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Dignity for Children’s Visit

Last week, we had 12 very special visitors to the Stories studio. It was an unusual day for us as we never had a group of teenagers visit us in this manner before. These teenagers were chatty, fun, cheeky and ambitious. You wouldn’t have thought that they came from underprivileged backgrounds or hold a refugee status here in Malaysia.

But thank God for amazing individuals who have volunteered their time and energy in order to give back to society. And especially so for the people behind Dignity for Children, a one stop community learning centre for the urban poor and underprivileged children. Their vision is to empower these children to break the cycle of poverty through quality education, which leads to a positive life transformation.

We were pleased to share our journey as photographers / videographers and to encourage these students to see that this is a viable career path. It was a good exposure for most of them and they even got to have their portraits photographed by our team! It was really worth it to see their smiles knowing that we made a small impact in their lives, even if it was only for 2 hours. We really pray for the best for these kids, and hope that they will lead successful lives as they make carve their path into adulthood.

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Vendor Highlight: Michelle Touche

VendorHighlightFrom personal experience, I can say with utmost conviction that having the right make up artist can ‘make’ or ‘break’ you. I have gone through good and bad experiences, and I know for certain that this art is never to be taken lightly. I have known Michelle for years now, and every time I see the work that she has done, it is truly amazing. She has transformed brides and also made those who are already beautiful even more beautiful.

Amazingly, this woman looks really youthful, and you can hardly tell that she has been in the industry for over 20 years! When she was in Form 2 in Secondary school, Michelle started to learn how to apply make up over her school holidays. And when she was in Form 5, she already started training others how to do it! Naturally, through the years, Michelle has built a strong team of make up artists who are also excellent at their craft.

The rate for their wedding make up & hair services starts from RM1,000 (senior). Pre-wedding rates start from RM500 onwards.

Here’s some tips and interesting facts that Michelle has given to me in our conversation together. Continue Reading

Vendor Highlight: Pretty In White

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Starting this month, we’ll be featuring a new wedding industry vendor every few weeks. These are people whom we love working with, and who are excellent at what they do. I am really pleased to introduce the face behind Pretty in White, Louisa Michael.

Pretty in White has been dressing brides for years… we love their wide selection of gowns, fitting all sorts of body shapes. Their wedding gown rental range starts from RM1,300 and custom made wedding gowns from RM4,000 onwards. Custom made evening gowns start from RM2,500 and bridesmaid’s dresses from RM800 onwards.

As a fashion designer, Louisa has been working in the industry for the past 7 years. Before this, she was a graphic designer for 3 1/2 years. Married and a mother to a cute baby, I spoke to Louisa about her passion, how she got started and some advice to brides who are looking for a wedding gown.

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Happy Chinese New Year 2015!

To all our wonderful blog readers, clients and friends, we would like to wish you a Happy Chinese New Year as you usher in the year of the goat! We look forward to another good year ahead, trusting God for His provision in our lives.

Love,
Grace, Alex, Krysta and Kyle

CNY2015

The Birth of Baby Jonas

One day, I received a message on Facebook from Jasmine, whom I had known for quite a number of years. She told me that she’d like to document the birth of her second child during the delivery process. I was quite excited as I had never photographed a birthing process before, but secretly I was a little worried that I might faint in the delivery room. After all, I have never witnessed anyone giving birth before, even though I had already experienced two C-secs personally.

Jasmine’s baby was due to arrive on December 24th, and since you can’t really plan for these things, I was already on my toes one week before her due date. Everything was in place… camera batteries perpetually charged, a back up plan with Diane in place in case I couldn’t make it to the hospital in time (or if I were busy shooting another event at the same time), extra phone numbers to call if I didn’t hear my phone ringing at 3am… it seemed like a good plan.

So I was naturally excited when I received a whatsapp message on Friday morning from Jasmine saying that she had been experiencing contractions since 3am, and that today might be ‘the day’! I quickly packed my gear, sorted out my plans for the day, and waited. After a few hours, I was given an update at 2pm: She had checked into the hospital but the contractions seemed to be further apart instead of getting stronger. So she was just under observation for now.

At 3pm, I was still running errands in PJ when I got another message from Jasmine: 4cm dilated. Contractions still far apart. I think it’s time to come to the hospital. Take your time.

I replied ok, but 10 minutes later, I received a hysterical call from her saying that she was already pushing! (on hindsight, can’t believe she can still call me even during her delivery!). I was shocked, because just 10 minutes earlier nothing much was happening! I couldn’t believe how quick everything was progressing. With Alex at the wheel, he rushed me to Pantai Hospital but just as I approached the entrance, I received another whatsapp message from John, Jasmine’s husband… that the baby has been delivered!

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I was really disappointed that I couldn’t photograph the birth nor did we manage to get shots of John cutting the umbilical cord. But everything just happened at such lightning speed which none of us could have predicted. Even the staff at the hospital said it was really quick.. just 2-3 pushes and he was out.

Baby Jonas, you just wanted a little drama entering the world, didn’t you? I am glad that everything went well though and that your mom is well (Seriously, don’t you think Jasmine looks AMAZING for someone who just delivered a baby?). I am honoured to be your very first guest at the hospital and I look forward to seeing you again soon within the next few weeks!

20141219_BIRTH_OF_JONAS_011 Continue Reading