Photography

Grace Tan In At Home, Life, Musings, Parties & Events, Portraits

Grace’s 40th Birthday

It took me a while to decide whether I wanted to have a birthday party for myself to celebrate this huge milestone – reaching 40. I’ve been planning my kid’s birthday parties, so organizing one for myself seemed like another tiring task on the plate. In the end, I contacted Rachel of Pretty Little Things to assist with the decorations for the party and she did an amazing job setting everything up. Alex helped to source and sandpaper all the wooden pallets you see here. And I added stress to myself thinking about my guests and what I could do to make it really fun for everyone, yet filled with things that were meaningful to me. So this was what I came up with:

1. A 15 minute massage station for guests

2. A personalised photo frame with all my guests’ names calligraphed by a friend, Cherbreena

3. A photo corner where my dedicated photographer, Chi Yin, took photos of all my guests who walked in and then Abel printed it out and placed it in the personalised frame

4. A pre-loved book section for my guests to adopt some of my personal book collection for their reading pleasure

5. A corner where guests could choose an air plant or succulent to bring home as gifts

6. A station where people could buy Naam.asia products (a social enterprise) and essential oils from Oilees (a business started by a friend, Michelle)

7. A soap making workshop corner, made possible by Esther & Elizabeth

Honestly, halfway through planning this party, I was wondering whether having a birthday party to celebrate yourself seems very narcissistic! I had to remind myself that it is ok to pamper yourself once in a while and to just enjoy the process. In the end, I truly had a blast on that day with all my precious friends. Seeing them happy made me truly happy too.

Grace Tan In At Home, Maternity, Portraits

Maternity Portraits: Nawal

We are blown away by the city view from Nawal’s apartment in KL – the perfect spot to do a maternity shoot! I personally love visiting private living spaces for photo sessions because it is always different. I am able to incorporate many different interesting elements into the session and hopefully, help the couple or family see a different side to their home. Thank you for inviting me and allowing me to be part of an important moment in your life. All the best to you as you enter into a new phase of life!

Grace Tan In Family + Children Portraits, Portraits, Studio

Family Portraits: YB Hannah Yeoh

There are many people who have walked through our studio doors, and I have been so honoured to meet all sorts of different families, personalities and celebrities. One such person is YB Hannah Yeoh, our Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development. I’ve heard her speak & share her story in church a few times. Her faith in God and her desire to do good, walk with integrity and serve the public has really inspired me.

Due to privacy reasons, I am unable to share her children’s photos, though we had lots of beautiful images of the kids laughing and having a great time at the studio. You’ll just have to take my word for it. :)

Grace Tan In Outdoor Weddings, Weddings

Langkawi Beach Wedding: Tom & Amy

Amy is from the UK and Tom is from Australia, but they chose Langkawi as the destination for their wedding because it is a great half way destination for all their guests. Plus, they love the sand, beach and sun! They have a cute 1 year old baby, Imogen who we totally adore! Their ceremony was held at the Meritus Pelangi Beach Resort & Spa, Langkawi. We were blown away at the lovely semi-circle chair set up that the venue did for them. The day was beautiful and we had a gorgeous sunset that evening to end the ceremony and set the tone for the dinner reception. Congratulations to the both of you, and thank you for choosing Stories!

Grace Tan In Family + Children Portraits, Life, Musings, Portraits, Promotions, Studio

Make-A-Wish Fundraising Campaign

We are excited to be part of this fundraising campaign for Make-A-Wish Malaysia. Critically ill children hold a special place in my heart and we are glad that our little efforts will go towards making a child’s dream a reality. Rayyan, 6, wishes to be a policeman, so he received an experience spending the day with real sergeants in a police patrol car. Sya’irah, 7 years and diagnosed with brain tumour, wishes to see and feed giraffes. It also breaks my heart to hear from Irene, the CEO of Make-A-Wish Malaysia, that another child’s wish was merely have a KFC meal with his family. These children come from lower income families and your contribution will go towards the children from these families. Please partner with us as we support this worthy cause, to make more life changing wishes a reality for critically sick children.

Love, Grace

About Make-A-Wish Malaysia

Their mission is to create life changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. They are on a quest to bring every eligible child’s wish to life because a wish sparks imagination, inspiration and renewed strength to help a critically sick child and family to battle the illness.

When a child is diagnosed with a critical illness, the whole family’s lives are turned upside down. Families from lower income is further burdened with the cost of medicine and treatment which are available only in select hospitals. The sick child and parent are required to make frequent trips to these hospitals or remain long term patients to minimise cost and risk of travelling. Such long separation adds to the sick child’s despair and loneliness.

At Make-A-Wish Malaysia, they strongly believe in the life-changing Power of a Wish. A wish is not merely something nice to have, but a wondrous journey of anticipation and empowerment. The powerful wish journey creates amazing memories that continue to inspire confidence and strength long after the wish has been granted, enabling the child and family to better cope with fear and pain associated with their fight.

As a self-supported non-government organization, they rely on fundraising and donations from corporations and individuals to enable them continue their mission. Up to 2018, over 500 wishes have been granted with the help of donors and volunteers.

How you can help

Book any of our special, discounted sessions between the months of March – April 2019 and utilize it for your personal profile, maternity or family portrait session anytime within 2019. 25% of the proceeds will be donated to Make-A-Wish Malaysia. You will receive a receipt from both parties to ensure that your donation has gone through.

If you are a previous client and would like to still be part of this campaign but have just completed a recent shoot, you can also be part of this campaign when you purchase any prints, albums or full set of high resolution images from us or if you just want to make a donation, contact us directly. Thank you for your generosity!

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