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Hindu Temple Wedding: Suryain & Sarala

Sarala’s story is one of heartbreak and triumph. She understands what it means to go through the lowest of valleys and then being picked up again so she can soar above the mountains.

Everything happened in a year. 2012 to be precise.

She was happily engaged to a man who had promised to be with her for the rest of her life. Except that 2 days before the wedding, he called it off. She was utterly heartbroken and was so distressed that she left her job in the ministry of health and joined the private sector, thinking money was all she needed at this point. So she threw herself into her career.

Coincidentally, at that time, an online matrimonial portal called Tamil Matrimony had a special offer for free registration in Malaysia and so she listed her name in it for fun. It was there that she met Suryain for the first time (who claimed to have made a contact request while falling asleep on the laptop!). So it was in October 2012 that Sarala first met Suryain and it was a great first meet!

But there was a problem. Suryain works offshore on a ship and often times, he would be away for months. So Sarala’s parents were a little hesitant about the relationship. I suppose parents being parents, were naturally concerned about whether his job would affect the family and his responsibility as a husband to Sarala. But eventually, they accepted him and gave their blessings to the marriage.

On hindsight, Sarala says, “I am thankful that the first marriage didn’t happen because it is better that it happened then than after the wedding. I am really happy now with Suryain.”

We’re really glad too that everything turned out well in the end! Now that Sarala’s expecting her first child, we’re also excited at the growth of their family and can’t wait to meet the baby some day!

Enjoy their wedding photos, held in KL’s oldest Hindu temple, Sri Maha Mariamman Temple which was built in 1873.

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Tanusya’s Ear Piercing Ceremony

I admit. It was my first ear piercing ceremony coverage, but that didn’t damper my excitement! I love doing things that challenge my own photography status-quo, and quite truthfully, I was also stoked that I get to wear my under-utilised Punjabi Suit!

Having known the very chatty and bright-eyed Tanusya when the family came to our studio for a photo session, I know I am in for good, lively company. The family enjoyed the studio session so much that Tanusya’s mom, Sri, decided to have me photograph the event. What great honour! So I jumped right into my research about ear piercing ceremonies  and prepared myself for what was to come.

20140907_Tanusha_Ear_Piercing_072And true enough, it is was really quite a grand event. The temple hall was quickly occupied by teachers, friends and family. I can tell they how much they love Tanusya just by seeing the amount of gifts they have given her.

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Hindu wedding at Shree Lakshmi Temple: Sunil & Belinda

20140906_WEDDING_SUNIL_BELINDA_MSIA_0282You’ve seen their Singaporean Chinese wedding ceremony and pre-wedding photos, now, presenting part 2 of their wedding celebration held in KL. The wedding celebration carried on in KL with a sangeet, a prayer & oil ceremony called the santh, and culminated with a colourful Hindu wedding ceremony at Shree Lakshmi temple in KL. This wedding video highlight is one of my favourites this year – I enjoy hearing their stories and seeing two different cultures combine through marriage. With the world becoming more connected globally, inter-racial marriages are the norm.

This wedding is unique for me, because in one day, I get to witness:

A Hindu wedding ceremony that resembles a Punjabi wedding
A Chinese tea ceremony where most of the people being served tea are not Chinese
Families speaking Mandarin in typical Indian wear
A dragon dance during the wedding dinner

Oh, and for the record, it was my last wedding shoot before I took a break to deliver my 2nd child!

Photographers: Grace, Nigel & Diane (wedding day), Weiming & Nigel (sangeet and santh)
Videographers: Nick, Chi Yin & Felicia

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Hindu Wedding & Zebra Square Reception: Jonas & Yashoda

A perfect blend of two very different cultures. Two individuals, brought up in very different continents… one with a cold climate and snow, and the other in tropical humid weather with sandy beaches. But true love does not discriminate. It doesn’t care if you come from a different culture or grew up eating dhal or meatballs. When two hearts meet, all that matters is that connection.

It has been a few months since Jonas and Yashoda tied the knot at the Shree Lakshmi Narayanan temple. It was a Malaysian-Ceylonese wedding that was infused with Swedish culture – the traditional and cultural aspect of the wedding were reserved for the Hindu temple wedding and the dinner reception at Zebra Square was done in a more western way. It was obvious that Swedish family and friends from abroad really loved witnessing such a unique wedding ceremony. Jonas was a sport… I could see that he truly cherished every moment of the wedding, especially when he saw Yashoda all beautifully decked out in her saree.

20140418_WEDDING_JONAS_YASHODA_1327Jonas and Yashoda met each other briefly in San Francisco in 2012 through a mutual friend. It was a short trip for Yashoda who lived in the UK, but in those 3 months, they fell in love. Every day in SF felt really wonderful for Yashoda who was truly well taken care of by Jonas, but soon, they had to be physically separated across continents. Despite the time and distance apart, it was inevitable that they would be brought back together eventually and Yashoda finally met the man of her dreams.

A huge romantic at heart, Yashoda had waited for a knight in shining armour but God sent her more than she asked for… he sent her an angel! According to her words, “Jonas is the kindest, most sensitive man I have ever met.”

So the Latin inscription on their ring “Tempus fugit, amor manet” truly encapsulates the nature of their relationship. It means, “Time flies but love remains”. A true romantic quote!

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Ceylonese Wedding: Kogulan & Rathinee

There is just an unexplainable feeling that you get that makes you KNOW that he’s the one. I thought that all these kinda things happens in the movies but it was only then that I believed it…

20131206_WEDDING_KOGULAN_RATHINEE_456How It Began

Kog and I first met in 2010 at a party and got introduced by a mutual friend. It wasn’t love or hate at first or anything like that. We consecutively met and got to know each other. The more conversations we had, we more attracted we got. Naturally, we just wanted more.

Finally, in Feb 2011, he asked me out on our first date. We were just so comfortable with each other from the beginning. We went out on more dates, and just after 2 weeks he asked me to be his girlfriend. I really did like him, but thought it was going too fast, and all he had to say for that was; what is there to wait for when I already feel that this is so right! And I felt exactly the same!

The closeness we felt towards each other and the sense of ease that we have with each other just makes us grow as a couple. There was no fuss about impressing each other, no sweet talks, just us being us.

Kog is the only guy who has actually made me feel so excited even thinking bout him, made me feel butterflies in my stomach and has actually made me speechless! (that’s a first). All the things that i did not go through in my teens, i went through then.

We just fell head over heels for each other!

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