Outdoor Weddings

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Beach Wedding at Westin Langkawi: Jimmy & Wei Miin

He describes himself as a non-stop talker. Totally expressive, definitely funny and as I discovered at the wedding… a good rapper and dancer too! Jimmy was born in Massachusetts, US but moved to Hong Kong in 2006 and Singapore in 2010. Wei Miin, on the other hand, grew up in Malaysia most of her life but moved to Singapore and subsequently to Hong Kong to work.

Wei Miin is the sweetest little thing we have ever met. Her kind and gentle spirit brings such a wonderful balance to the relationship. I had the privilege of doing a short one hour casual engagement shoot with them before the wedding and found out that we had a few friends in common! We had so much fun at this wedding, it was crazy. There was an emotional first look, heartfelt vows, great speeches, superb dancing and crazy people jumping into the pool. You have to watch the video to believe it. I really love the edit for this 10 minute wedding highlight, beautifully done by Chi Yin.

Here’s an excerpt from their website about how they met:

Jimmy met Wei Miin during a random cooking class he decided to take in 2012 while finding interesting stuff to do in Singapore. Wei Miin caught Jimmy’s attention because he thought she was in a group of students who were young university graduates speaking Mandarin to each other (Wei Miin: Jimmy catches everyone’s attention as a class clown).

Jimmy found it interesting to get to know the quiet young woman who was very disciplined in her cooking skills and decided to meet up with her for coffee (Wei Miin: Well… Why not?). Even more intriguing was that Wei Miin’s friends were mostly Christian and he had a lot of “life discussions” with her during their friendship period.

After some encouraging by Wei Miin’s good friend (Liz) and Jimmy, Wei Miin finally decided to go to Alpha course and to church early 2013. What really sparked Jimmy’s interest was Wei Miin’s true desire to find faith in Jesus Christ, and even going to church on Sunday when Jimmy was not there. During those 2 years, there was a growing in faith in their relationship, a short breakup, and a lot of reconciling of cultural and personality differences.

Despite all that, from Jimmy’s point of view Wei Miin helped mold him into a more and more unselfish person, (Wei Miin: Jimmy really helped me to form a deeper relationship with Christ) and Jimmy was attracted to Wei Miin’s ability to listen, to be a gentle comfort in times of stress, encouraging and most importantly, selfless! (Wei Miin: I love Jimmy’s positive attitude towards life and respect his wisdom in tough situations). Jimmy realised that Wei Miin meant more to him than any other human being in the world and proposed on July 5, 2015 (Wei Miin: it was a surprise proposal at Tuscany and I said yes!).

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Wedding overlooking Tanah Lot, Bali: Terence & Sarah

20150926_WEDDING_TERENCE_SARAH_0331 It’s been a few months since my sister-in-law Sarah tied the knot with Terence, but the photos are too good not to share! I am really proud of my team Weiming and Jamie, who did such an amazing job photographing this wedding. Their ceremony was held on the lawn of the Pan Pacific Nirwana Bali Resort overlooking the temple at Tanah Lot.

It was a beautiful day, breezy and cool. The ceremony was personal and special as my husband Alex officiated the wedding. Personalised vows made everyone crack up in laughter, and the dancing at night, including the surprise performance by Terence’s family was hilarious. At the end of the day, it was a gathering of loved ones, celebrating the union of two people who had been dating for over a decade.

“We met back in university, many moons ago, but nothing really happened until after we came back from Melbourne. We’re opposites in many ways, I’m an introvert, whereas Terence is an extrovert. He’s a neat freak, and I’m…not. I love reading, Terence rarely picks up a book. Terence loves football, I don’t see much point in men running around a field kicking a ball!

We also have common interests, we enjoy watching movies, having a cuppa coffee at our favourite cafe, and travelling overseas. I’d say we’re both pretty practical people, after Terence proposed, one of the first questions I asked was, “Which credit card did you use to buy the ring?” He laughed, and said he was debating the same thing just before he paid for it!” – Sarah

I’d like to share a quote written by the groom’s dad, and shared by Alex during the wedding itself. A lovely analogy about life and a bicycle, which I think is really good advice to a couple starting life together!

“Today it struck a chord within me that riding a bicycle is a mirror representation of life itself. When the bicycle is in motion, on the move, however slow, you are able to keep your balance as long there is a forward momentum. The slower it gets, the harder it is to keep balance. The minute you do a dead stop it will fall.

In life we were fast paced in our young days to get an education, find a good job, build a career and settle down with family and as we reach retirement we literally slow down. In my bicycle analogy we must avoid slowing down to the point of almost no forward motion. We have to keep ourselves moving and occupied, socially, mentally and physically. Towards the later part of the journey many will also enhance their spiritual development.

