Wedding Guide Asia

Here’s a quick blast from the past – meet my gorgeous former schoolmate Elaine and read on in envy of her lovely wedding Down Under…

Pictures courtesy of Ying Photography.

Congratulations, both of you! Haven’t the two of you been together since forever?
We met when we were 14 at Masjid Jamek LRT station, but we didn’t start dating until after PMR. We’ve been together for the past 11 years and we finally got hitched on 20.11.2011 at Poet’s Lane. We were engaged for two years and had to plan two weddings throughout that time, one in Melbourne and another in KL.

How did he pop the question?
Steve proposed while I was still sleeping. He slipped the ring onto my finger, which was underneath my pillow. While still in a daze, I thought he was joking with me by slipping on a metal tab of a Coke can. When I actually saw a ring on my finger, the first thing that came out of my mouth was “Sh*t!!!” and I questioned him if the ring was a real one and where did he get so much money. After a whole lot of questioning, he finally asked me the very important question and I said “yes”.

I can’t imagine how hard it was planning two receptions in two different countries…
Planning was difficult as costs are expensive in Melbourne so I only opted for the 3 hour on-the-day coordination with Girl Friday weddings.

Tip: We got the venue done first, then the flowers and then the dress, groom’s suit, groomsmen’s suits and bridesmaids’ outfits. (more…)

You must have heard that old adage when it comes to real estate: “It’s all about location, location, location”. Similarly, when it comes to pictures from the most important day of your life, exactly where you take those pictures are priority number one ;)

Here’s a list of the best places (some people might not have even heard of) that the world has got to offer in photography backdrops for your very special day…

Picture courtesy of www.eattravelwrite.com

Mount Yoshino, Japan

When we say Japan, it’s a fair chance that the words “cherry blossom” would come to mind. And where else should we go but Yoshino, the nation’s most famous sakura (cherry blossom) viewing destination and UNESCO World Heritage site.

But, how do you go about avoiding the crowd? Well, here’s a tip: Most of the tour buses carrying the hordes of Japanese sakura viewers come on the weekends and rarely arrive before noon. So come along any time on a weekday morning and you can have a lot of the beautiful mountain all to yourselves.

Picture courtesy of www.china-tour.cn

Juizhaigou Valley National Park, China

Next, we move on to another UNESCO World Heritage site, home to a multitude of colourful lakes and rivers. Its name means “the valley of nine villages” and it is located in the north of Sichuan, a province in south western China.

The clear waters of the rivers and lakes combined with the kaleidoscope of bright flora make any picture you take here a wonderful abstract of striking colours, often only available in this  park alone.

Picture courtesy of www.beautifulplacestovisit.com

Angel Falls, Venezuela

Now we move on to Angel Falls, the world’s highest waterfall at 979 meters (3,212 feet) and  yet another UNESCO site (yeah, these people know how to pick ‘em). Because the water falls so far it becomes a fine mist, which can be felt a mile away before it reaches the ground below.

The falls have become a popular tourist destination – and it’s easy to see why. (more…)

Whoops! What's that about?

My favourite part about reading the news is how it can be so random at times. In case you haven’t heard, this might be an essential bit of info for those planning their wedding portraits, especially if you’re in China. Apparently, it has become a growing ‘trend’ for young Chinese couples to shoot NAKED pre-wedding photos! As a nation that even controls the use of Facebook, it is understandable that they’re not taking the matrimonial expose lightly. According to news reports, groups such as The Shanghai Wedding Trade Association are now pushing for a ban on the bare. Needless to say, this has sparked much debate.

See, we Asians have always prided ourselves on our modesty and conservative way of life – something we usually make a point to carry in the most important milestones of our lives (read: wedding). And well, can you really imagine sharing such pictures with Grandma over a nice cup of tea some sunny afternoon?

But on the other hand, let’s be realistic: nowadays people in Asia are starting to open up (Is that a pun right there? Please say no >_<) to a new age of fresh ideas and of course, artistic license. Even boudoir photography has made its way to our shores, and people are rather liking that. (more…)

While many would instantly think of Paris or Italy when it comes to romantic locations, the more imaginative would know that the world has plenty to offer besides. Don’t get me wrong – I love Paris and Italy as much as the next person. But what about places like Cuba, which was the choice for Vivian and Michael’s gorgeous pre-wedding photographs.

Photos courtesy of WGA vendor Louis Pang, who absolutely does wonders on such lovely shoots abroad.

For me, Cuba always brings to mind the soulful sexiness of Latin music. After all, Cuba is the birthplace of Son – a form of music that is the basis of salsa, rumba, and mambo. In fact, just looking at these pictures simply makes me want to shake my maracas and cha-cha-cha!

Dance with me…

I just love these stolen moments, don’t you?

Within all its treasured structures, Cuba has an amazing mix of modern and traditional architecture. This not only narrates the country’s rich and colourful history but also makes for an excellent backdrop in your photos. (more…)

With the wedding around the corner, I must say I’ve done almost everything a bride-to-be needs to do before her big day (Hens Party and even a trip to Guang Zhou). It is an exciting time for my husband-to-be, family, friends and of course myself. The day is almost here, after 4 long years of being engaged to each other and making the commitment to start a new life together. Of course at times we get on each other’s nerves with disagreements over certain wedding matters, but at the end of the day, it’s all about compromising with each other.

Although there is this rush everyday now to make sure things are in order and that the checklist has been checked over and over again, it wasn’t until we took our pre-wedding pictures that Sunday morning did it finally sink in that we were getting married!

Our pre-wedding photographer was none other than the very professional, Daren Chong. I swear he made us feel at ease and working with him was heaps of fun. (more…)