When Fiona mentioned that Su has a contagious laugh in her recent pre-wedding photoshoot blogpost, little did I know that I would get affected too! Sumana was such a fun and out-going bride it never felt like I was working but rather, someone who was there to capture those beautiful moments. On the day of the “Chip San Leong”, the bridesmaids prepared some “special” games that incorporated Sumana’s half Indian parentage for John and his ‘Heng Tais’. Lucky for Sumana, John was quite a pro when it comes to dressing himself with a saree and he even performed some indian dance moves! Another task they had to do was to drink a baby bottle of beer, which I suppose didn’t challenge them at all because they even did a “yam seng”, shows how much they love their beer! Finally, John had to break a few coconuts by smashing them on the floor which was easy peasy for him too!

Their wedding dinner was held at two places on two different dates, the first reception was dedicated to family and in many ways, was the ‘warm-up’ to the wedding party for friends which took place one week after!

John & Sumana’s second wedding reception was held at Ciao restaurant, a cozy bungalow with a beautiful garden located off Jalan Tun Razak. I’ve never heard of that place before and honestly when I was there, it was such a lovely place! Thanks to the team at I Do Weddings, there were pretty decorations everywhere that brought the place to life and filled it up with romance!

The evening started with an intimate exchange of vows ceremony with families and close friends, followed by a mini impromptu photo session with friends. The atmosphere that night was filled with love and laughter. During the speech by the bestman, he revealed that John loves the song “Moves like Jagger” by Maroon 5, and whenever he listens to it, he will dance. So John being the sporting groom, brought it onto the dance floor and everyone enjoyed the groom’s unique dance moves! The rest of the night was filled with wonderful music and dancing, including special performances by their friends!

Once again I would like to congratulate John & Sumana and I wish the both of them the best in married life!

Photography by Nicholas & Jason

I love akad nikahs, not only because the room is always beautifully decorated with drapes and flowers, and that the room smells of fresh flowers but also because it is one of the least stressful ceremonies to shoot. (I leave all the stressful hand shake with the imam shots for by forever faithful partner Steve to shoot!) I love akad nikahs because they are calm, collected and serene. It’s straightforward and if you find yourself a good spot, you settle in and snap away. No fuss. No hassle. And they are so easy to shoot as well. I mean, how could you not get a pretty shot when everyone is so nicely dressed and when the place is just as beautifully dressed up as well! And For Salina & Raees’ nikah, it was no exception! Salina, looking elegant in her very modern laced Baju beamed from ear to ear as the imam kept it light-hearted and humorous throughout the ceremony. Meanwhile, a slightly more nervous looking Raees was seated at the corner. But he was all smiles again after he recited his lafaz with ease…

Salina’s family is a true representation of 1 Malaysia. Looking 100% Chinese, she is 100% Muslim and her family is a perfect representation of a splendid assimilation of Chinese-Muslim cultures. Her parents and siblings who all wore Baju Melayu conversed fluently in Hokkien!

Congrats to Saline & Raees! May your new chapter be filled with love and laughter, always!

A few days after the nikah, Steve, Wei Jun & I shot the “chip san leong” and tea ceremony on Raees’ (Formerly known as Alex) side of the family. The bride looked radiant in an intricately embroided Qua (I absolutely love it when brides where the traditional Quas for tea ceremonies as the colors turn out so well in photos!) The dinner reception that night was photographed by Steve and Wei Jun at the ParkRoyal…

The following week, we gathered once again for the fourth and final reception for Salina’s side of the family. The theme that night was “Shanghai”, the place where Raees proposes to Salina! Thanks to folks at Wishing Tree, the ballroom at the Intercontinental was lavishly decked out with red lanterns and fresh orchids giving the place it’s Shanghainese origins.

With performances by famous local artist Adibah and a guest serenading songs to the lovely couple, the night was an unforgettable  one!

Flowers by Wishing Tree

Photography by Fiona, Steve & Wei Jun

Filled with joy & excitement to be back at Pangkor Laut Resort for the 4th time round, I was equally nervous. Not because the wedding was on an island, not because it was the smallest wedding I’ve ever shot, but because this time, in my 6 years of shooting weddings, I was going to shoot it alone. Being the paranoid and kiasu (there, I admit it!) freak I am, the thoughts just kept playing in my head… what if I miss the shot? what if I miss the exchange of rings? What if my shots are blur or out of focus? There’s no Steve or David or Jason or Nic to back me up, or hold the flash up, or lift the veil! Oh no! Despite all that drama that was going through my head, it went well. Perfect, in my opinion! Jessica and Gav’s wedding is by far the most intimate wedding I’ve been a part of. And by intimate, I mean 12 of them, bride and groom included!

The wedding ceremony and exchange of vows were held at the beautiful sandy beach of Emerald Bay. It was a short and sweet ceremony followed by a portrait shoot of the cute couple at sunset. Luck would have it, there was Ben, an intern at PLR who was eager to help! And so, I had found my assistant! The highlight of the night for me was the Chinese wishing lanterns. Everyone wrote a wish on a paper lantern, lit it and released it to the sky. It was a pretty sight indeed and definitely a photo opp!

Congrats to Jessica & Gav! Wishing you both all the love & laughter in the world! (with Gav’s sense of humor, we can be sure of it!)

Traveling to Penang has always been all about overindulging on great Penang Hawker Food and this time, it was no exception. With Amran & Tini’s wedding stretching (or rather compacted) over 3 days, this was going to be an overly indulgent trip for both Nic & I!

The beautiful akad nikah ceremony was held at Tini’s home. Despite a little drama that involved a  lot of blood and required a doctor’s attention (lucky for Tini almost all the major professions were represented in her dulang entourage), the bride looked gorgeous in a sophisticated baju Melayu and so did the color-coordinated dulang girls! Amran and his stunning dulang boys who arrived in style, all dressed in matching navy silk baju’s, got straight to business (with the Tok Kadi, of course)! The groom looked very nervous but when it was time for him to shine, he aced his Lafaz on the first try! And then it was official, Tini and Amran were husband and wife!

The next day was the Bersanding reception hosted by Tini’s parents. This was the first time I have seen the Main Ballroom at the E&O filled to the brim! There were tables  even on the 2nd floor and in places I didn’t even know existed! It was during one of the speeches when we found out about the story of how Amran, the Penang banker boy, who woo-ed Tini,  the Penang banker girl, with their first date at a Lok-Lok stand! Trust Penangites to pick food over ambiance!

The 3rd and final event of the Amran & Tini festivities takes the cake for the most interesting journey to a wedding venue EVER! We were treated to an interesting trip up Penang Hill, at the back of a 4WD pick up, migrant worker style! With the 90 degree turns but thankfully at the mercy of an experienced Penang Hill driver, there was no need to go looking for a roller coaster ride! But the journey was well worth it, because being at Amran’s home atop Penang Hill was like being in the English countryside, with a truly breathtaking view!

The dinner reception was an intimate one, held at David Brown’s where close friends and family had the chance to mingle, enjoy the cool weather, beautiful decor and best of all, the spectacular view of Penang! And with a certain ‘someone’ catching the bridal bouquet, we can only hope for another truly wonderful wedding to happen sometime in the very near future!