Wedding Props #03

We have been stocking up on props whenever we see anything that catches our eyes.

Perhaps it also takes a creative bride to envision how the prop would fit into the wedding day or prewedding photos shoot. Perhaps it's also the mindset that if we don't buy it now, we won't be able to find it when we decided that we want it, thus leading us to buy and just stock up.


Here are some props that we have in our "stock".

1. Mini-Swing


We love the unique little swing that Justina bought during her trip to Chatuchat Market in May. It just look so suitable for our wedding lunch event, especially when we place our new Me-toYou wedding bears on it.


2. Red Clogs



Bought during her trip to Penang, Justina playfully wanted this to replace the tradition of the real wooden clogs needed for the Chinese customs. It is really just a palm-sized fridge magnet.


3. Mini Chalkboards Clips



These look great as labels for our "little treats corner" if we would to have one during the cocktail reception. Not sure how it would fit our lunch theme, but no harm buying some to keep. It would also make great decorative pieces during our baby's 1st month (when we have one).  



* Any friends who would like to borrow our props for their wedding after we are done with ours, kindly let us know :)

Wedding Photoshoot 02: Sepang International Circuit

We finally completed our journey up North for the long awaited pre-wedding photoshoot at the Sepang International Circuit.

The Sepang International Circuit (SIC) is a motorsport race track in Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia. It is located near Kuala Lumpur International Airport, approximately 60 km south of the capital city Kuala Lumpur. It is the venue used for the Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix, A1 Grand Prix, Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix and other major motorsport events.


Since  we have decided our wedding theme to be related to how we met, things that spell motorsports will clearly define us. A close friend of ours, being organiser for events at SIC,  was able to provide contacts with the coordinators of SIC. Hence, we were able to liaise with them to do a photoshoot there at a fee of RM600, including the usage of the track from 17:00hours to 18:00hours.

It was tough to coordinate an exact date with them giving that the location is constantly being used for races, practice laps or even concerts. But after many emails, we finally settled on 18 September 2013.


As we wanted to save the hassle on bringing a photographer up North, we decided to search for a local photographer online. Google was a good place to start and Justina was quick to find one that suited our style to capture our moment.

Even the pre-wedding package was rather attractive, complete with a MUA. 

(Quote based on April 2013, subjected to change.)

The morning started with the MUA Angela arriving at our hotel room to get Justina ready for the photoshoot.





While Shawn kept himself busy by collecting the flowers ordered from the florist at a nearby store.


At SIC, we met up with Hui from Foohui Photography. She is a petite lady who made us feel at ease in no time.

We wasted no time in starting the photoshoot since time was limited. Hence, there were no behind-the-scenes photos except for this rare opportunity to drive our car into the Grandstand!




It was tough doing a photoshoot in the full racesuit and having to pose for the camera, but when we saw the preview of photoshoot, we know that all our effort was worth it!







Thank you Hui for the beautiful photos captured. Can't wait to get the full album in December 2013.

* Check out FooHui Photography's blog on our photoshoot: 
http://www.foohui.com/blog/?p=2698

Wedding Photoshoot 01: Casual Theme Shoot

Most friends would know that we are one of the most laidback couples. If we could have it our way, we would do away with the Chinese traditional stuff and just stick to our ROM wedding: casual and simple. Just like us.
 
Hence, it's of little wonder that we plan for all our photoshoot to be done in a very casual manner.


With the Chinese Lunar 7th month ongoing in the past 4 weeks, we weren't allowed to do anything related to the wedding. Now that it is over, we are starting on our photoshoots!


Our first photoshoot is at the Garage since it would be related to our wedding theme.


The outfit is inspired by the mechanics, and we chose white so that it would stand out against the dirty background. 



Justina's make up and hair is done by Karen Lin ( www.facebook.com/MakeupByKLin ). Really love how she separated by colored hair to give the bun a unique look. 

Since the setting is at the Garage, there was no props needed. But we bought a bunch of purple roses, her favourite!