Therefore, whether you are in your 50s, 60s or 70s, keep moving enthusiastically. Plan things ahead to keep you looking forward. Do what you love and if this ties in with helping others in one way or another, it’s fantastic and a double bonus. As for me, I love to travel, read, teach, play music and plan surprise parties to celebrate moments. So please join me and together we will keep moving forward and enjoy the ride of life into the final sunset, enjoying the scenery of humanity and all it has to offer. When the time is ripe to really stop, we can park our bicycle and hang it up on the wall. Everyone will look up and say silently “it was a wild and well ridden machine”. Live life full.”

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

Naka Island Wedding, Phuket: Andrew & Katrina

20151017_WEDDING_ANDREW_KATRINA_387 Part 2 of Andrew and Katrina’s celebration continues, after their KL wedding events. It was my first time to Naka Island, Phuket and it was such a good experience being there. Thanks to the couple, I managed to also have a little break before the wedding and dipped in the sea, tried paddle boarding and cycling to my villa (which I decided was definitely more tiring than my full wedding day shoot, even though the ride lasted 10 minutes uphill).

Their ceremony was held at the royal horizon pool villa and it was just gorgeous, despite the rain that delayed the start of the ceremony. When we began, there was a beautiful rainbow overlooking the villa. It was a full rainbow too! Well, Andrew definitely found his pot of gold at the bottom of the villa, and it was Katrina!

So one of the things I discovered about Andrew and Katrina was that they can carry out an entire conversation by singing it in tune. They certainly know how to have fun together!

20151017_WEDDING_ANDREW_KATRINA_463 You have to watch the wedding video highlights below of their wedding day. It’s a pretty long highlight – 10 minutes, but there was just so much going on that we had to extend the highlight! Their first dance at The Majestic was sooo much fun too. Check it out here.

Grace Tan In Outdoor Weddings, Weddings

Garden Wedding at Rasa Ria, Kota Kinabalu: Daniel & Evonne

We felt welcomed, just like family. Ever since the day I met Evonne, we just clicked. It’s one of those weddings that you’ll remember for a very long time. When I look at Daniel and Evonne, I am reminded that marriage is a covenant of love, strongly bonded together not just by their love for one another, but also by their love for God. I am reminded that kindness is a virtue we should always have… because it goes a long way in making other people feel like a friend and not just a vendor. I am also reminded that we sometimes have to make selfless decisions and think of others even though most people’s instinct would be to do everything their own way, just because it’s ‘their wedding’.

Daniel and Evonne’s wedding was held on the lush gardens of Shangri-la Rasa Ria Resort & Spa, Kota Kinabalu, overlooking the sea. Gorgeous floral arches and lots of little finishing touches by the Mint Events & Soirees’ team made this wedding so pretty to look at, and totally instagram-worthy. When Jamie and I flew over from KL to KK, we were worried about the haze, but thank God it was a great, clear day! (and I got sunburnt!).

This wedding was also quite emotional because Evonne made it a point to leave two empty seats for her sister Elaine and boyfriend Emiel who passed away in the MH17 crash over Ukraine last year. Daniel and Evonne, thank you for giving us this privilege of capturing moments for you. Lots of love and hugs from Jamie and I.

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Grace Tan In Outdoor Weddings, Weddings

Beach wedding at Four Seasons, Langkawi: Chris & Lydia

Langkawi’s one of our favourite locations for beach weddings in Malaysia. The blue skies and gorgeous sunsets never cease to amaze us. No wonder some city folk I know have uprooted themselves and made Langkawi their home over the past few years! Chris and Lydia had their KL wedding ceremony a week before their Langkawi leg, and what a good choice it was! After their church ceremony in KL, it was party time in Langkawi! The vibe was relaxing and everyone was just out to have a good time. Enjoy the wonderful photography by Weiming and Nigel.

20150711-WEDDING_CHRIS_LYDIA_LANGKAWI-01 Here’s some advice from Chris and Lydia on how to plan a beach wedding:

We chose Four Seasons because we wanted our guests to feel like they’re on holiday at a resort the moment they arrive. Furthermore the beautiful architecture of the bulidings and the landscaped gardens by the beach helped add to the getaway feel.

It is essential to have a Plan B for outdoor weddings and we felt comfortable with Four Season’s in case it rains. The rhu bar at Four Seasons is an open air shaded area overlooking the beach which can be converted to accommodate the wedding ceremony if needed. And since we wanted to be as close to the beach as possible, rain or shine, this was perfect!

The beach can be extremely hot especially during the dry, hot months. So choose the cooler months and dress appropriately. We wanted a more casual wedding and thus didn’t opt for the full suit and tie. Our overseas guests certainly appreciated that they could pack light :)

We also provided some additional items for our guests like sunglasses, mosquito repellent, heel stoppers, sun block, hand fans, and snacks. There were also rental cars for their use in case they needed them to head out to the city. Guests will definitely appreciate these little thoughts when they arrive at your location.

Lastly, it’s important just to enjoy the moment and the whole occasion with the family and friends who have made the journey. Talk and mingle, laugh and reminisce. Time really flies when you’re having fun and before you know it, the day will be over.

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