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Grace Tan
In Chinese Weddings, Church Weddings, Weddings

Church Wedding at Luther Centre: Jeremy & Melissa

Jeremy and Melissa’s wedding had all the elements that made it special for us as a team. It included a cool couple who really cared about us as individuals (not just as vendors), lots of interesting moments like when Jeremy took out his wedding vow ‘scroll’, Melissa’s vows that was sung emotionally, and a rather unconventional dinner reception with friends at an industrial area in USJ. I loved how there were lots of personalised touches to the wedding, like how Jeremy’s father officiated the wedding ceremony itself, all the DIY decor and flowers and the bride’s gown that included lace from her mother’s wedding dress. We enjoyed ourselves tremendously at their wedding! We wish you years of adventure as you put God first in your marriage!

Do watch their wedding slideshow for more photos and to hear Melissa’s beautiful voice as she sings her vows.


The #jeremelized story

I (Jeremy) first met Mel on a trip to Penang in 2008. She was the choir master of the carolling team and my first impression (in my defence, she was in work clothes) was that she was this older lady because she was so capable and talented. The next day, I wound up sitting next to her at breakfast and telling bad jokes and puns. I have no recollection of her next to me but she’ll tell you that she was wondering who this scrawny noisy boy was.

We properly met in university in 2009 when she came down from Penang to do her degree and we were group mates (and became good friends) for 3.5 whole years! We were dating other people at the time and Mel thought I was immature. I obviously thought differently. We saw each other (along with 3 other friends who are our groomsmen and bridesmaids respectively) through ups and downs, tough time and happy times, we celebrated and we cried, we worked together in various committees and on various projects and assignments.

Fast forward to 2014, we were both single and I was interested in Mel. We had stayed good friends after graduation and so I decided to tell her I was interested in her. I did, and she rejected me. Boo. But we decided to remain friends and continued spending time together until one day.. I’ll let her tell this part..


I (Melissa) always thought of Jeremy as a really great friend. In fact, he was my first friend in university! A mutual friend had introduced us and tasked Jeremy with looking out for me and getting me settled into uni. As time went on in uni, we worked well together but I’d always found him rather overprotective and annoying. Having said that, we did have lots of fun together but mostly in a group context.

Fast forward to 2014, we were both working in the university itself. We started spending more time together doing projects, mostly helping other people with whatever was needed. We did some music gigs with friends, and photography gigs together. Later in the year, I did my honours year in uni, and needed help with stats. Guess who came to the rescue!

The first time he told me he was interested in me, it wasn’t a surprise. Many people had forewarned me, but I was totally uninterested. Partly because I didn’t want to spoil the relationship we already had, and partly because I felt our personalities were too different (he’s way too emotional) and there was no way we’d get through a romantic relationship because it would be too hard to sort out those differences (for me).

One day after he’d dropped me home, as I was walking into the house, I felt a strange warm, prodding feeling and a voice at the back of my head that whispered “give him a chance!”. It took me 2 whole months to think about it but finally I thought perhaps I should put aside my pride and give this boy a chance :)

And so, I did! But how to tell him? To be honest, in the last 2 months, we’d actually been growing closer as well – he acted very differently after expressing interest the first time. It was as if he’d let go of trying to impress me and he really started being himself more. I enjoyed that. To cut the long story short I sneakily made him take me out for dinner, and told him we needed to talk about “the future”. I thought he’d gotten the hint! But trust me, boys often DO NOT get the hint. He took me to a fancy restaurant, dressed up all nice for that, even made a song request for me (that the pianist never played), and we talked about all our plans…. but NEVER got to talking about US! When we reached the car after a lovely evening, he offered me his hand and I held it back.. thinking it was time to talk about us! Still nothing.

Finally I said, “are we going to talk about this?”
“What?” he asked.
“THIS!” I said, holding his hand up and shaking it in his face.

So we talked.

And the rest as they love to say, is history.


We gave each other a month to “try” what being in a romantic relationship would be like for us. It was strange, but comfortable. The long time we had together as group mates, friends, committee leaders etc. was very good in providing us situations (often stressful) to really get to know one another and learn how to work with each other, and thus being in a relationship was just like another day in the life of Mel and Jem (what I call Jeremy).

All this has led us to today; we’ve been dating since 20 Nov 2014, and he asked me to marry him on his birthday, 8 May 2016. We’re getting registered on my birthday, 21 Dec 2017! No excuses for forgetting celebrations! While we do have our ups and downs, I think over the years we have learned to communicate better, fight better and are continually improving on working together as a team. He’s my favourite partner, the person I would always pick first to be on my team as I can see that together, we accomplish so much more. We’re so thankful for all that God has done in our lives and can’t wait to see what’s in store!

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Grace Tan
In Boudoir, Casual Portraits, Family + Children Portraits, Maternity, Portraits, Studio

Our Little Nook: The Stories Studio


If you are looking for a cosy environment for your family or maternity portrait sessions, our studio is the perfect space for it. We are based at Oval Damansara, Jalan Damansara, which is just along the Sprint highway next to Taman Tun Dr Ismail. Another landmark would be Glo Damansara mall, which is a stone’s throw away. If you are coming from KL city centre, it takes about 20-30minutes by car.