We bought the roses at S$1.20 per stalk from Kovan Market, the stall nearest to MacDonalds. Cheap or what! This is why we always return to that same stall for flowers for any occasions.


It was a fun photoshoot done by Joe of JCPictures, the photographer behind all that awesome photos on NaiseClothes.com. And by the end of the day, we had 1 photo for preview.





We think we look great as Joe captured us in our most causal and loving moments while we were having fun! Can't wait for the rest of the photos.

That special day...

Every year we celebrate a special day.

NO, it is not the day we started dating.
NO, it is not the day we got married.
NO, it is not the day we first kissed.


It is the day we first met, the start of our love story.

We always thought our love story had the sweetest and most "Taiwan Idol" drama type of beginning. And if not for that day on 5 September 2008, we won't have found our missing halves.

Justina: the potential Bridezilla

[by Justina]


Ever since the bitch fit I threw during my ROM wedding that led to my mother reminding me of it every time I talk about the banquet wedding these days, I've been taking precaution to not let it happen again.

Don't every girl wish to have a wedding of their dreams?

I have to admit that I am a perfectionist who wants my wedding to go the way I envision it to be, right down to the tiniest details of what colored shoes are my bridesmaids wearing. Yes, I am a control freak. Yes, I am a bridezilla waiting to be unleashed.

It helps to have a BFF to calm me down way before the wedding by volunteering to take charge on the actual day. But most importantly, I have to overcome this myself.



A good (short) article I've chanced upon while searching for videographer was the personal experience of Bride Lee Amizadai from The Wedding Paparazzi

Her "5 ways to prevent wedding stress and bridezilla moments" is one that I found rather useful:

(Extracts from the article)

1. PRIORITISE. 

First off, decide what you want to prioritise on at your wedding. Do you want it to be first and foremost highly meaningful, awesomely pretty, an occasion to honour family and friends, or simply have fun? Having a priority in mind will help you decide what to keep and what to drop when it comes down to the time crunch on your big day.

2. STRESS *BEFORE* THE WEDDING. 

Do all your running around, decision making, contingency planning and assigning of responsibilities before your big day. Any details that cannot be attended to before your wedding, either forget about it, or delegate to other people who can handle it for you. Which brings us to the next point - 

3. DELEGATE. 

On the day, you are untouchable. Put all your energy into being the happiest, nicest bride ever. Foist everything off on a good friend. Most importantly, empower her with decision-making, some money, and your word that you trust her decisions intrinsically. Of course, if you have a wedding planner, all the better!

 4. WHEN THINGS GO WRONG and they will, remember that there’s no such thing as a perfect wedding. Accept that things WILL screw up somewhere and instead of freaking out or taking your attention from enjoying yourself, find a way to make the best of it and make it into an interesting story. It’s often the wedding hiccups that make the best post-wedding stories. But only if you deal with the issues with humour, grace and restraint. And if nothing can be done to fix a problem, shrug your shoulders, close one eye and trust that everyone will be happy for you despite the tear in the dress, the fact that the flowers are not as fresh as they should be or that the makeup artist was a bit overenthusiastic with the blue eye shadow. I know one groom who forgot to bring the bridal bouquet when he went to fetch the bride. In the end he took the entire floral arrangement off the back of his bridal car and presented it to his bride! : ) It was big and bulky, was probably full of highway exhaust, but it did the job and I bet they’re still laughing about it to this day. 

5. DO NOT BECOME BRIDEZILLA. 

Keep topmost in your mind the fact that your wedding is a celebration of love, family and friendship. Don’t get so caught up on the small details that you forget about the overarching reasons for the celebration. The wedding is a big deal, but you’re shortchanging yourself if you lose friends after the event because you threw a hissy fit, you turn out looking stressed and unhappy in the photos, and half the time you are muttering angrily under your breath in the wedding video!



Looking at the above list, I dare say that I can overcome myself and not get so caught up on the small details during the actual day with proper planning.

But looking back on our ROM wedding, I guess what I really need is to avoid that irritating family member or friend that can bring out that bridezilla in me.