SPORTS run in the veins of Duncan and Jennifer who both stand well a head and half above me. They first met in a London gym when he let out a resounding “OI!” across the room after recognising Jennifer from his old gym in Melbourne. Several continents and cricket matches later they tied the knot in genteel style in Old Parliament House and then hosted a dinner and dance well into midnight at the Singapore Cricket Club.

Wedding date: Saturday, 22 January 2011
Venue: Old Parliament House and the Singapore Cricket Club

Congratulations Duncan & Jennifer!

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1. Jed & Esther
2. Louis & S.Y.
3. M.R. & D.W.

WHEN I delivered his wedding photos I jokingly asked Jed if there was anything that he couldn’t do. University lacrosse player, Chicago soup kitchen volunteer, professional flautist and a career spanning every continent on Earth. And, oh, he cooks too. It’s easy to see why Esther was instantly drawn to this talented powerhouse.

Wedding date: Friday, 24 September 2010
Solemniser: Rev Goh Yock Tuan
Dinner: Peony Jade, Keppel Club, Singapore

It’s too sweet, ma!

I like how the retro wedding car came together nicely with this sign.

What a welcome Esther received! This is not a video.
It’s my Nikon shooting away, capturing frame after frame without a hiccup.

Jed entertained everyone with a few pieces including The Moon Represents My Heart to much applause.

And to warm up the dance floor the talented instructors from JJSalsaRengue gave a jaw-droppping performance.
They made it look easy as a stroll to your local convenience store.

They then held an impromptu lesson, causing lots of giggles.

Congratulations Jed & Esther!

Related posts:

1. Justin & Elaine
2. Anand & Mary

SEAN planned sweet nothings for Joanne on their wedding day. He arranged a surprise ceremony at the Soka Centre knowing that it would mean a lot to Joanne, a devout Buddhist. For the evening banquet he whipped up a rendition of Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight” — electric guitar, band and all. For someone like me who shadowed them all day like a bodyguard, these thoughtful gestures say a lot about their beautiful life ahead together.

Wedding date: Saturday, 19 June 2010
Bridal gown: Allure Charix
Ceremony venue: Tampines Soka Centre
Dinner venue: Eagle Ballroom, Laguna National Golf & Country Club, Singapore
Solemniser: Mr Wee Pang Kiat, JP, PBM

Joanne’s loyal and faithful companion, the one before Sean that is.

Welcoming a new daughter-in-law.

Sean’s handsome brother looked like he just stepped out of an Abercrombie & Fitch photoshoot. Indeed, he’s pursuing a modelling and acting career in Hollywood right now.

Just so we know where the front of the cake is.

All of 5 months and cute.

Playtime. Teaching Sean to dance sexy to Joanne waiting on stage.

♪ It’s late in the evening; she’s wondering what clothes to wear.
She puts on her make-up and brushes her long black hair.
And then she asks me, “Do I look all right?”
And I say, “Yes, you look wonderful tonight.”

Congratulations Sean & Joanne!

Update

And here’s a long thank you sms from Joanne I received at 10:58pm, after both of them spent the evening going through their photos:

Hi Yu Shan. Sean and I just finished looking through the photos
together on my computer! Seeing them really reminded us of so
many small details and moments of a day that went so fast for us,
and we were smiling so much the past 1 hour our cheeks hurt now!

Thank you so much for the really fantastic work, and we mean it.
We went through so many websites and still think your work is
really one notch higher than the others.  

There's a lot of expertise in your shots, in terms of colours,
lighting, angling, distancing, and just making sure we are the
focus in every pic from the best angle possible.  

Thank you once again. We are always proud to tell our friends
you were our wedding photographer. It's definitely one thing
we did very right. Thank you and take care   What a long sms
this is!!

Thank you Joanne.

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YOU may remember Russel and J.D. from their pre-wedding shoot I did for them at ONE°15 Marina Club earlier in the year. Their wedding day finally arrived on 5 June 2010, the second wedding I attended on that popular day.

Having met in the fashion industry, you can expect the same fastidious attention to detail from Russel & J.D. for their wedding. They conceptualised and designed the wedding theme themselves; from the dominant blue hue (even blue matchstick heads!) to the huge logo of their initials they had pasted on one wall of the dining room. I love couples who can tell me exactly what font they want for their pre-wedding album. Hint: the same font appears on their wedding cake.

I’ve had a few brides asking me about J.D.’s unconventional dress. It was custom made by a talented, freelance dress maker. Contact me if you’re interested and I’ll put you in touch with J.D. herself.

Wedding date: 5 June 2010
Hair & makeup: Miranda Wang
Venue: ONE°15 Marina Club, Sentosa, Singapore
Solemniser: Pastor Wong Poh San
Videographer: Zephyrgraphy

A touching vow delivery…

…that melted hearts.

I love the second line: Say good things here.

Quickly, how many cupcakes are there in a cupcake stand?

Congratulations Russel & J.D.!

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1. Russel & J.D.

