Indian + Punjabi Weddings

Grace Tan In Indian + Punjabi Weddings, Weddings

Ceylonese Hindu Wedding Ceremony & Dinner at Pampas: Puvan & Poornima

When Poornima first met Puvan, she barely glanced at him. To her, he was just a typical, carefree teenage boy. It was only after 4 years of being batchmates in college did his true heart reveal itself to her. At this point, she kind of felt that he was the one for her, but they were studying in India, and after coming back to Malaysia, they were working in different states. The lack of time together and long distance proved to be much more of a challenge than they thought and it made them grow apart.

But during that 1.5 years apart, their hearts were still ‘together’ which lead to the clarity of their minds… that they will never find a better companion apart from each other. So they broke up as kids, but got back together as adults. Adults who are ready to move on to a better phase of life.

Thank you for sharing your beautiful wedding day with us, Puvan and Poornima, including the Ponnurukku ceremony. What I enjoyed most about your wedding was seeing some of our older clients there at the wedding, and not to forget, jumping out of my car in the middle of Brickfields traffic to photograph your bridal car that broke down. Thank God everything went well after that! Looking forward to our years of friendship! May you be filled with beautiful memories from these images years from now.

Grace Tan In Indian + Punjabi Weddings, Wedding Films & Videos, Weddings

Hindu Wedding in Malacca: Jason & Seetha

If you love whirlwind romances then you’ll certainly love the story of Jason & Seetha. They met while waiting to catch a flight home after a marathon in Penang and found that they were seated in the same row once they got on! Jason wasted no time in texting Seetha once they got into their own cabs and sent her flowers just three days after they met. They had their first date a week later and after only 21 days since meeting each other, the three precious little words “I love you” sealed the deal.

They love each other fiercely, but it doesn’t stop there. Their love extends to traveling (they have covered 15 countries over 2 continents!) as well as to leading an active lifestyle together (which includes marathons, duathlons and Mount Kinabalu too).

Jason and Seetha are genuine and generous in their love for others too. It’s not difficult to feel their enthusiasm for life rubbing off on you through your interaction with them. We have enjoyed being a part of their wedding and wish them both the very best life has to offer!

We want to also thank the couple for a beautifully written testimonial!

“I have known about Stories.my for many years now but I did not dare contact them as I thought they would be totally out of our budget. And because my husband and I had so many things going on at the same time, I almost did not hire a videographer at all. Not sure what got into me at the last minute, I finally contacted them a month before the wedding, they were available (thank god!), their pricing was a little pricey but acceptable and reasonable considering we did not have much time left and also the number of people working (3 videographers) for 2 days, and the amount of work they were putting in. It was definitely worth it!

A few points to note.
1) The team from Stories.my were the MOST professional team of all the vendors my husband and I worked with. They had a contract (No other vendors we liaised with had a contract). They replied FB messages promptly/immediately. They replied emails promptly/ immediately. They answered all our questions. They chased me and my husband for details they wanted. They had a questionnaire to understand our entire wedding process/details (tedious but very good because they want to know exactly what’s going on!). They set up a conference call with us to speak to us face to face because we are living overseas. They also set up a whatsapp group chat to chat with us and make sure everyone was in the loop. They really know their job & what they are doing, they are a bunch of very young hardworking true to their job sort of people!

2) After dealing with some diva vendors I was really afraid that the team at Stories.my would be a bit diva to me which I really cannot handle, but it turned out, they were the nicest, sweetest people ever to work with. Nick, Joel and Chi Yin were like the kindest people ever. I can’t remember if it was Nick or Joel, but one of them said to me, “I really love you guys” at the end of our wedding dinner, that was really heartwarming to hear.. It’s so nice to work with such sincere people who genuinely love their job!!.. and I have a strong feeling that it will reflect in our wedding video. I remember, after the dinner, I gave Nick, Joel and Chi Yin a hug before saying good night and good bye. Chi Yin even sent me a text the next day to say bye and that they were leaving to go back to KL. As you can see based on my review, these are really nice, kind, sincere, genuine people. It’s not easy to find such people these days. And I feel so lucky to have such passionate young people provide their services on our wedding day.

I definitely highly recommend them and in my opinion, they were really worth it.
Thank you so much Nick, Joel, Chi Yin, Grace and Yu Ming. Wishing the team at Stories.my all the best in your future endeavours. Take care and till we meet again!! Cheers!!”

