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

Garden Wedding at Saujana: Samuel & May

It was their love of children that brought them together…and their desire to serve the Lord. Surrounded by children from their church’s kid’s ministry, Samuel and May just considered each other as acquaintance. It was April 2015, and they didn’t really talk to each other. Neither were they attracted to each other. In fact, May was not even thinking of getting into any relationship at that time. It all changed one day, when…

May: …the Holy Spirit spoke to me at night and told me to send “him” a text but I wasn’t sure who that was. So I scrolled down the contact list inside my mobile phone. My finger stopped at Sam’s name instantly but I ignored it at first. Then I scrolled backwards and my finger stopped at his name again. So I sent him a message. Surprisingly, Samuel replied me promptly and then he started to text me from that moment on for a month.

During Mother’s Day at church, he gave me 2 pink plastic roses while the other volunteers (kids impactors) received 1 “purple” rose. I felt weird but received it.

Next, he started to flirt with me and asked me out for coffee after the event. On the second movie date, on 27 May 2015, he confessed his feelings to me. Strangely, he held my pinky finger and my face felt warm and nervous. Then he held my ring finger and continued to middle finger. My heart was beating fast and I didn’t know what was going on. We held ‘fingers’ till the movie ended. And at the car park, he held my hand and asked, “Would you like to be my girlfriend?”

That was how it started.

Credits:
Videographers: Chi Yin & Choo Cherk
Wedding Ceremony Location: The Saujana Hotel, KL
Dinner Location: The Han Room, Midvalley
Groom’s Attire: Ah Lok Tailor
Wedding Gown: The Bliss Chamber
Hair & Make Up: Vivian
Photography, Evening Gown, Decorations: Lawrence Studio

Grace Tan In Chinese Weddings, Church Weddings, Weddings

Wedding at St Peter’s Church, KL: Matthew & Wai San

20161022-WEDDING_MATTHEW_WAISAN_0581 It was April 2012 in Melbourne, Australia. The Overseas Christian Fellowship Easter Camp was starting soon, but Matthew was hesitant about going. But at the last minute, he changed his mind, and it was there that he met beautiful Wai San. Eventually, after the camp ended, they became friends and he plucked up enough courage to ask her out on an ice-cream date. It was a ‘hot’ date as they sat and chatted for more than 3 hours over ice-cream!

She thought, “He seems quite smart (something I like!). Maybe a little too skinny but overall, ok lah!”

Well, Matt couldn’t get pretty and cute Wai San out of his mind since that first date. Four months later, he decided to take things further and asked her to be his girlfriend before he took her to a musical and presented a nice necklace to her.

For 3 years and 11 months, they shared a lot of things in common, like their love for board games, traveling and food. In that first 12 months of dating, Matt changed from a skinny guy to a more chubby man as he put on 12kg that year! I guess love makes you ‘fuller’!

So in 2016, Matthew and Wai San are married! Their wedding was held at St Peter’s Parish, Bangsar and their dinner at Sheraton Imperial, KL. She had always dreamed of a fairytale wedding (as a princess to a dashing groom) surrounded with lots and lots of pretty flowers and bunny rabbits! (you’ll see what I mean later).

Unfortunately, due to an unexpected turn of events, Wai San’s father passed away before their wedding. I had the good fortune of getting to know him months earlier at Wai San’s sister’s wedding, which I also photographed. I felt really emotional at Wai San’s wedding, knowing that she would very much have loved to have him there, but honoured at the same time to have created beautiful images of their family at Wai Wai’s wedding earlier.

Wai San, seeing how your family held together through that difficult time with the support of your loved ones was truly inspirational for me. At your wedding, you were truly the princess your dad would have been proud to see. Matthew was indeed the most supportive and dashing prince who knew how to lift you off your feet, and into his arms. Have a beautiful marriage, you two.

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Grace Tan In Church Weddings, Indian + Punjabi Weddings, Weddings

Zion Lutheran Church Wedding: Anthony & Karen

It’s really an honour when I am asked to photograph the wedding of a sibling I had also been a part of. Six years ago, I photographed Karen’s brother’s wedding at the very same church. It was so lovely to meet everyone again. The same warm family that makes you feel as if you are part of them! Karen and Anthony’s wedding had a gorgeous orange theme. I loved how they infused Indian motives into Anthony’s cravat and also created a modern version of the saree as the wedding gown! Aside from the wedding itself, I love the story of how Anthony and Karen met. It can be made into the plot of a romance movie!

20160730-WEDDING_ANTHONY_KAREN-34 Their Story as told by Karen
I am a surgeon in Ireland and we met when i was a really junior trainee surgeon. I had done a weekend (3 nights) of call in a row and unfortunately had my wallet stolen from the doctors room earlier that Monday (16th June 2008) just when I was finishing my shift. I got in to the car to drive home with no money and a dead phone. I fell asleep while driving on the highway and had a bad crash with 2 cars. I walked to the closest place to make a call, and called the insurance company who in turn called rescue services.

Anthony arrived in uniform to check me out and assess the damages. We got to talking and I told him about my unfortunate day. He offered to loan me money to get me home and I in turn promised to return the money. I texted him about a week later and we met but we were talking so much I never returned the cash. We then had many meetings as friends where we took his chocolate labrador Archie for walks in the national park. We eventually started officially dating in July and the rest is history. I never actually returned the money.

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Grace Tan In Chinese Weddings, Church Weddings, Weddings

Church Wedding: Jason & Wai Wai

As the lights in the auditorium glittered like stars in the sky, Jason and Wai Wai said their vows to another. He only had eyes for her, and her radiant face glowed with love. All those years of Jason surprising Wai Wai with flowers were just the start of something beautiful (he still surprises her with flowers even after marriage!). Their church wedding was held at the Luther Centre. Their navy blue theme was striking, and I love the unity cross that they used to symbolize their marriage coming together in Christ. Wishing the both of you a wonderful marriage together, may you always have that sparkle in your eye as you look at each other through the years!

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

Wedding at St Andrew’s Church: Matthew & Cheng

Matthew and Cheng met on their first day of college. Coincidentally, they both did not really like each other very much: to Irene, Matt looked like the typical playboy with long spiky hair; to Matt, Irene was this quiet studious overachiever person. This changed after getting to know each other over the years especially when they enrolled in the same university (IMU- Medicine).

Since they organised a lot of university events together, the draw and attraction towards each other became mutual. After IMU, they left for the UK together (Irene in Aberdeen, Scotland; Matt in Nottingham, England). Those long, never-ending 7-9 hours train rides from one place to another (simply because they couldn’t afford flights) were painful and yet memorable.

It was at South France just before coming back to work in Singapore where Matt got down on one knee and popped the question (on top of Baux-de-provence). To make it even more enchanting, a passerby shouted ‘Brava-brava!’. So simple and private yet special and memorable – and the rest is history.

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