Once In A Lifetime Photoshoot

Photos have always been very important to me. Ever since I was 14, I rarely go out without bringing my camera. Along with important occasions, the mundane doesn't go unrecorded by me.

But our wedding photoshoot was not going to be a mundane one for sure!

I knew we had this one chance to write our story in photos and I wanted them to be beautiful. So, not wanting to take any wild chances, I decided that we should have our photos taken with a tried and tested wedding studio.

Naturally, Sophia Wedding was the first choice since my Xiao yee (little aunt), Ah Ghim (aunt-in-law) and mom had their photos taken there. I really really liked my Xiao yee's wedding photos. Even though their shoot was almost 10 years ago, recent online reviews still tout them to be one of the best in their industry.

Hebe, our coordinator spoke with us on the day that we went down to Sophia's. She was very friendly and accommodating, and put many of my fears to rest. Living in Singapore these few years, I'd almost forgotten what good customer service felt like. Hebe was like a breath of fresh air! She kept the tea on our table flowing, showed us album samples and patiently listened to our concerns without showing any sign of dissatisfaction. Most importantly, I really felt like she understood exactly what I wanted.

Even though our booking was rushed (we had a month or so to our wedding date), she was able to give us a slot and I even managed to choose my dresses on the very same day. 

I won't share my exact package details because I understand that each couple has very different requirements for their package, but I will say that we got a great deal given the experience and professionalism of the people working there. The total amount we're spending on each photograph is approximately $82 (Singapore dollars). 

I know all of you in the States are probably balking at this amount... Well, that's what you get for living in the most expensive city in the world!

I did look up some individual photographers who are not attached to studios. They were charging a minimum of $1,000 for a whole day outdoor shoot, as well as another $1,000 for an indoor shoot. This is not yet including makeup ($400 for both shooting sessions), dresses (approximately $2,000 for a wedding dress, cheongsam and evening dress) and other things like renting of the suits, editing and printing of albums and large photos.

I figured that with all the hassle that would go into having to look for the photographer, makeup artist and everything else separately, I'd rather just settle everything with one studio instead. I would not be saving money by going outside anyway.

April 24th was the day we scheduled our indoor and outdoor shoots.

Our outdoor shots were taken at East Coast Park and The Orchard Residences. The photographers were Arsen and Jensen. 

Sadly, the first photoshoot did not yield the kind of "feel" that I wanted for our photos.

I wanted photos that were classic, romantic and warm. Instead, we got the above.

After a long night talking with Hebe at Sophia Wedding, they finally decided to let us reshoot the entire thing to our liking for free!

For the next and final shoot, we had Ryan and Carvin shoot for us instead. I'd looked through Sophia Wedding's Facebook page before and realised that Ryan's style was much closer to what I was looking for. 

This time, we went outdoors (still East Coast Park and The Orchard Residences) to shoot first before going indoors.

These photos are all taken by my Ah yee (big aunt) on my camera. 

She and my Ah ghim were the ones helping us that day. I am so grateful to them, because without their help doing little things like carrying our bags around and buying bubble tea, I doubt we would have had the time and energy to pose for so many wonderful shots.

Of course, I am grateful to my mom and Xiao yee too for helping us in the same way with the first photoshoot... It's a shame that it didn't go well!

Knowing that there was a specific look we were going for, Ryan took the initiative to double check each iconic shot with us. If there was something we didn't like or if we had any ideas, Ryan and Carvin would hop on it and try what they could to give us our dream shots.

Our poses felt more natural that day, even though we were tired and sweating buckets.

At one point, Ryan even got into the pool for the right angle! I was actually kind of worried for his camera...

My family supporting us on the side.

And of course the cheeky duo...

Max was really cute, insisting on helping his big sis with anything he could! I eventually gave him the very simple task of just helping me carry my train, which he felt very much obliged to do. 

We were soooo pooped by the time the outdoor shoot was over! It took us approximately six hours... 

Back in the studio for makeup round two.

Our makeup artist, Candy, had been waiting in the studio for all those six hours ever since we left. Earlier that morning, she arrived promptly at 6am just to do my makeup! I am so amazed at her work ethic and skill. Being in the business for over 10 years now, her makeup skills are not only way above average- she's also ahead of the trend and able to give me that "natural Korean" look that is so popular these days.

To be honest, I was concerned whether the makeup artist would be able to work with a tan Asian skin tone like mine. Many tan Asians that I know always seem to end up with fake-looking skin makeup! You know, the ones where the face is ten shades lighter than the rest of the body?

Well, mine was not like that at all. 

Candy did a really really fantastic job. I'm thoroughly impressed!

As for Mister Jerry... He had some trouble tying his tie, so I volunteered to retie it for him.

It took me about four tries to get the right length.

But being SUCH a man, he goes ahead and unties my perfect handiwork, only to spend the next fifteen minutes trying to tie it to his liking.

Grrr... 

It was truly one of the most exhausting days of my life... Jerry even fell asleep briefly on the couch while I was getting my hair and makeup touched up.

But looking at the results makes it all worthwhile...

:)

Getting Ready For The Big Day

Many people are surprised when I tell them that we're getting married in May.

