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Grace Tan
In Church Weddings, International, Life, Musings, Weddings

Myanmar Wedding: Bobo and Catherine

Catherine and Bobo are in their twenties and in love. They are youthful, enjoy life, love the Lord, and dream of a future together. Pretty much with the same dreams as any average young adult Malaysian. The only difference is that they are living in Malaysia as refugees. When Catherine traveled thousands of kilometres by land from her Myanmar home to Malaysia years ago, she had to face many uncertainties, fears and hardships as she made the journey here.

She moved to Malaysia because she wanted to help her parents who are pastors in Myanmar to support their younger siblings through school. Even though she didn’t know anyone in Malaysia then, she left the comforts of her home to a foreign land, alone. Somehow, God connected her to some other Myanmar nationals who were also seeking refuge in Malaysia. And it was there that she found a church to belong to – a church that spoke her language and were filled with her own countryfolk.

Interestingly, Catherine got to know Bobo at church, but only got to know him better at another Myanmar refugee wedding we photographed 2 years ago. When I asked Catherine what attracted her to Bobo… she answered without hesitating… “I love how he loves the Lord.”

Since most of their friends (including them) work at restaurants or boutiques in shopping malls that close after 10pm, it’s natural that the only time they can conduct a wedding is at midnight.

How our paths crossed
One day, I got a FB message from a girl named Sheryl asking if I could recommend a place where Catherine could get a wedding gown for under RM400. This girl Catherine also had in mind to send the gown back to Myanmar to her father’s church after her wedding so that it could help other girls who couldn’t really afford a gown. After a few messages, I told her that I had my old wedding gown which I could give to her if she was keen on having it (since we were both petite at XS size). I met her in church one day, and gave her 2 of my wedding gowns to choose from. It fit her to a T! It was really special to see that my gown went to someone who appreciated it so muchI also want to thank the team of people who came together to make this wedding memorable for Catherine and Bobo. They include:

Make up & hair for bride: Michelle Touche
Make up & hair for bridesmaids: Shinny Ong
Photographers & Videographers: Stories.my (Ben, Diane, Grace, Wee Liem and Johan)
Wedding Cake & Catering: Makanlah Now
Church: DUMC

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Diane
In Family + Children Portraits, Portraits, Studio

Studio Portraits: Chong Family

Taking on this shoot for the lovely Chong family reminded me a lot of the season in my life where I used to work at Vital Years, where I needed to connect with boisterous and fun toddlers. Little Ethan is cheeky, playful and loves singing. Little Katelyn is shy in the beginning, but is a ball of energy once the ice is broken. Baby Isaac is simply adorable. It must be a handful for parents, Adrian & Michelle!

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Here are some of my favourites from the shoot:

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Grace Tan
In Family + Children Portraits, Life, Musings, Portraits, Relationships

My First Mother’s Day!

What a thrill it is to celebrate my first Mother’s Day! I know now what it feels like to have a child of my own. Everyday, I give thanks to God for this little miracle of life that He has given to me. Everything about Krysta seems perfect to me… from her amazing hairdo that everyone talks about to her cute pudgy little legs… she is priceless. Deep down, I know that I’ll be willing to sacrifice anything for my little girl. Before I became a mum, I used to think that most mothers can be a little ‘overbearing’ and obsessed when it comes to their kids.

But now that I am one…

Yes, I have a confession to make. I am now an overbearing and obsessed mum! Especially when it comes to recording moments of her life as she grows. And wow, they grow so quickly! Tomorrow, Krysta turns 5 months old and I look forward to many more years as her mum. I hope I can be the kind of mum that she thinks is cool to hang out with, and one that she can share everything with.

Krysta, I love you to bits. Just cuddling you in my arms as you lay your head to rest makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Let’s go through life’s many adventures together with your dad, and future siblings! There’s so much of the world to see!

xoxo,
Mum

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*Krysta as a newborn – photo by Asther Lau

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* Krysta as a 4 month old. By the way, I realize I have a new skill now as a mum-photographer – I can juggle from looking at the camera’s viewfinder, to giving eye contact over the lens!

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Grace Tan
In Casual Portraits, Family + Children Portraits, International, Maternity, Portraits, , Promotions

Portraits in Spain and Morocco!

Barcelona

This October, I will be traveling to Barcelona, Marrakesh and also Madrid for a short family holiday…celebrating my brother’s 50th birthday! It’ll be the first time I’m traveling such a long distance with my daughter Krysta so I hope that she won’t be fussy through out the trip. But I have awesome family members around me whom I can count on to babysit Krysta when necessary.

So… let’s take this opportunity to do some portraits, shall we? It can be a family shoot, a casual engagement shoot or a full on pre-wedding shoot with a beautiful white gown. If you are staying in Malaysia, I know that MAS and BA has a promotion right now (it lasts for a week from this date!). I booked my return flight for only RM2,700 through my travel agent. Perhaps you might be staying in London… it’s not that far a distance to Spain, right? *grin*

Do contact us for more details on our packages. Hope to see you there!

Grace Tan
In Portraits,

City Lights: Allan & Bridget’s Pre-Wedding

What struck me most about Bridget was her laugh. And her smile. She had this ear-to-ear grin and laugh that was so infectious… so much so that it made me want to laugh along with her. If I could describe her in another way, she’s like this bubbly, happy Energizer bunny that bounces everywhere spreading cheer to everyone. I can see why Allan was attracted to Bridget. Just like magnets, his character was the opposite of Bridget’s. Though you can tell that he loves having fun, he’s a lot more calm, just like an anchor for Bridget.

For this shoot, we wandered the streets of Putrajaya and photographed from sunset till the night lights came on. Bridget had wanted some night shots, and so the bridges of Putrajaya with its colourful lights seemed like the perfect setting for their shoot. It had rained a little prior to our shoot, but as with most of my couples, a little rain doesn’t deter them from continuing the shoot… even sitting on the ground in their gown!

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“Hi Grace! I saw the pics yesterday, it is exactly what Allan and I expected. We love all the pics. We showed the video to my future mother-in-law, and she commented that she had never seen any couple as happy as us. You did a great job! Thanks for making our pre-wedding shoot so memorable” – Bridget –

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