Chinese Weddings

Grace Tan In Chinese Weddings, Church Weddings, Weddings

Church Wedding: Rayson & Yee See

I do wish we could feature every single wedding or portrait that we have ever photographed or filmed on this blog, but I know that it’s just feasibly not possible! In between shoots, managing enquiries, meeting potential clients and replying emails, there’s just so little time left. Throw into that equation, work-life balance – trying to bring my little 6 month old for swimming classes, shopping for groceries, going to church, and actually having a life… I suddenly realize that half a year has passed! Recently, the Integricity family (FYI to those who are not aware, Stories is part of a larger group of companies) went on a company holiday to Phuket! More on that later!

So phew, back to Rayson and Yee See. I first met Rayson years ago when we were working on a corporate project together that required our animation services. That was the vague image that I have in my mind. I could have met him through another friend, but that’s how most friendships are… after a while, it takes a bit of memory-jogging to try and recall the finer details.

So Rayson and Yee See were married this February. Their wedding was photographed by Johan and Weiming (I was on maternity leave then!). Though it’s been a few months since their wedding, I’d like to share these images from their church wedding and their story with you.

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Excerpt from their wedding blog:

He says…

It was only 4 years ago that I met Yee See. It was not love at first sight as most tend to believe. We met at my ex-college mate’ bridal party meeting. I remembered the first time I saw her… it wasn’t a very flattering picture, oily skin, messy hair, runny nose and not to mention the weird dressing.

Totally not my type.

We were paired up pretty quickly for the wedding dance practices. I remembered the awkward moments when we held hands. I thought,

“This girl… dunno how to hold hands… never had a boy friend before issit? -_-”

It wasn’t until a couple of more dance practices that she opened up a bit. I could see that she was starting to feel a lot more comfortable, but still, we didn’t talk much. I thought the epic age gap was to be blamed as there wasn’t anything much that we could talk about. If you’re looking for any chemistry at this point in time, there’s zero. Besides, I wasn’t interested in her romantically. Well, not yet at least.

I thought to myself, there’s no way am I going to go out with this girl even if there was any slight interest. It’s just impossible and of course, not practical. We’re talking about a 7 years age gap here. Pretty scandalous to date a college kid, won’t you say?

Who knew that God had an awesome plan for the both of us.

After the wedding, we kept in touch through Skype, Facebook and Twitter. It wasn’t until she followed me on Twitter that I got interested. I mean, back there not many people heard of Twitter.

That piqued my interest a little.

I also got to know how close she is with her dad and the amazing relationship they have.

That piqued my interest a little more.

Off and on we’ll be in contact over the phone, SMS, Skype … but most of the time she would be the one initiating them. Well, I was only interested in being friends, nothing more.

There was this one occasion that I was driving out for a meeting and I got an SMS from her saying that she had prayed for me. That action was all it took for me to decide that this girl was worth pursuing.

God really opened by eyes. I began to see her differently. I think she prayed very hard hahahahaha … Seriously, everything about her suddenly became attractive. Things that I’ve never noticed, I’ve began to notice. Everything that I had secretly prayed for in a life partner was in front of me all along.

We’ve had our ups and downs, but every experience was worth it. Looking back, I could had missed this girl, glad I didn’t.

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Grace Tan In Chinese Weddings, International, Outdoor Weddings, Weddings

Beach Wedding in Hua Hin, Thailand: Vut & Yan Yan

He was known as the “Thai guy” at church in Melbourne. There, Vut was almost like furniture, since he’s been there for ages. Yan Yan didn’t really know too much about him personally, though she heard that he liked soccer and food. Rumour went around that Vut once ate dog food because he was too hungry (which she later discovered was indeed a rumour!). It was only towards the end of her 3rd year at uni in 2009 that she got to know him better through gmail chat.

And so, a Malaysian girl fell in love with a Thai guy on Australian shores.

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In 2013, Vut and Yan Yan tied the knot on the beautiful beach of Hua Hin, Thailand, witnessed by close family and friends.

