Weddings

Wedding on the Float, Westin Langkawi: Stephen & Sarah

A wedding by the sea without sand?

Men in kilts?

A couple who are head over heels in love?

What a glorious combination! Stephen and Sarah’s wedding was filled with laughter, silliness, and lots of great memories. It didn’t matter that it rained on their wedding day. Everything came together beautifully.

I still remember the first time I met Stephen and Sarah at a Starbucks in Petaling Jaya, a couple of months ago. Sarah told me that though they wanted a beach wedding, she didn’t actually like sand getting between her toes. It made sense then that the Float at the Westin, Langkawi would make the perfect location for their beach wedding.

The day before the wedding, Alex and I arrived in Langkawi to meet the family and friends of the couple. I was really stoked that Stephen and Sarah were generous enough to put us up at the Westin… that was a really lovely birthday treat for me! That night, after a delicious dinner with Alex, we came back to our room to discover a surprise… a birthday cake from Stephen and Sarah! Thank you so much for being so thoughtful!

Ok, back to the wedding…

Grace Tan In Chinese Weddings, Church Weddings, International, Weddings

An Indonesian Wedding at Gran Mahakam, Jakarta: Eric & Jennie

Eric and Jennie’s wedding was epic. It was my first time in Jakarta, Indonesia, and I was stoked that they had chosen us over the many talented photographers out there. Eric himself is a photographer, so that was a huge compliment to us. A few months before their wedding day, we got acquainted properly through their pre-wedding shoot in KL. This is just one of the many reasons why I love photographing couples before their wedding day. We get to break the ice and feel comfortable with one another prior to the big event.

It was in spring of 2009 that Eric first laid his eyes on Jennie. While I am sure he was praying during the church rosary prayer at Bullsbrook, Western Australia, Eric might have been a little distracted. Perhaps. Jennie was not a familiar face…plus she is a gorgeous girl! Eric soon found out that she was there from Surabaya, visiting her sister Anne for a week or two.

Thanks to social media and Mark Zuckerberg, they started connecting by messaging each other on Facebook, Yahoo messenger and MSN. In Eric’s words, “geek mode on!”. After a lot of prayers asking God for signs, Eric finally plucked up the courage to visit Jennie in Surabaya where she was finishing her medicine degree. That month of February 2010 was a milestone, because Eric and Jennie became boyfriend and girlfriend then.

During Christmas of 2010, Eric visited Jennie’s family in Malang, Indonesia and brought with him a Tiffany engagement ring. Unfortunately, Jennie discovered the ring accidentally in his camera bag, but he was quick to pop the question. She blushed. And then she said yes.

Grace Tan In Chinese Weddings, Church Weddings, Weddings

A wedding in St Peter’s Church, Malacca & a Kombi: Kevin & Elaine

I’ve known Elaine since I was a young kid and a wee bit shorter than what I am now. Some friends have told me that convent girls from Malacca have a distinct ‘look’, and I suppose Elaine and I fall into that category. It must be our loud laughter and carefree nature (or I’d like to think so!). Well, whenever a Malaccan girl gets married, and especially to another Malaccan boy, it is a cause for a huge celebration. The wedding was planned more than a year in advance, and I distinctly remember our conversations via MSN about the wedding. In fact, we started talking about the wedding in June 2010.

Yup, it’s every girl’s dream to plan for her wedding. Like waaay in advance. But I wonder if Elaine actually started her wedding planning even earlier than that. You see, she was childhood friends with Kevin ever since she was a 2 year old toddler. I can’t remember a single thing from when I was 2 (could be due to my bad memory). They were best friends till the age of 5, then lost contact with each other for years, until they were reconnected 20 years later! Talk about an amazing story!

So end of 2010, Elaine contacted me again to talk about her wedding and initially she wanted to have it at our old school chapel in our primary school, Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus in Malacca. I was really excited about it because I have fond memories of that chapel, even though I wasn’t a Christian at that point in my life. I always remember it as being serene and ancient.

Unfortunately that plan didn’t quite work out and the wedding was held in St Peter’s Church in Malacca. That church has a 300 year old history, so I was excited about it too! My parents used to attend that church too when they were living in Malacca and so this church was significant to me.

To make this wedding even more exciting, Elaine requested for Smurfette, my vintage VW kombi to make it’s first wedding appearance as the bridal car! Thank you Kevin and Elaine, for making everything so memorable for me. I had an awesome time, and I am amazed at the level of detailed planning that went into the wedding. Elaine, thanks too for the card and gift. It was really sweet and thoughtful of you.

Ok so on to photos from the wedding…

Grace Tan In Outdoor Weddings, Weddings

Men in Kilts

It’s one of those days when I wonder, where did the time go? My good intentions to keep the blog updated at least twice a week remains as good intentions. There’s so many awesome weddings I’d love to share with all our blog readers. So, rather than keep this blog quiet, I thought I’d post a photo from Stephen and Sarah’s wedding at the Westin, Langkawi. Men in kilts! My usual phrase of “Put your hands in your pocket and look cool” didn’t quite work here. It was a fun wedding, and I hope to blog about it soon in the future.

Grace Tan In Outdoor Weddings, Testimonials, Weddings

Beach wedding in Andaman, Langkawi: Vanessa & Michael

I’ve said it countless times before, and I’ll say it again, I simply ADORE beach and garden weddings. Despite the fact that tropical Malaysia is rather hot and humid, the whole atmosphere during a beach wedding is completely relaxed and laidback. There were days when I waltzed up to a shoot in flip flops or barefooted! Vanessa and Michael’s wedding was held at the gorgeous Andaman, Langkawi. White sandy beaches, blue skies and seas greeted us that day as everyone bustled around in preparation for the wedding.

Though I was excited to photograph this wedding, it came with a new set of challenges as I had just twisted my ankle the day before the wedding. In an unglamorous fashion, I tripped when I came down a short flight of stairs at my home, just before I was due to head to the airport. My ankle ached that entire night even though I had placed an ice pack on it, and I had no choice but to pray for a better ankle for the shoot the next day. On the morning of the wedding, I hobbled slightly to Michael and Vanessa’s room, but miraculously, once the whole event started, I was prancing around… almost normally.

I also thank God for Johan who was there as my 2nd photographer. On the day we arrived, he carried my bags, drove the car to Andaman and got me food and an ice pack. I could not have done it alone! That’s just one of the reasons we ALWAYS shoot a wedding with 2 photographers! Photographers are always expected to perform, even though they are sick or injured. Vanessa and Michael were really kind though, they were totally concerned about my foot and my wellbeing.