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Pre-Wedding

Grace Tan
In Musings, Portraits, , Tips + Ideas

Why shoot a pre-wedding?

Some couples tell me that they are into candid shots and don’t really want to do a pre-wedding shoot. All they want are candid shots that show how people are having a great time in their wedding. While that is absolutely important, I do think that it’s equally important to shoot pre-wedding photos. Or post-wedding. Or set aside time on your wedding day, (if only for an hour!) for portraits.

Ok, I am not trying to sell you more of my services (though of course, I’d LOVE to shoot more pre-weddings!).

What’s my reasoning for portraits? Well, how often in your life, have you done a professional photo shoot? And what’s the best time for that than your wedding… when you have most probably slaved at the gym for months to be in your best shape, gone for beauty treatments and spent a thousand dollars or more on your gorgeous gown?

To be honest, I never had a pre-wedding shoot for my wedding, but I set aside some time on the wedding day for portraits. I did realize though that I was constantly chasing after time, (hurry, we gotta get from my house to your parent’s place, or we gotta head to the hotel like NOW!!). On hindsight, I think I would have enjoyed a pre-wedding shoot, done on another day, at a more leisurely pace. Sometimes, I still have crazy ideas like donning my wedding gown (which I haven’t tried on for 4 years, but still hangs in my cupboard, or is in a box?) and doing a post-wedding shoot!

Some of my clients come up with absolutely creative ideas for their pre-wedding shoot, and I love that. I think the first thing that people think of when wanting to shoot a pre-wedding is the question, “Where should we go?”. So here are some tips for brides and grooms who are planning on getting a pre-wedding shoot done.

1. What is your personality like?

Are you a bubbly person, an extrovert who loves to laugh a lot and chat nineteen to the dozen, or are you an introvert who prefers to sit with your books and enjoy quiet moments with just yourself and your hubby? Are you a hopeless romantic at heart? Your photos should reflect your personality. So if you’re a quirky, non-conforming kind of person, the type of location you choose would reflect that.

Simple and glamourous

Dramatic and moody

Classic

Just love to have fun!


Simple contentment

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Grace Tan
In Portraits,

Jack & Sze Hwa Marries!

Photographer: Grace
Make Up & Hair: Charlie from Michelle Touche team
Wedding gown (Princess cut with sash) & Evening shoes: Pretty in White
Wedding gown (Mermaid cut) & Evening Gown: That Special Occasion
White lacy shoes: Tang’s Studio
Jack’s suit: The Lord’s Tailor
Flowers: My Bridal Florist
Location: Dusun Garden Fairies & Pullman Hotel, Putrajaya

But not yet… not till January 2011 when they vow to be true to each other in good times or in bad, in sickness and in health. The title of this post was taken from their wedding website, designed beautifully to look like the New York Times report. I love it when I see websites like these because it shows how creative the couple is and how much they care about the little details that go into their wedding day.

And so it was natural that during the pre-wedding session with Jack and Sze Hwa, there were lots of yummy details that went into the shoot. Hwa said she wanted a picnic theme… and so she brought an amazing array of props to the shoot! The picnic basket was even prepared and sewn by Jack’s mother! Talk about dedication.

Jack & Hwa have both known each other since secondary school but they were just acquaintances back then. In school, she thought he was a bit of a geek and he thought she was just another (annoying) junior in his school!

This is their story…

Well…. Years went by and we lost contact.  She went to Ireland to continue her studies and he on the other hand, left for Australia.  However, during one of our summer holidays back in June 2003, we bumped into each other while we were dining with our parents in Overseas Restaurant, PJ! That day changed everything! We started to keep in touch and this continued on even when she was back in Ireland and he, in Australia! We talked on the phone EVERYDAY and would wake each other every morning (possible then due to different time zones!).  So this continued on for 7 years.  Yes, we have been doing the much dreaded long-distance relationship for that long.  This has improved tremendously since she moved to Singapore ‘coz at least we now were at the same time zone.

We guess the thing that kept us both together for so long despite the distance was that we have always been able to talk about everything and anything and our passion for travelling (here, there and everywhere!), food (you have to see our collection of food pictures) and Moleskines =) !

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Grace Tan
In Portraits,

Shanghai Love: Yee Jenn & Kristin

Photographer: Grace
Make Up & Hair: Michelle Touche
Cheongsam: Emerald Brilliant
Wedding Gown: Pretty in White

Last year, I traveled to Egypt with my husband Alex, his sister, Sarah and her good friend Kristin. Though I have known Kristin for quite a few years, it was only during this trip that I got to know her a lot better. That’s when I discovered that Kristin does not really like to be outdoors, and that she must have chocolates everyday. Like EVERYDAY. We had fun during our trip, and this year, I had the pleasure of shooting her pre-wedding photos, and soon, wedding as well.

Yee Jenn loves photography and he was really excited about the shoot. I was thrilled when they came up with the idea of shooting in an old cafe with a Shanghai theme! This famous cafe, called Yut Kee Coffee Shop, belonged to Kristin’s uncle, so permission granted, we headed over to the heart of KL for a fun time. On a normal working day, you would have a hard time finding a table to sit at, but the entire shop was closed that day so we had the whole space to ourselves!

Kristin has watched many, many episodes of America’s Next Top Model, so she knew exactly what she had to do to come up with a great pose! And boy, did they pose! The both of them look so good together!

Do you know the kaya rolls here are the best? It’s just sooooo delicious! Needless to say, we ate the props after the shoot!

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Grace Tan
In Portraits,

Pre-Wedding: Derrick & Wan Leng

Photographer: Grace
Make up & hair: Sharon from Wedding Isle
Bridal Gown: Pretty in White
Evening Gown: Red Lantern Studio
Location: Sheraton Imperial Hotel, Kuala Lumpur

Love, like wine, should get better with age. It should be savoured bit by bit and with every sip, cherished.

Even though Wan Leng has been together with Derrick for almost a decade, just like aged wine, their love tastes sweeter and better than ever. When she first met him, she thought that he was kind of cute; if there was Facebook back then, she would have clicked “LIKE” immediately. After Wan Leng’s first encounter with Derrick, she could not stop thinking about him… and now, a decade later, she still can’t stop thinking about him!

The feeling was mutual, because when Derrick first saw Wan Leng, he thought that she was attractive beyond words yet she had this aura of mystery that made him want to know her more. They met at a social function and since then their friendship blossomed through different modes of communication.

Derrick: “Usually my first impressions of a person are spot on, and my first impression of her was that she had a special inner & outer beauty bottled into one. Although the first impression counts for something, I believe that lasting impression is above all, and I hope to give her the best lasting impression a man could ever give.”

Wan Leng: “Sometimes I still can’t believe that I ended up with him and *gasp* I’m getting married to him! :) And I’m very excited!”

I’m excited for the both of you too!

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Grace Tan
In Portraits,

Teasers: Cafe themed pre-wedding shoots

We’ve seen it all before. In movies, where couples fall in love over a meal, sharing drinks, enjoying each other’s company till the wee hours of the morning. Chatting about everything and anything under the sun, oblivious to others around them. I love the notion of falling in love doing something as simple as sharing a meal. In my recent pre-wedding shoots, I photographed 2 couples, different yet similar in so many ways.

A Chinese coffee shop vs an Italian cafe. Kopi peng vs wine.

But over this meal, romance blossoms and hearts pound in anticipation of the next date.

Note: The first image has been replaced due to various reasons. The full blog post will come later!

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