andaman

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.

Grace Tan In Testimonials

Testimonial: David + Risa, Wedding at Andaman Langkawi

Some time back, I photographed David and Risa’s beautiful wedding at the Andaman resort in Langkawi. David and Risa were kind enough to write a testimonial for Stories…Thank you, David & Risa for being such wonderful clients too!

Grace and Mark shot our wedding on Langkawi Island in Jan 2011. We found Grace and on the Internet and after seeing some of her work, we knew that we wanted her to shoot our wedding.

Grace was professional from the beginning and even though we were only able to correspond by email, communication was always very clear and we were always on the same page. No hidden costs or unpleasant surprises.

It was Grace’s pro-active approach that really convinced us that we’d made the right decision. I (the groom) had no idea what I was going to ask Grace to shoot when she got here. I had no real ‘vision’ or anything and the bride was flat out in preparation, as brides often are on their wedding day. Grace, however, knew exactly what was doing and basically took off and started shooting, assessing the situation and deciding the best way to do things on the fly. This was really great and I can’t say how relieved I was.

Grace is very dedicated and is not too shy to take control when she needs to in order to get the best shots. This was very much appreciated as we are extremely happy with the results. She and her assistant, Mark, shot non-stop from start to finish. They maintained a high level of energy throughout and clearly enjoy what they do. This is important as it rubs off on everyone present and adds to the occasion.

In short, I have no hesitations in recommending Grace and her company. They are dedicated professionals and really very, very reasonably priced. We live in Japan, and seriously, what you get for 3 or 4 times the price here is very much inferior to what Grace did for us. Very happy.

David and Risa Lee.

Grace Tan In Outdoor Weddings, Weddings

An Intimate Beach Wedding: David & Risa

Photographers: Grace & Mark
Wedding Gown: The Wedding Shoppe, Inc.
Location: The Andaman, Langkawi

18 guests flew all the way from Japan and Australia to Langkawi to attend the wedding of David & Risa. It was a small, intimate wedding filled with lots of emotions. Tears flowed freely, and love was expressed in its purest form. I couldn’t hold back my emotions, as I saw the strong bond between family members, friends and David & Risa. This is definitely one of my favourite weddings. I compiled a slideshow to showcase the many different photos as I cannot include so many in this blog post. I do hope you’ll enjoy this set of images as much as I did creating them.

Here’s David’s and Risa’s story…

We met in Japan in 2004. Actually, although we don’t like to admit it, we met in an English conversation school. I was teaching there and I met Risa, who was a student there at the time, a couple of weeks before I was due to finish my contract. We started dating and I moved in with her a couple of months after that.

Then, I had to leave Japan and return to my own country. We had only been together a few months and I wasn’t prepared for how difficult it was to say goodbye. I think I decided then that we needed to do our best to stay together, somehow. I had actually assumed that we would break up when I left, but I found that very difficult to come to terms with.

Anyway, Risa came to visit me in Australia about three months after I had returned. She then came to live there for a year (after a difficult 11 month long term relationship period), and after that we came back to Japan, where we’ve been since mid 2007. It was around November or December last year when I began to seriously think about proposing. Although we had talked about it many times, I had not really given much thought to actually doing it. We had been together for almost 6 years and had toughed out some pretty difficult times, with the long distance period, the bi-cultural relationship and all the complications that come with that, and it dawned on me that there was no reason not to. I certainly couldn’t imagine spending my life with anyone else, so we took a trip to Malaysia and ended up at the Andaman on Langkawi island, where I proposed. Now, a year later, we’re returning to finish the job!

Grace Tan In Outdoor Weddings, Weddings

Amy + Stu Wedding Highlight, Langkawi

Recently I blogged about Amy and Stu’s wedding in Andaman Resort, Langkawi. It’s one thing to view still images, but quite another to hear the sounds of laughter and heart-felt vows being uttered to one another. Filmed by Kee Sitt and edited by Nigel. Enjoy!

[flv:stu_amy_highlights.flv amy-stuvid.jpg 700 393]

Grace Tan In Outdoor Weddings, Weddings

Amy + Stu, The Andaman, Langkawi, Part 1

They met in Canberra years ago, while they were doing their masters. After years of traveling, and time apart, they are now living in Malaysia. Stu works for the Australian embassy, and Amy works with an NGO dealing with families. The moment I met them, I could feel an instant warmth radiating from their direction. It’s hard not to like them.

From various trips to Langkawi, 2 things stands out. The heat. And great sunsets. The other guys shooting with me (Mark, Kee Sitt and Nigel) were downing liquids through out the wedding. And I don’t mean alcohol. The Andaman is a really beautiful resort. Look at the view from Amy’s room!