"May...... 2015?" They ask. 

"No May, this year. 2014"

*cue look of utter shock* 

"ARE YOU PREGNANT???"

lol

Well, the truth is, I'm not pregnant. We'd just like to get married when our pastor is still in Singapore, my aunt is around and before my parents head back to the States. That leaves us with the end of May this year as our best option.

Not to mention, I'm such an impatient person. I really couldn't stand the thought of waiting an entire year to get married!!!

I know what many of you are thinking... How am I supposed to pull off a wedding with slightly less than two months to prepare? 

I got three words for you.

God Answers Prayer

The very moment Jerry and I knew we were going to get married this May, we clasped our hands together in prayer and asked God to go on ahead of us and help us plan our wedding. We knew there would be challenges ahead. Perhaps it would be difficult to book a wedding venue with such little notice. What about the photographers, makeup artist, the dresses, his suit, cake, etc etc etc?

There were simply too many things to worry about and we knew there was no use trying to handle it all on our own. So we sought God's hand and wisdom in our planning process.

You would not believe how quickly and amazingly God answered each and every one of our prayers!

In just a few days, we managed to narrow down, visit and book the venue of our choice. The last function room that was available on our wedding date was exactly the right size.

We got our wedding photography package signed up with Sophia Wedding along Tanjong Pagar Road. On that day, a couple cancelled their appointment at the last minute and I was able to pick my gown there instead of waiting a few weeks (it would have been too late by then).

I shopped for fabric with my aunts and had my cheongsam custom-made in Chinatown. The dressmaker's shop, Iris & Edel, were able to complete the cheongsam in time for my photoshoot despite having to alter it twice.

A few weeks later, we went for a food tasting session at our wedding venue. Everything tasted way better than I expected!

I spent an hour and a half the next day trying on dresses for my bridesmaids. We ended up choosing none of these. 

Then, something unfortunate happened. 

We hadn't skated for almost a month and I was missing the skatepark like crazy. So we went to the skatepark about two weeks before our photoshoot for a little skating session. 

That night, Jerry went home with two stitches in his upper lip and a bad scrape/bruise on his left knee. He couldn't smile without busting his stitches, nor could he walk properly. He was really upset that this happened so close to our photoshoot. 

I remember sitting with him on the floor at the skatepark, his face covered with blood. But I only felt peace. Somehow, I knew in my heart that everything would be okay. So I prayed with him that his wounds would heal before our photoshoot on April 24th. He had about 14 days to recover at that point. 

The day of the photoshoot came.

For once, we arrived at the studio on time. We were always so very late to our dress fittings (and that's bad!)

My mom and xiaoyee (aunt) came to help us with the shoot even though it was a weekday. Without them, we would not have been able to get to our photoshoot locations on time.

Oh, and do you see Jerry's wide smile in this photo?

Just the day before, his stitches came out and he was finally able to smile on the morning of our photoshoot. It was the first time I'd seen him smile since we were at the skatepark.

From the left: Jensen, the photographer's assistant. And Arsen, the photographer. 

Sadly, when the photos were completed, we found that we did not like any of them. Not because Arsen isn't a good photographer, but mainly because none of the shots were really taken in the kind of style we wanted (warm, natural, romantic). 

Thankfully, Sophia was very professional about it and offered to let us reshoot the entire thing. 

So that's what we'll be doing this coming Sunday... 

All the invites were done in a matter of two days.

Each invite took us about five minutes to put together. Fortunately, this isn't a big affair, so we were not overwhelmed by the invitations.

The bridesmaid dresses from TheBMDshop arrived within a day and Amanda and Talia got to try them on Saturday. They were perfect!

Pretty much everything is going smoothly and I truly don't have to worry about anything at all! 

I'm gonna miss my family when they're back in the States and I'm still here in Singapore, but at least I won't really be alone. I think being married helps. I've never actually thought about how I'd feel once my parents return, but now that I'm typing this out, I can see why God had me meet Jerry now...

I didn't even imagine that I could possibly feel this lonely, but thankfully God foresaw all of this and provided me with a husband to comfort me...

I am just so amazed that despite me failing Him and being such a pain, God is still willing to not only stand by me; in the midst of everything, He is still wanting to bless me. How wonderful and merciful is He!!!

To my future self reading this post again: I want to remind you of how God's grace truly has no bounds. 

You didn't think you needed anyone, but God sent you someone when you least expected it. He already knew that when your parents leave Singapore, you'd miss their noise, and so He took care of that. 

God is faithful!

When wedding preparations needed to be done, God did them all for you. You did not have to fret about anything at all.

God provides!

You used to worry about Jerry's spiritual growth. Has He not put His Spirit in Jerry's heart? 

God leads!

And now as the wedding day draws near and fear of the future tries to creep up on you... (well this is getting weird cause my future self is supposed to be reading this eh?)

Anyway...

God knows. He cares and He is always listening. He knows all your faults and weaknesses and He will not give you more than you can handle. He will always give you something to hope for and you do not have to worry about what the future holds because He has already taken care of it. All you have to do is to sit obediently at His feet, serving patiently and resting in the shadow of His wings. He will bring you good and not harm... 

Amen!!!