Pre-Wedding

Grace Tan In Portraits, Pre-Wedding & Engagement Portraits

Pre-Wedding: How Wie & Adelene

Photographer: Grace
Location: Dusun Garden Fairies
Hair & Make up: Shinny
Wedding Gown: Pretty in White

One of the most beautiful and memorable places Alex and I have ever been to is Cinque Terre, in Italy. It’s not a common holiday destination for Malaysians as you’d need to travel quite a fair bit to reach this beautiful cliffside destination. Alex and I spent our honeymoon there and we absolutely loved the quaint little villages and doing simple things like hiking from one village to another, while eating grapes and looking at the scenic ocean view.

And so when I found out that one of How Wie & Adelene’s many travel destinations was Cinque Terre, I knew they were a couple after our own heart. :)

Adventure and travel seem to be the theme of their lives. Both flew thousands of kilometres across the globe to London, one escaping the bitter cold of Boston, while the other traveled from New Zealand to visit Europe. As fate would have it, they crossed paths at a mutual friend’s party in London on Valentine’s Day. Over many meals, desserts and shared conversations later… a relationship developed.

And that led to more kilometres of adventure as they visited many countries, explored beautiful sights and discovered love for each other.

Grace Tan In Portraits, Pre-Wedding & Engagement Portraits

Pre-Wedding: Christina & Sze Mai

Photographer: Grace
Hair & Make Up: Shinny Ong
Gown: Pretty in White

It’s amazing how two paths can cross… two distinctly different people who are opposites of each other, and yet these same two souls connect, and a relationship is formed. Christina and Sze Mai (also known as SM) first crossed paths as colleagues. Initially, there was nothing more than work that connected the both of them, but eventually, they started hanging out as friends, became best friends cum confidante, and eventually, discovered that they complemented and understood each other well.

Right from the start of the relationship, they talked about all things under the sun… from life, to marriage, childbearing, parenthood, religion… They held no qualms about discussing everything in life. Personally, I think the best relationships are formed this way, when couples start out as best friends. :)

Christina: What I love about SM… He is always the quiet and calm guy that takes everything in stride and is extremely patient! Since the start, we talked about everything… and I even told him about my dream proposal, wedding and future! He had always initiated the question to marry him right from the start, and I always joked, “Hey, where’s the protocol of a real proposal?”

SM: She’s always the happy and optimistic one and she keeps me in high spirits whenever she is around. Her smile, laughter and cute antics just lighten me up immediately. She always knew what she wanted, and I see that as her strength. I had always known that she is the one for me, and I knew that I wanted to give her a great proposal; which she would never forget.

A quiet beach. A relaxing vacation. What better way to propose!

Grace Tan In Portraits, Pre-Wedding & Engagement Portraits

Love Tattooed: Bobby & Elmira’s Pre-Wedding

Photographer: Grace
Location: FRIM, Malaysia & St James Tattoo
Hair & Make Up: Charlie from Michelle Touche team
Wedding Gown: Pretty in White

It was the love of tattoos that brought them together. Ever since young, Bobby loved drawing, and he always had a fascination for the world of tattoos. When he was 15, he tattooed his own hand at school while the teacher was droning on in front… he did it with the ink from his pen and a basic needle. Soon, his passion for drawing led him to mastering the art of tattooing. Some years later, Bobby met Elmira in Miri, where she was working at Bobby’s friend’s tattoo shop. One thing led to another, and eventually, romance developed.

Now, Bobby runs his own tattoo shop in Kota Damansara and Elmira helps him out at the shop. For someone whose name card says, “You suck if you are not tattooed”, he’s really a nice, chatty and friendly guy. :) I must say, his drawings are really amazing.

As for Elmira, despite the tough girl exterior in the shot below, she’s really a gentle and sweet girl.

All the best to the both of you for the future! Now if I ever muster the guts to get a tattoo, I’ll know where to go!

Grace Tan In Portraits, Pre-Wedding & Engagement Portraits

Pre-Wedding: Noel & Hui Yi

Photographer: Grace
Hair & make up: Doris
Wedding gown: Pretty In White
White lacy umbrella: Crafio
Location: Pullman Hotel, Putrajaya

It was 4am in the morning. Hui Yi woke up to discover her eyes were red, puffy and swollen. It wasn’t because of the lack of sleep the night before. It wasn’t normal. But with the courage to carry on, and under the talented hands of Doris, the make up artist, Hui Yi was transformed. When I rolled around to Pullman Hotel at 7am, I didn’t even realize her eyes were swollen.

Thank God for amazing make up artists, and for clients who have faith in them and also their photographer.

Hui Yi told me before the shoot that Noel is quite camera shy. I reassured her that 80% of my brides tell me their grooms are camera shy or don’t really like taking photos. Most times I meet my clients before our photography session, but when they live overseas or time does not permit, I only get to meet them on the shoot day. In a short span of time, I have to build a rapport with my clients and get them to feel comfortable with me. It’s definitely a challenge but I do enjoy the process!

Noel travels a lot for work and so this meant that a long distance relationship was necessary. I do respect couples who despite the distance, manage to make the relationship work. It takes resilience, patience, and also lots and lots of love!

Grace Tan In Portraits, Pre-Wedding & Engagement Portraits

An Audrey Hepburn inspired shoot: Bee Lee & Samantha

Photographer: Grace
Hair & make up: Michelle Touche
Location: Pullman Hotel, Putrajaya

When Sam contacted me about her Audrey Hepburn inspired pre-wedding shoot, I was ecstatic. You see, Sam’s a photographer too, and she knows what she really wants. Not just for her pre-wedding or wedding photos, but also in a man. From what I observe, Bee Lee compliments her perfectly. She’s excitable, he’s calm and collected.