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One of the things I really enjoyed about this wedding was that it was really windy on the day of the wedding. It didn’t feel humid, like most beach weddings I have photographed. The wind did make it challenging to change lenses though! I was a little concerned about the fine powdery sand going into the camera and how I’ll need to get it cleaned after the wedding! That thought didn’t last too long though, cause I totally enjoyed the cool sea breeze as we photographed the ceremony that evening.

It was also a special trip because it was Weiming’s first trip to Thailand. Alex and Krysta also tagged along on the trip, so that was really nice to go back to my family after a long day’s work. Of course, the Thai food was awesome too! I could eat Thai food almost everyday!

Thanks Vut and Yan Yan for your hospitality and thoughtfulness. We were touched when we received little cupcakes from you after the wedding too! (The entire studio enjoyed the cupcakes!). Just like your awesome wedding favours below, I wish your marriage a spoonful of devotion, a heap of perfection, a dash of kindness and a pinch of bliss… except that may it multiply a hundredfold beyond what you can imagine!

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Johan Sopiee In Chinese Weddings, Weddings

ROM at Ciao Ristorante: Kenneth & Mae

It was her first day at work, back in 2006, when Mae joined the company as a Management Trainee. Since he was also a trainee, they shared daily anecdotes and various survival skills, working whilst having fun in the process. What struck Kenneth was Mae’s cheerful and friendly personality. It was like a glimpse of warm sunshine amidst the gloomy office environment (especially when she visited the dark, cold corner of the office where he was seated).

Mae’s first impression of Kenneth was that he was a loud, brash, and obnoxious guy. Not the best but a funny guy. Nevertheless a good friend. Two years went by, and a friendship developed. They went through thick and thin, sugar and spice. But their friendship flourished throughout.

Then came that fateful day when Kenneth was transferred to work in Johor Bahru. Amazingly, 3 months later, Mae was also transferred to JB, and they celebrated the joyous reunion of 2 friends. They looked out for each other, took care of each other and kept each other company for the next 2 years. Her presence made the faraway posting much easier.

Then came 2010, after Kenneth was transferred back to KL. It was then that they both realized that absence made the heart fonder. Kenneth soon realized that the good friend he had spent all this time with was the person he wanted to spend forever with. Finally, he mustered up to the courage and professed his love to Mae (and this was after a few surprise visits to JB as well!). Outwardly, she played it cool, but secretly, Mae was absolutely elated. The rest, they say is history!

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

Wedding Video Highlight: Jeffrey & May

We love it when our clients share their life stories so candidly and freely with us. It just makes us feel as if we’ve known them for years! So much detail went into the planning for Jeffrey and May’s wedding… everything was executed beautifully by the vendors that came together for this wedding. Through the emotions shared on their wedding day, you can tell that they are very very much in love. :)

Jeffrey and May’s Story (and all the personalization that went into their wedding!):

Jeffrey and I have known each other for a long, long time. We met through a mutual family friend, who introduced us on the pretext of introducing me to someone who did his postgraduate studies in Oxford and was in a position to advise me on the same, as I was also going to pursue my postgraduate studies then. Little did I know then that it was a match-making event! While we hit it off almost immediately, I was totally oblivious to all these until much later!

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

Parisian Themed Wedding: Jun Ven & Adelene

It’s been a few months since Jun Ven and Adelene’s wedding, but I’d still like to share some of the images and video that were taken on their wedding day by our team – photography by Johan and Weiming, and videography by Joshua and Wee Liem. Some of you might have seen their pre-wedding photos that I took some time back with the same Parisian theme. You can read about their story by clicking on the link above.

It was a beautiful day in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, and the skies were blue… unusually gorgeous, unlike most hazy days in the city. Before arriving at the church, Jun Ven and Adelene had already gone through the traditional chinese chip san leong events, and appreciated families through a meaningful tea ceremony. Friends and family members gathered from all over the world for their wedding. In the capable hands of their wedding planner, Mun Tzin of Milestones, everything came together beautifully.

It was a day to remember.