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Grace Tan
In Beautiful Everyday, Casual Portraits, Family + Children Portraits, Life, Maternity, Musings, Portraits, Studio

Highlights: Family Portraits 2015

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” ~ Robert Brault

Each of us only has 24 hours in a day. When I first started my business, I was grateful for the extra ‘time’ that I could have for myself, and then when I had kids, I wondered where all that time went! Each day, I am surrounded by news of disaster, and how easy it is to lose someone you love. Ironically, when I have time with my kids, I just wish they would fall asleep faster, and when I am away shooting a wedding at a beautiful destination, I wish I could be back with them.

I also want to do more in life, but when I have time on my hands, I just want to laze and not do anything.

Such is the irony of life. And then, before you know it, time just slips through your fingers and then a week passes by, and then a month, and a year. Just recently, on Sunday, I sat down with my husband Alex at a random cafe in PJ to talk about life (without the kids!). It felt like a breath of fresh air. We ordered fries, tea and coffee, then flipped our mac screen open to look at our February calendar and intentionally planned date nights, family nights with the kids, swimming sessions etc! We left that cafe a little more rejuvenated, and a bit more focused with what we wanted to achieve in our life as a family.

So, as a pause… here’s a little compilation we did of some of the 101 families we photographed last year. We hope you will take a moment to cherish your family today.

Photography by Grace, Diane, Jamie & Weiming

 

Grace Tan
In International, Portraits,

Bali Pre-Wedding: Ken & Regina

Since we’re on this series of posts about international shoots, here’s another that was done in Bali with Ken and Regina. This is one amazing couple that we’ve had the privilege of knowing. They are really friendly, thoughtful and kind. (anyone who gives us cupcakes after their wedding is on our best friends list. Haha we’re that easy to bribe). Well, they recently tied the knot in Dec and we’re sooo happy for them. Thank you for an adventure in Bali… lots of love to the both of you!

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Grace Tan
In International, Outdoor Weddings, Weddings

Wedding overlooking Tanah Lot, Bali: Terence & Sarah

20150926_WEDDING_TERENCE_SARAH_0331It’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 Family + Children Portraits, Portraits, Studio

And after two is three: James & Brielle

In 2013, we photographed James and Brielle’s beach wedding at the Andaman, Langkawi. It was such a lovely ceremony filled with wonderful moments. Every year, they make a trip back to Malaysia, and it was in 2015 that we managed to meet this little addition to their family! It feels so wonderful that we can see our clients turned friends grow through out the years. We share their ups and downs. We are part of their best memories which makes our heart full of gladness.

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

Naka Island Wedding, Phuket: Andrew & Katrina

20151017_WEDDING_ANDREW_KATRINA_387Part 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_463You 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.

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