Credits:

Videographers: Chi Yin, Nick & Joel
Wedding Ceremony Location: Sri Suntharamoorthi Vinayagar Temple, Melaka
Dinner Reception: Hatten Hotel Melaka
Groom’s Attire: Gayathri’s Silk, Little India, Klang & Zara
Wedding Gown: Red Bliss, The Perfect Group
Evening Gown: Gayathri’s Silk, Little India, Klang
Make up & Hair: Kannan Raajamanickam, Apsara Asia Bridal (Temple wedding) & Fernisher Makeup Hair Studio (wedding dinner)
Temple Decorations: Thillana Productions
Dinner Decorations & Cake: Hatten Hotel
Stationery: Amazon Kad Kahwin, Print Expert
Dinner Entertainment: The Shearmanlian Band
Photography: Sean Lim Photography

Grace Tan In Casual Portraits, Chinese Weddings, Church Weddings, Family + Children Portraits, Indian + Punjabi Weddings, Malay Weddings, Maternity, Outdoor Weddings, Parties & Events, Portraits, Pre-Wedding & Engagement Portraits, Weddings

Getting to know Smurfette, our prized VW Kombi!

Some things just get better with age. They develop character. They become more endearing and turn into a true gem. That is how we like to think of our Kombi. And because she’s so special to us, we’d like you to get to know her a little better too.

She’s in excellent condition considering her age. To keep her looking young we’ve dressed her in bright blue, earning her the name Smurfette! She loves company and is most comfortable with not more than eight friends at a time. She also knows it’s not cool to arrive at a party all sweaty with messed up, wind-blown hair so she ensures you enjoy the ride with an air-conditioning unit fitted in all the right places. She can be a bit loud, but she’ll be the life of the party!

Due to Smurfette’s age, she has her very own driver for all her escapades. We also make sure she’s fueled up so she has the energy to last throughout your event! Even though we know how much she likes to party with new friends, as her guardians, we have set some boundaries for her own safety (and everyone else’s!). For example, she’s not allowed to attend functions beyond 200KM of Kuala Lumpur, much to her chagrin because she’s a real party girl. However, we feel longer journeys take a toll on her and we don’t think you’d appreciate a cranky party pooper.

Limitations aside, Smurfette has already been to quite a few events. She’s been spotted at pre-wedding shoots, ferried brides to their weddings and even played a role in corporate events around town. How’s that for an old grandma like her? She loves meeting new people so if you’d like to get acquainted with her, just get in touch with us. We’d love to set up a date for you.

Need more info about our kombi? Head on here.

Grace Tan In Church Weddings, Indian + Punjabi Weddings, Wedding Films & Videos, Weddings

Childhood Love: Reuben & Jacqueline

It began a long, long time ago in 1997, when they were just 7 years of age. On the second day of school, he kicked her in the butt when she annoyed him, which was a very interesting start to a ‘beautiful’ and colourful relationship. Since then, every time they met at school, they would fight and scream at each other, until friends had to intervene. This was almost a daily occurrence, as they could not stand the presence of each other. To make matters worse, as if it was not bad enough, they suddenly discovered that they were attending the same Sunday School. All hell broke loose. This chaos went on for years, until the year 2003.

That March, his family shifted away from PJ, leaving her behind. He was enrolled to a boy’s school, while she continued to go to her regular school. During this period of absence and peace, both of them hit puberty.

At the end of every year, he would come down to PJ during the school holidays. During that period, he would still attend Sunday School where he would bump into his long time enemy and arch nemesis and the fighting will start.

However, towards the end of 2005, things took a sharp turn, as he matured and became less volatile. It was then too that he suddenly felt a slight and unexplainable attraction towards her. He was astonished to see all those incredible changes she went through during puberty. It was as though she had just morphed into this beautiful and very attractive teenager.

It was during these moments that he decided to once and for all put an end to all their constant fighting and arguing. He took the first step by composing an apology letter for her. This incredible gesture, left a very deep and positive impression on her, as she accepted the letter. They became friends and in 2007, started a real and beautiful love relationship.

