He was there to attend his ex-roommate’s birthday party. She was fashionably late. A stranger to John. But the moment she walked through that door, his heart literally dropped. John had no idea who she was, how she was related to the birthday girl or what ethnicity she was, but all he knew was that he HAD to meet this girl. Throughout the night, he tried to be as close as possible to her so he could initiate conversation with this mystery girl. That was all he needed to motivate himself to ask her out on a date the next morning, at 6am when he got home!
Over the next few months, they went on numerous dates, but though they were really comfortable with each other, John never worked up the nerve to hold her hand till 4 months later. But after he started, he knew, from that day onwards, he could never let go of her hands.
I only met John and Tiffany on the day of their wedding. They had flown all the way from the US to be wed at The Andaman, Langkawi. Some of their family members came from Hong Kong to witness the ceremony. When I walked into the room, Tiffany said to me, “Tell us if you need anything…Do whatever you need to get the shots.”
Yes! To me, that was like a free ticket to move furniture in order to get better photos, and the freedom to control timing so that I can give them the best possible coverage in the time we have together.
That day, I witnessed one of the most amazing sunsets I had ever seen in Langkawi. John and Tiffany, the day couldn’t have gone any better. Enjoy the wedding video highlight below, and the photos in this post!
Since this blog is mainly managed and written by me, Grace, I thought that it’d be great if the readers of this blog could get to know the people behind the Stories family a little better. I am really thankful for these amazing group of people who have been ever so supportive and working oh-so-hard to make sure everything is in order!
Today, we’re featuring Diane… probably the very first person you’ll come into contact with whenever you call the Stories line or email us through our website. She has been working with us for 2 years now and is a crucial link to everything because she communicates with everyone before and after a shoot. Diane is a bubbly person whose laugh matches her personality. She can speak to anyone and everyone, and lights up a room just by her presence (and singing, sometimes!). The photos featured here were taken by Diane. Read on about her!
1. Describe what you do at Stories and what you love about your role as a Studio Manager and Photographer.
As the Studio Manager, I am the bridge and communicator between the clients and the team. I am also the one replying all your emails and calls. I enjoy knowing our clients personally – to know their different personalities, hear about the things they have planned for their weddings and hear their excitement for their own weddings. I also shoot family portraits for Stories.
Hey dad, it’s me, Krysta! I just want to let you know that you’re the most awesome, super dad I’ve ever known in the past 6 months of my life. I love you soooooo much…Cause you carry me when I’m tired and cranky. You wake up many times throughout the night to feed or pat me back to sleep (especially on nights when mum has to wake up early for a shoot the next day, or when she’s away in Langkawi!).
You brought me for my first dip in the pool at Phuket, and my swimming lessons have been fun because of you! Even though I was afraid to go underwater, you held me tight and comforted me after that.
I love bouncing on your lap or your shoulder and playing with you every morning. We’ve traveled soooo far together (to Thailand 3 times already!) and I love every moment together. You’re really fun, dad. You let me sit on the sand, drink water from a straw, we’ve been on boat rides and tuk tuk rides together…I can’t wait for more adventures with you!
Thank you for loving mum too. She’s amazing. Please remember to buy her gifts and bring her for holidays too at least twice a year. (No, she didn’t pay me to say this!)
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.
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.
Forget the swollen legs, water retention and the fact that your walking sometimes resembles a cute penguin. Pregnancy does make you beautiful, and it’s not just the glow on your face or the lucious thick hair that you’ll experience for those few months. Perhaps it’s the thought that a small little person is being formed inside your womb right this very instance. That soon, those tiny little fingers will grab yours, fully trusting and loving you. That this new life will be totally dependent on you, her mother.
Melanie and Steven, I wish you all the best as you embark on this amazing journey called parenthood! Coming from a 6 month old mom, I can tell you that this is probably one of the most amazing things that you can experience in life.
