chinese

Chen Hoe & Shirley’s Wedding

Photographers: Grace, Benjamin & Mark
Wedding Gown: Keith Kee
Make Up: Kres Kuang
Cake: Cake Art
Ceremony & first dinner location: Sime Darby Convention Centre
Second dinner location: Federal Hotel, Kuala Lumpur

Her first impression of him was that he was boring and too quiet. His first thought of her was that she talked waaay too much. But after spending some time getting to know each other, they realize that they enjoy each other’s company. The talkative girl became the supportive girlfriend who would always encourage him and make him happy. The quiet guy would soon learn how to make her laugh and bring her down to earth with his rational thoughts.

And soon, the companionship and friendship turned to love.

I had the privilege to get to know Chen Hoe and Shirley last year, when Shirley started attending my church. My thoughts of the both of them? Certainly opposites in terms of character! On the contrary, I don’t think Chen Hoe is really quiet. He can be pretty chatty after he gets to know you. :) He is the calm, collected person who can probably rationalize everything in the universe. She is the fiery person who is passionate about the things she believes in.

Chen Hoe & Shirley’s wedding celebration was spread over 2 events. The first was their ROM ceremony and dinner which was held at the Sime Darby Convention Centre. Photos taken by Grace & Ben.

Grace Tan In Chinese Weddings, Church Weddings, Weddings

#NicHil wedding

If you have your very own Twitter hashtag for your wedding, you are automatically in the ‘cool but geeky’ crowd. And if you have no idea what a hashtag is, then you’d better find out, so that you can be cool. But Nic immediately upped the cool factor by chartering a bus to transport his friends and family from Singapore to Malacca for his wedding.

Cheng Leng (also known as Hillary) and Nicholas are friends of mine. Cheng Leng and I have known each other for years, since we were both in school. Then in college, we saw each other almost every other day… had meals together, went to pasar malam together, hung out with the same friends… we had a great time. After we graduated, Cheng Leng worked in KL for a while, but then she moved to Singapore a few years ago. I felt sad to see her go, but thank God for social media networks like Facebook. We kept in touch through the years.

It was great that I could witness the wedding ceremony of Nicholas and Cheng Leng. I wasn’t meant to be there for the wedding, but due to some turn of events, I could be there as a guest! I managed to sneak a few shots during the wedding (all the time a little worried if I was being an ‘Uncle Bob’ to the official photographer).

Presenting, the gorgeous bride…

The one thing that immediately stands out about Cheng Leng – Her smile. She is such a warm and sincere person. I miss her hugs a lot. :)

So I had to give her a BIG hug.

Grace Tan In Chinese Weddings, Weddings

Alan & Pink Kee’s Creative Wedding

Photographers: Grace & Mark
Make Up & Hair: Gene Lim
Wedding Gown Boutique: Liz Bridal
Dinner Reception: Cyberview Lodge
Dinner Entertainment: Mosaic
Wedding Cake: A Taste Boutique

Alan and Pink Kee’s wedding is filled with fun and creative details… all thanks to Alan’s sister Melissa. Since Alan and Pink Kee reside overseas, most of the wedding planning fell into the hands of Melissa. I love being surprised at a wedding, but in a good way, of course! And you’ll soon see what I mean in the images below…

When I got to Pink Kee, the first thing that struck me about her was her spunky character. She’s fun, easy to get along with and has a great sense of humour!

Besides the joy of shooting at the lovely Terasek Brickhouse, my heart skipped a beat when the groom arrived in this vintage car that belonged to his brother-in-law.

And guess what? His entire family and entourage wore the same customized t-shirt that said “Team Alan”!

Since most chee muis want a BIG ang pow… guess what was prepared?

Grace Tan In Portraits, Pre-Wedding & Engagement Portraits

Pre-Wedding: Eddie & Ming Ee

Photographer: Grace, assisted by Alex
Wedding Gown / Cheongsam / Shoes: Pretty in White
Make up and hair: Mel Chew

When a gentleman opens the car door for you (a rare breed nowadays!) and buys flowers for you on your first date, you have confidence that he knows how to treat a woman well. That was Ming Ee’s experience as she went on her first date with Eddie. Their first encounter was at the college where she was studying. He was a counselor then, and she was helping out at the college during her semester break. Soon, Eddie left for another organization, but it was the days when ICQ and Friendster ruled the world. And so they kept in touch. One thing led to another, and then they became an item.

Three years later, Eddie left for the UK and Ming Ee went to Singapore. Two years of long distance relationship soon made them realize that they wanted to spend their years together, not apart. It was during their holiday in Barcelona that Eddie decided to pop the question…

And the rest, they say, is history.

Or rather, shall I rephrase, the beginning of history. Eddie and Ming Ee tied the knot recently and I had the privilege of shooting their pre-wedding photos.

Grace Tan In Portraits, Pre-Wedding & Engagement Portraits

Nathan & Ayu: Berlulut

Photographers: Grace & Mark
Location: The Westin, Langkawi

This has got to be the wedding of the year! I have so many beautiful photos to show from this wedding that it has to span across 3 blog posts! This is the 2nd part to Nathan and Ayu’s wedding. After the akad nikah in KL, we headed for the sandy white beaches of Langkawi. Specifically, the Westin, Langkawi. When I first found out that Nathan and Ayu wanted a berlulut event, I wasn’t quite sure what it was! Later, I discovered that it just meant ‘changing of outfits’. In other words, we had a portrait session with beautiful costumes!

Ayu’s mother had requested that they did this, and boy, was I happy! Don’t you think The Westin at Langkawi made a gorgeous backdrop for these images? The image below was taken from the 5 bedroom villa (with its own private pool!).

We started off with the traditional Iban costume from East Malaysia. This is so apt for Ayu as she is from Kuching. Even though Ayu does not have an Iban heritage, she used to dance the traditional Iban dance when she was in school. By the way, I never realized how tough it was to make the headgear stay!

This is what happens when East meets West… it’s a dance of two cultures.