Credits:
Videographers: Chi Yin, Delvin & Nick
Church Ceremony: St Peter’s Church, KL
Dinner Reception: HGH Convention Centre
Groom’s Attire: Spark Manshop (Tuxedo) / Manyavar (Sherwani)
Wedding Gown: Cocktail Evening
Evening Gown: Jayalakhshmi Textiles (India)
Shoes: Christy Ng
Make up & Hair: Blush Beauty and Beyond
Decorations: GS Win Decoration
Flowers: Wish Flora Garden-Petaling Street
Cake: Bachoven
Photography: Joshua Chan
Wedding Planner: Shamita Rajendran

Grace Tan In Bangladeshi Weddings, Chinese Weddings, Church Weddings, Indian + Punjabi Weddings, Malay Weddings, Musings, Outdoor Weddings, Running a Business, Tips + Ideas, Weddings

8 Questions to ask your wedding photographer before hiring them

Choosing a wedding photographer may be one of the most important decisions you make before your big day. You can even say it comes a close second to choosing the right groom! Soon after the wedding, people will forget what your dress looked like, or how the cake tasted and or how good (or bad) the food and wine was, or even what was said during the speeches. But if you could capture those details in a photograph – the emotions on the people’s faces, the laughter, the tears – you could be transported back to that special day and relive it all over again.

That is why hiring the right photographer is so important! Every wedding photographer is different in their own unique style of work, so it’s a good idea to find out what makes them tick. Here’s what you should ask when you set an appointment to meet with your potential wedding photographer.

Why do you love photographing weddings?

Most photographers are emotional beings who will gladly share their life story with you. Find out what gets your photographer excited, and look out for the gleam in their eyes when they tell their story. All the better if you feel an instant connection with them! As for me, I love photographing weddings because I get to be part of a momentous, historical moment in someone’s life. It’s about helping couples remember the happiness they felt on their wedding day, especially after the cake has been eaten and the decorations have been taken down. I consider it a privileged to be part of creating someone’s visual family heirloom.

How do you ensure excellence is top priority?

Photographers provide a service, not just a product, and the amount of monetary investment should reflect excellence. Does the photographer appear detailed in communicating with you? Is he/she efficient in replying emails or has the courtesy to return your call when it is missed? Does your photographer ask you details about you as a couple or even your family? Showing our clients that we care is a big part of what we do. We even care about such details like whether your parents are divorced, because it helps us know how to be sensitive when taking family portraits during a wedding. A good photographer would know how to ask you these details either through a questionnaire or an arranged meet up prior to the wedding day.

Do you have a contract?

Always hire a professional photographer who has a written contract, informing you of his/her promises to you and also listing the deliverables that you are receiving as a result of hiring them. It is important for your peace of mind and it protects both parties if there are any disputes along the way.

Do you photograph back-to-back weddings?

Some photographers accept full day wedding shoots on Saturday and Sunday, which goes without saying, is really tiring! There are incidences where photographers drive 2-4 hours after a full day’s wedding shoot to another location, just to start again in another 2 hours! Usually, it might not affect the first couple as much, but sometimes, the photographer could be so physically tired the next day, that performance is affected. Naturally, some photographers are built with more stamina than others, and this scenario doesn’t affect them. It’s good to find out because physical exhaustion leads to mistakes and carelessness, which could end up with sub-standard photos for you.

What are your backup processes?

For the non-initiated, this could be a hard one. Still, it is important you ask some of these questions. Does the photographer carry extra camera gear to your wedding? Are they using cameras with dual memory card slots so that back ups are done in camera? What about situations when your photographer falls sick and cannot shoot the wedding? If your photographer is part of a team, finding a back up photographer might be easier. How about what happens after the wedding is photographed, are there also other back ups on multiple hard drives? How long do they keep your wedding photos backed up for? We have had incidences of couples coming back to us 5 years after their wedding because they lost their wedding photos, asking if we still had copies of their photos! So it does happen.

Do you edit your photos?

This is a really important question as some photographers deliver images as they are shot while some only edit a small selection and deliver the rest to you unedited. Or some would edit the entire set of images so that it looks consistent with the images on their website. It is time consuming but reflects on the photographer’s pride In their work. Knowing this will help you manage your expectations and avoid disappointment when the photos are delivered.

How do you make life easier for overseas clients?

Does your photographer have the ability to accept credit card payments without any extra surcharge? Doing international bank transfers can sometimes be costly due to foreign exchange charges. Are there online galleries or album proofing softwares that enable you to view the images before it is delivered to you physically?

What is your standard delivery time frame?

In today’s social media savvy generation, images need to be shared instantly. So if your wedding photos take 4-6 months to be ready, the excitement to share these photos would die quite undeniably. Acceptable delivery time frames would be 1-3 months after the wedding is photographed as most photographers usually have an editing backlog. Naturally, if your photographer is able to deliver the photos much faster, imagine your excitement at getting your photos within 2 weeks of your wedding date!

So if you’re looking for a wedding photographer, do take all these into consideration. If you find one that ticks all your requirements, you’ll know that you are in good hands. Then, you’ll be able to sit back and enjoy the journey to saying “I do”.