I’ve known Prawin for quite some time already and despite his furry face, his huge and somewhat intimidating figure, he’s actually a big teddy bear. A kind and soft spoken guy, I used to wonder why he wasn’t dating anyone when I first met him.

Flash forward a couple of months later, we met up for dinner with Sherrie and a few other friends and I was happy to hear that he was seeing someone whom he met at church :) After a whirlwind courtship of a couple of months, Prawin proposed to Eileen whist they were enjoying a beautiful sunrise at one of Sabah’s most popular attractions, the peak of Mount Kinabalu.

So guess who had the honour of shooting their engagement? ;) Yes, Prawin had no choice but to pick me for I had given him an elbow lock and threatened to wax whatever facial and body hair he had. Hahaha! I kid, I kiiiid.

I only got to meet Eileen on the day of the engagement. When I arrived, she greeted me with her sweet, dimpled smile and it was apparent to me why she and Pravin are such a good match. Whenever I shoot couples like Prawin and Eileen, couples whose relationships have transcended cultural differences, who despite their differences complement each other like coffee and milk, I am gratified. Happier than usual for this shows that race really doesn’t matter.

Prawin and Eileen, thank you again for having me be part of the intimate engagement. Have fun with the preparations for your big day!

Sandy’s actually one of my childhood friend’s cousin and the last time that I saw her was about 6, 7 years ago at my friend’s wedding.

Back then, she was a teenager, about to embark on uni life. So you can imagine my pleasant surprise when a couple of months ago she contacted me to say that she was to be wed and that she wanted me to cover her wedding. Woot!

We didn’t get to meet up before the wedding day as she and her fiance are based in New Zealand. I only got to meet up with Sam and Sandy on the actual day itself and let me tell you, these two sure know how to have fun ;)

Teary eyed during the ceremony and heartily laughing throughout the whole day, Sandy was absolutely gorgeous either ways. And Sam, a kind and accommodating man, it was obvious throughout the day that he only had eyes for his bride.

I reckon it’s because of this, because of the fact that they had no reservations about wearing their hearts on their sleeves that I had a hard time shortlisting favourites for this blog post ;p

Here are a few (amongst MANY!) of the ones I like from their wedding day. Enjoy :)

You know it’s gonna be an awesome day ahead when the first image that you capture is of the bride laughing heartily ;) Here’s Sandy getting ready and make-up was done by Sheila, who’s amongst Kota Kinabalu’s top make up artist.

Their wedding day was held on the Friday before CNY, hence there were plenty of Mandarin oranges around ;p
Sam goin’ thru’ one of the ‘hurdles’ before he can ‘collect’ his bride!

Wheeeee!
Sandy looking down at the preparation for the blessing ceremony.

The radiant bride walking down the aisle with her Dad

Sam in anticipation :D

The ceremony was held at the gardens of Pacific Sutera Hotel, Kota Kinabalu. Though it started around 11ish, the area was still in the shades. Perfect!

After the ceremony, we took some shots of the newlyweds with their bridal party…

The following 2 photos are amongst my favourite portraits of Sam and Sandy. They look smokin’ hot don’t they? ;) And the weather was bee-yoo-ti-fool! :D :D

Sandy got her awesome bridal gown in China for a steal. I think it looks great!

Dinner time! Sam and Sandy had it buffet style instead of the conventional Chinese dinner style. I reckon that’s awesome cause their guests got to pick what they wanted to eat :D Woot!

Yaaaaaaaaaaammmmm seeeenggggggg!

Sam feeling a tad bit embarassed when his best man relayed how Sam and Sandy met ;) Hehe…so cute.

Sandy’s dad dedicated and sang a song for them. So sweet :D

When I say they had fun, I might have been wrong. They had LOADS of fun ;)

Someone’s flash went off right at the moment this pic was shot, so the original version is waaaaay overexposed. But I’m posting it up cos I like how it ‘feels’ to me. Yes, yes. Call me cheesy ;p

Sam and Sandy, thank you for having me capture your memories for you. I wish you love, mutual understanding and many happy days in the years ahead! Hugs.

As Bee Lynn and Teik Hong are based in Brisbane, I didn’t actually get to meet them till 2 weeks before their wedding day. I’m always abit nervous about having couples hire me before they’ve actually met me, so I felt relieved that Bee Lynn and Teik Hong were laughing along at my stupid jokes when we met up. Or were they laughing at me? :p

On the day of Bee Lynn and Teik Hong’s wedding, I had the pleasure of shooting alongside Zach Chin, fellow wedding photographer (check out his work, it’s awesome!) and I had fun doing so as instead of working as separate entities, Zach and I discussed how we were gonna shoot the wedding and worked on it as a team :D Woot!

Though it rained throughout the day, it didn’t dampen the newlyweds spirits as they trumped on with the tea ceremony in the morning with much fanfare. After the tea ceremony, we had a short portrait session in the rain (with umbrellas of course ;p) where while Zach directed and shot, I became the umbrella girl. Wish I had behind the scenes shots of that. It’s not everyday I get to become an umbrella girl okay? ;p Heheh…

At night, the dinner reception was held at Holiday Villa Subang and this was my first time shooting at that venue. As Bee Lynn and Teik Hong made their grand entrance into the ballroom, hearty applause and catcalls were heard from their friends and family members.

The highlight of the evening was when Teik Hong surprised Bee Lynn with a song – Adam Sandler’s “Grow Old With You” to be precise ;) And yes, while it is true that Simon Cowell would’ve given Teik Hong a thumbs down, I reckon it was absolutely sweet and romantic of Teik Hong to do so! Bee Lynn was so touched that she cried and I nearly followed suit as well if it wasn’t because of wanting to maintain my macho appearance :p

Bee Lynn and Teik Hong, thank you again for having me be part of your special day :) It was indeed a pleasure! And Zach, it was great working with you too!

Here are some of my favourite shots from the day. Enjoy :D

Teik Hong calling his ‘heng-tais’ :D

During the tea ceremony

By far my favourite shot from their wedding day, shot after the tea ceremony. It’s even part of my site header!

Love love how Bee Lynn’s always laughing and smiling :D You really know how to light up a room!

Shot with Zach’s 5DMKII and 50mm f1.2. Yes, I was ‘poisoned’ by it. Big-time. Now, I want a 5DMKII and 50mm f1.2 too!!

Bee Lynn pinning the corsage for her Dad.

The beaming couple making their grand entrance

Notice the cake toppers? Bee Lynn had those custom made in Brisbane, cute eh?

Love how the hotel staff are smiling along :D

Some casual portraits after the reception

And to wrap up this blog post, instead of my standard feet shot, I now present to you, ze butt shot!