prefers to sit with your books and enjoy quiet moments with just yourself and your hubby? Are you a hopeless romantic at heart? Your photos should reflect your personality. So if you’re a quirky, non-conforming kind of person, the type of location you choose would reflect that.

Simple and glamourous

Dramatic and moody

Classic

Just love to have fun!

Simple contentment

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Grace Tan In Malay Weddings, Weddings

Rudi & Puteri’s Akad Nikah

Photographer: Johan, Grace & Sri
Wedding gown boutique & Make up: Freda Couture
Groom’s attire: Bon Zainal
Wedding Planning Company: Alam Ritz Catering & Wedding Planner
Dinner Reception: Bukit Mewah Club

Rudi fell in love not once, but twice. Firstly, to this part of the world, but most importantly, to Puteri. You can tell when someone is completely in love with another person. It’s all in the eyes. With Rudi and Puteri, you know for a fact that these are 2 individuals whose hearts are totally and utterly committed to one another.

Puteri looking gorgeous!

And here’s Rudi, looking so dashing in his outfit.

Rudi’s family and friends flew all the way from Holland and Indonesia to attend his wedding.

Grace Tan In Casual Portraits, Portraits

It’s a MadWorld out there…

Life, as they say, is unpredictable. One day, you could be traveling to work, as usual, stopping by the local bakery to buy your favourite muffin, and the next day, a tragedy like 9-11 happens. In a world where catastrophe happens on an almost daily basis, how are we to make sense of it all? Have we become numb to the things that are going on out there?

Or do I only care about where I will be having dinner tonight… sushi or Italian? Whether to buy Coach or LV? Which movies to watch, what to do after work…?

I know that it’s impossible to lead a completely self-less life, but I am constantly challenged to do things that matter in life. Whether it is volunteering to take photos at a HIV institution, cleaning people’s homes after the tsunami, or just feeding an old lady in a home… I believe that every action counts.

And so, the message in MadWorld really resonates with my soul. This amazing dance & song choreography, performed by talented individuals is the joint production between two churches – SIBKL & DUMC. The production raises this long debated question… “What indeed is the worth of our souls?”

The energy and passion that is in this production is truly inspiring. I know for a fact that the performers have sacrificed hours and hours of their time practicing for this production, debuting this 3rd of December in DUMC. The event is open to all and entrance is free.

A month ago, the performers, creative team, band members and many others gathered in an abandoned house in KL for a photo shoot. It was a challenging shoot for me, as I had to evoke the right kind of emotion through the images, which would be used for all marketing materials and brochures. Check out the poster below for the performance times, or visit the official MadWorld website.

The singers

The dancers

The four main cast – Adam, Lucas, Pearly and Sinister

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Grace Tan In For Photographers, Musings

Comic relief

If you’re into photography and need some comic relief, I truly recommend “What the Duck”, a really funny comic strip with some element of truth in each scenario. I think people who draw comics are just pure geniuses. Here’s 3 really funny ones… and if you want to see more, especially the most popular ones, click here for the official site.