Weddings

Johan Sopiee In Chinese Weddings, Church Weddings, Weddings

Wedding in Christ Church, Malacca: Jeremy & Sarah

Jeremy and Sarah’s wedding was held at the beautiful Christ Church in Malacca. Being an 18th-century Anglican church, its Dutch Colonial architecture style and colors are unmistakable, as was the chemistry between the Sarah and Jeremy.

20131130_WEDDING_JEREMY_SARAH_559 Jeremy “likes to think of himself as an outdoorsy person”. And by the way that sentence was constructed, yes, we know you wrote that about him, Sarah! Hehe. Apparently, he loves hiking, kayaking and soaking up the air too. When I close my eyes, I can almost see him hiking up a mountain and kayaking down a river valley, with the song “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough. Ain’t No Valley Low Enough” playing in the background. I’d say – Ain’t no river wide enough, to keep Jeremy from getting to you, Sarah.

Then “they” describe Sarah as more of an extrovert who has a soft spot for animals and all things quirky. She loves creative writing (no wonder she works in the media industry!) and little does she know that we found out that she’s actually published “The tale of a Malaysian girl in NUS” in 2012. Wow! Congrats Sarah!

By the way, a little bird also told us that Jeremy likes a Facebook page entitled “Sleeping with one leg out of the covers”. Now, I bet you didn’t know that about the groom.

20131130_WEDDING_JEREMY_SARAH_001 Continue Reading

Grace Tan In Portraits, Pre-Wedding & Engagement Portraits, Wedding Films & Videos, Weddings

Pre-Wedding: Adrian & Pei Hwa

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Two students, fated to meet at an induction camp in Port Dickson before starting their housemanship. It just so happened that they were the only two from the camp posted in Ipoh. It was natural that they started talking about work, going out for meals together (and movies!)… and soon, Pei Hwa began to sense that there was more than just a friendship blossoming here.

Unfortunately for Adrian, she told him the line that every guy hates to hear…”Let’s just be friends.”

He was crushed.

It soon became awkward and the movies and dinner dates stopped, except for the occasional hi and bye at the hospital. It must have been fate again, because 6 months later, they started talking to one another again, and he followed her along for a trip to Bangkok with some of her friends.

Adrian: I honestly didn’t really dare to confess after what happened a year ago… but somehow I just felt that chemistry we had together. So yeah just thought a trip or two with others might let me get to know her much better but despite that, still didn’t really want to get squashed like a ripe tomato again >_<. Until she got mad = P

Pei Hwa: I really did get mad and didn’t talk to him or reply his messages for the whole day. Then after, he came and confessed. Somehow, we started dating but we didn’t remember when it was. So in the end, we decided to have our anniversary on the first Saturday of December. Hehe…

Then came our dreaded transfers and the beginning of long distance– I got posted to Manjung and him, Parit Buntar. I had never been in one and it didn’t work out for him in the past. Was difficult only being able to see each other once every 2 to 3 weeks, sometimes up to a month. At times we fought, usually I was the one who buckled, but he never gave up on me. But through it, I’d say we both learned to make sacrifices to keep our relationship going.

Want to hear more of their story? Watch the video below!

Grace Tan In Casual Portraits, Chinese Weddings, For Photographers, Musings, Portraits, Tips + Ideas, Weddings

Behind the Scenes: Making the Most of Every Location

Sometimes I think of myself as not just a photographer, but also a furniture removal specialist, a clutter-free agent, and a lighting consultant. It’s very normal to find less-than-ideal situations at every wedding. Naturally, everyone would love to photograph at beautiful locations and resorts, but most times, I find myself in truly-loved family homes. Read: It usually includes lots of collectibles and objects that have accumulated through the years.

So, I’ve done all of these and more:

1. Moved furniture for the tea ceremony so that we can maximise on better light.
2. Packed clothing into cupboards, hidden rubbish bins, and the rogue red polka dotted mat.
3. Removed curtains because the colour clashes with the wall colour in the bride’s room.
4. Posed couples and families in the compound amidst shoe cabinets and vehicles. Just like these 2 photos of the bride and her bridesmaid were taken in what looked like a seemingly neutral background.

BTS-jon-priscilla1 But in reality, was taken here:

BTS-jon-priscilla2 I had two things that went through my mind when I chose this location: The beautiful light, and clean wall.

Love the challenge! :)

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

Heritage Wedding in Malacca: Dexter & Michelle

As I was growing up in Malacca, I always wondered who lived in this really grand, elaborate home along Heeren St. It is undoubtedly the nicest looking building on that street, and usually many tourists would stop by and take photos of the house. When we photographed the wedding of Dexter and Michelle, I was excited to hear that I would be entering it for the first time ever. It was Dexter’s ancestral home, and we had full access to all the floors! Naturally, as we were shooting in the front yard, tourists stopped to take photos!

Dexter and Michelle’s wedding was a 2 part event that started in KL and ended in Malacca. Where can I start about this couple… well, I first met them at the Westin wedding fair where they signed up for our photography and cinematic film service. It was an instant click – the feeling that you have bonded with someone even though you’ve only just met. They were humorous, ‘in-your-face’, fun, spontaneous… I guess part of it had to be the fact that Dexter is from Malacca…and you know what…Malaccans are a FUN and loud bunch! (Read: Grace is fun and loud too).

We created a fusion slideshow for them to show the next day at Equatorial hotel. Look out for the middle part of the slideshow where he strides in and lifts her off her feet!

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Grace Tan In Musings, Outdoor Weddings, Tips + Ideas, Weddings

Planning a Destination Beach Wedding

Langkawi-panorama Planning a destination beach wedding in Malaysia? Without a doubt, Langkawi is at the top of the list. It has everything – deep blue seas, white fluffy clouds, white sandy beaches, great 5-6 star resorts, duty free shopping and great Malaysian food. Of course the other famous beach wedding destinations like Maldives, Hawaii, Bali or Phuket has its own charm, but if you are hoping to have a beach wedding in Malaysia, Langkawi is the place.

As a team, we would take the one hour flight from Petaling Jaya to Langkawi pretty frequently to cover beach weddings there. Organizing a beach wedding can be relaxing and yet stressful at the same time. Everyone is away at an exotic location, just ready to have fun in the sun. But planning for a destination wedding from a faraway country on your own can be a pretty daunting task.

To make your life a little easier, I’d like to share some thoughts about how to best organize your day so that you can get the most out of your photography. Since I consider sunset as the focal point of the day, I’ll work backwards from there and give you a pictorial journey of planning a beach wedding from a photographer’s viewpoint.

1. Do check on sunset times for the date of your wedding.

On average, the sun sets about 7.30pm in Langkawi, so a good time to start your ceremony would be 5.30pm. It will be slightly warm at that time, but starting this early would give you ample time for portraits and formals after the wedding ceremony. There’s always a rush to document all the dinner reception details too after the wedding, so if your ceremony starts too late, we will be running around like headless chickens trying to capture all the important shots before night falls. Ideally, I would like to have at least an hour for portraits after the ceremony ends. Continue Reading