Here’s a few reasons why we love our little nook so much:

1. There’s just so much natural light!
While we have the backdrop and lighting for a more formal corporate shoot, we tend to use a lot of the beautiful natural light streaming through our ceiling to floor panels. It is perfect for family sessions with babies and young children. We can use our black out curtains and sheers to control the quality and quantity of light that comes into our studio. Our natural light studio looks best between 9am-4.30pm on a sunny / cloudy day.

2. It feels like home
We have arm chairs, sofas, bean bags and mattresses to make the space feel so cosy, almost like home. We even offer snacks, water, coffee or tea to ensure you have a comfortable session with us. While we do not require you to remove your shoes, our studio is cleaned regularly so that hygiene is maintained. If you need a steam iron, a hair dryer, gel, facial blotting paper or wet wipes, we have it all. We even have toys and bubbles to entertain your little ones when they get antsy!

3. We have various background options available
Our walls are painted white, brown and we have a white brick wall available as backdrop options. If required, we can set up seamless white or grey backgrounds for shoots that need it. While it might seem ‘plain’ to some, our style is to keep everything minimal and classic.


4. Need to make it more colourful with props? Yes, you can!
If you would prefer a more ‘set up’ look for the session, you can bring your own props or utilise some of the items we already have. For example, we have a child size tent, rocking horse, paper flowers in various shapes and colours, chalk boards, vintage luggage bags, Scrabble letters and more. Just share with us some thoughts about the theme or look you want to achieve, and we can contribute ideas to make it happen. Alternatively, we can recommend decorators that you can hire to style your shoot!


5. We can accommodate a large group

Our little nook is approximately 400 sq ft, so it can accommodate large groups as well. We have photographed up to 26 adults and children in our studio before! It just takes a bit of coordination and lots of patience from everyone as we work through the groupings. We also have a separate overflow space where family members can relax while the session is ongoing.

6. Easy access
We have 2 entrances to our studio, one through the lift from the main lobby if you need wheelchair access and the other directly from the carpark at zone F. We can reserve a parking lot for you at our carpark so it makes it convenient for you. The entrance from the carpark is our main entrance and it leads you through our shared office space with our other colleagues from Integricity.

We invite you to make an appointment and visit our studio if you would like to have a look at our space, or book it for your next family, maternity, couple, newborn or corporate headshot session! Have a look at some sample photo sessions taken at our studio.

Grace Tan
In Family + Children Portraits, Portraits, Studio

Family Portraits: Sasi the Don

We met the famous Malaysian reggae singer, Sasi the Don through Puvan and Poornima’s wedding last year. He has released a number of albums and had the support of the local music industry with the work he is doing. As a creative professional, we recognize that it takes a lot of hard work to be successful, so hats off to you, Sasi! Thank you for coming to our studio for your family portrait session. Wishing you all the best and even more success in all you do!

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Grace Tan
In Casual Portraits, Family + Children Portraits, For Photographers, Maternity, Musings, Portraits, Tips + Ideas

Tips on How to Survive an Outdoor Family Shoot

It is common to receive an enquiry requesting for a two to four-hour long family shoot. People tend to have the impression that you get more out of longer sessions. However, that is usually not the case. At Stories, most of our Lifestyle packages are an hour long. Some people seem to think that’s too short but do remember that if it involves children, you’ll be surprised that a single hour can seem like forever to them! I tagged along on some family sessions and here’s why I think an hour is really good enough, especially for an outdoor shoot in our beloved country.

1. Humidity
Even if it isn’t a terribly sunny day, you can be perspiring within five minutes of starting the shoot! On one of the shoots, the perspiration showed through the dad’s dark blue shirt. Fortunately, his wife had insisted he bring along an extra shirt to change into! Mum and child were neither not spared from the icky feeling of sweat. Can you imagine spending three hours posing for photos feeling like this? Believe me, an hour is just right. We all love our country but not the humidity.

TIP: Always bring along some extra clothing and a small towel for outdoor shoots. A hand fan can be very useful too.

2. Timing of shoot
If you’re a local, you’ll know that our tropical weather is quite unpredictable. Due to the heat, outdoor shoots should take place in the early mornings or late afternoons. However, certain months are prone to rain in the evenings so if you plan for an afternoon shoot, it could end up a washout. The other thing about being surrounded by greenery is that it’s perfect for creepy crawlies and mosquitoes to come out and play! You won’t be able to enjoy your shoot if you’re being eaten alive by mosquitoes.

TIP: Check the weather forecast nearer to the shoot date and speak to your photographer about contingency plans. Bring along some insect repellent too!

3. Attention Span
Children are usually quite excited at the start of a shoot but that initial excitement fades very quickly. They don’t like being told what to do, where to stand or where to look! Most of the time, young children start getting fussy even before the hour is up. Tantrums are common when children get tired and an hour will seem like too much to ask from them.

TIP: Bring along some snacks (but nothing too messy!) for your child. Food usually helps to change their mood. We also usually start the photo session with the large family photo so that we get the safe shot done!


Now if you were thinking of doing an outdoor shoot, don’t let the negative aspects frighten you. Come prepared and you will have an enjoyable experience, plus beautiful photos in the park to last a lifetime. But if you’re toying with the idea of having a three-hour family shoot in the park, maybe you should reconsider shortening it. An hour really is sufficient.