beach

Grace Tan In International, Portraits, Pre-Wedding & Engagement Portraits, Promotions

Santorini, here I come!

Oia, Santorini Image Source: Wikimedia

With a gorgeous view like this, I think Santorini is probably on every person’s travel wish list. I can just imagine colour-coordinating my dresses with the blue and white hues of Santorini, wind in my hair, husband in arm as I stroll the streets looking like I belong there. Yup. Minus the kids.

So I am really excited to finally say that I will be heading there this 3rd-12th April! So here’s a shameless call for couples who’d love to have their portraits taken at this breathtaking place while I am there. Do email me at hello[at]stories.my if you’re keen. I would really love to capture your romance through my lenses.

Time to pack those bags!

Weiming In Chinese Weddings, Church Weddings, Outdoor Weddings, Weddings

Wedding at Ayana Resort, Bali: Ka-Meng & Mary

20141129_WEDDING_KA-MENG_MARY_1101 A dreamer meets a realist.

It was a match that was meant to be. Mary, in her fun, loud and expressive manner, added lots of colour to Ka-Meng’s palette. The fact that she also spoke non-stop added lots of flavour to this unique partnership. On the other hand, Ka-Meng, in his secure manner, made Mary stay put in one country and gave a lot of security to the relationship. The 8 year age gap they share is hardly an issue but of course there were times when their age gap became apparent. Especially when Ka-Meng recalled going to work in a pink mini bus and doing audits using a blue/yellow marker pen instead of the laptop!

They could have met in university but they didn’t. He was studying his Masters of Business Systems and she was doing a degree back then. In fact, he was tutoring some of the subjects she studied, but their paths never crossed.

Ten years later…

They got to meet each other at work, even though Mary was in the Singapore office and Ka-Meng was in Melbourne. In her words…

“It was purely work matter back then (wink wink), although I thought Ka-Meng was quite a cute guy…and I was the prettiest lady he ever met! We got really close when I moved to Melbourne. He helped me with my house move, chose my first bed, gave me iMac 101 lessons and made sure I was not left out in the office social events. That… created a lot of rumours in the office.”

Well it all worked out well professionally and in the romance department too, because here they are, married at last!

20141129_WEDDING_KA-MENG_MARY_1118 The wedding was held in a gorgeous chapel at the Ayana Resort & Spa, Bali. Their friends and family members traveled to experience a ‘wedliday’ as they coined it… a combination of a wedding and holiday! The mood was really relaxed and despite the rain over the past few days in Bali. Planning an outdoor wedding overseas is pretty stressful, and because of the weather forecast, Ka-Meng and Mary decided to hold their dinner indoors. Thank God it didn’t rain during the ceremony! Ka-Meng and Mary were really hands-on with their wedding and Mary even created the wedding invite and photobooth props themselves!

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Grace Tan In Chinese Weddings, Outdoor Weddings, Weddings

Beach Wedding, Avillion, Port Dickson: Nickson & Angel

A beautiful wedding like Nickson and Angel’s deserves to be featured on this blog! (Unfortunately it took us a while to do it!). While I wasn’t there personally to witness the wedding, I do sense the joy on that day by just seeing the images taken by Weiming, Ben and Jamie below. Despite Malaysia’s humid weather, the team loves covering beach weddings, I guess because everyone is in such a relaxed mood when they are next to the sea with the sand beneath their feet. And from what I know, the ais kacang at Avillion Port Dickson is really yummy and diabetes-inducing!

Nickson and Angel are both doctors serving in Kapit Hospital, located in the interiors of Sarawak. I have to admit, I had to google where Kapit was, really! It amazed me that to get to this location, you have to take a 2 hour express boat ride from Sibu along the Rajang river. But their story didn’t actually start from the interiors of Sarawak. Here’s their love story as told by Angel…

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Grace Tan In Outdoor Weddings, Weddings

Beach Wedding at Andaman, Langkawi: Simon & Lisa

“Grace and Nigel were fantastic, both very professional, creative and great to be around on the day whilst not getting in people’s faces – as someone who hates having his picture taken, they were a pleasure to be around.” – Simon

I have traveled to Langkawi many times over the past few years, but every time we head there, it is a different experience. I loved Simon and Lisa’s wedding for a few different reasons… they were a great laid-back couple to work with (despite the fact that Simon hates posing for the camera!), there were lots of cute kids at this wedding which totally made my day, and the guests were just so friendly to Nigel and I. Langkawi is really popular wedding destination location especially for couples from Australia. The only drawback is the humidity, so hugging people at the end of the night can be a very sticky affair!

Simon works in the construction line, so he said being all ‘soft’ and romantic during the wedding was something completely different to what he’s used to! But looking at the way he shed his tears as Lisa walked down the aisle made me think otherwise. I think you have a really soft side to you, Simon!

I hope these images will remind you of your love for each other years down the road when the going gets tough. Come back again to Malaysia for another holiday sometime soon, or perhaps one day, we will meet again, when you celebrate your anniversary, maybe?

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Grace Tan In Outdoor Weddings, Wedding Films & Videos, Weddings

Beach wedding in Four Seasons, Langkawi: John & Julia

What is there not to love about Langkawi, especially a wedding at the gorgeous Four Seasons with beautiful white sandy beaches and perfect sunny weather? John and Julia chose to get married at this lovely location, flying in guests from the UK to Malaysia. Since Julia is half Malaysian, I think it was apt that the wedding was held there. We love how quirky this couple is, and how everyone was just so candid and relaxed during a special ‘interview’ session we did on the day of the wedding. I love the story how they met too, but it’s best you watch the film to find out what it is! What an amazing day, filmed by our team of videographers. Enjoy the cinematic film!

Credits:
Videographers: Lester & Eddie
Editor: Felicia
Location & Decorations: Four Seasons Resort, Langkawi
Photography: Sam Leong