Dark clouds, yachts and water came together for a potentially stormy brew during Russel & J.D.’s pre-wedding shoot at the ONE°15 Marina Club, Sentosa. Thankfully April’s weather held and allowed us to continue with the rest of the shoot that evening. Being fashion and design pros, I was sure that they would come well prepared with multiple outfits and accessories — and they did!

Hair & makeup: Miranda Wang

Do look out for Russel & J.D.’s wedding at the ONE°15 Marina Club to be posted in a few months time.

Related posts:

1. K.C. & Belinda

One thing I enjoy about photographing weddings in Singapore is the many ways that different faiths and cultures celebrate it. I’ve lived in Australia for most of my life and “multiculturalism” was a word that was thrown about in the 1980s but it has led a confused existence since. It’s refreshing to see it truly alive and well here. Clients often ask me if I get bored of shooting weddings. Not if you seek and embrace diversity.

Vanan & Sham are an adorable and handsome pair of teachers, inseparable at every meeting I had with them. What amazes me is how frank, upfront and comfortable — often all at the same time — they are with each other. After spending some time with them you quickly realise that Living Life to the Fullest is their maxim!

Their Hindu wedding ceremony at the temple lasted a good 3 hours. They took turns separately to go through elaborate rituals involving a sacred fire then met as a couple to bless a tree that was symbolically planted in the temple’s garden.

Wedding date: Sunday, 13 December 2009
Ceremony: Arulmigu Velmurugan Gnana Muneeswarar Temple
Dinner: The Pines Club
Solemniser: Mr Gaudette Pierre Paul, JP, BBM(L), BBM, PBM
Videography: Zephyrgraphy

Vanan kick starts the ceremony with his soon-to-be brother-in-law.

A light-hearted moment with Sham’s aunt and a heavy stone. The aunt is supposed to circle it around Sham’s head.

After 2 hours they finally met as a couple for the final leg of the ceremony.

And celebratory rice flew from all directions just as Vanan tied the necklace around Sham.

And with a casual flick of her hair Sham changed from traditional to modern.

Such ferocity! Such passion!

A long-lost friend. Found.

The question was: “What meal did you have on your first date?”. The correct answer was Punggol Nasi Lemak.

Nonetheless Vanan effortlessly swept Sham off her feet again.

Who me?!

Congratulations Vanan & Sham! You’re a really sweet pair and I can see that you’ll keep each other company and laughing hard for a long, long time

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Meet Ezra and Twinkle. Ezra is a wedding photographer. Naturally I’m honoured when a wedding photographer picks me for his pre-wedding and actual day.

Date: 19 June 2009
Location: Changi Sailing Club and Changi Boardwalk
Gown: The Lil Dresser. Looks like they have groovy Korean fashion too.

We wished hard for sunny weather in the afternoon. Perhaps we wished too hard as it turned out to be one of the hottest days in June.

The skies were on their best behaviour that day.

Twinkle’s wedding gown is from The Lil Dresser, a clever home business that provides made-to-measure wedding gowns made overseas at very, very reasonable prices.

Being a wedding photographer, Ezra naturally brought along his camera and kit. Twinkle and I quickly agreed that Ezra shall not be a photographer on his actual day!

Twinkle had a go with a photoshoot within a photoshoot.

Ezra and I were perspiring madly.

My favorite photo out of the bunch. Most photographers want to avoid and eliminate lens flare (those rainbow rings) but I chase them!

The clear skies of Changi provided a convenient backdrop here.

Well, it turned out that the wedding photographer in Ezra brought not one but three cameras.

This one is a real antique relic that actually works. The other was an instamatic film camera. Perhaps self-portraits should be ruled out on their actual day too!

You can probably guess by now that I like silhouettes a lot. I try to include them in every assignment.

These two photos look like they were taken in an era before we had air conditioners.

Ezra and Twinkle love to dance. Ezra tells me that she’s a better dancer than him.

Look out for Ezra and Twinkle’s actual day in November 2009.

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Date: 20 September 2008
Venue: The Legends, Fort Canning Park
Bridal boutique: French Studio and Bridal Boutique
Solemniser: Mr Yap Thian Ling, PBM, BBM
Videographer: Zephyrgraphy
Band: A Little Dream

You might have seen Alex & Marie’s engagement photos earlier.

Marie had all her bridesmaids dressed in white.

Part of a bridesmaid’s duties include unwrapping brand new chairs in the morning.

The commotion in the kitchen begins. There was very little room with 2 photographers and 1 videographer present.

The final outcome of one of the dishes to be fed to the unsuspecting groom.

The question for Alex was:
“If Marie was a model, which magazine cover would she be on? A. National Geographic. B. Playboy, C…..”

Marie’s cheeky nephew really enjoyed the limelight.

Mother and daughter after the veil was placed over Marie.

The mood of the bridesmaids was anything but solemn!

Alex demonstrated good sportsmanship. He wore a pink feather boa and led a cheerleading effort to shout Marie’s name from the car park.

The groom and his brothers had to gather 5 strangers to judge whether their effort was loud enough. At 8:30am in the morning the only people around was a foreman and his workers.

Then it was onto the round of questions to be answered by Alex. He got the magazine cover question wrong by answering “National Geographic”…

…so the morning’s lime and vinegar “soup” was brought out.

A brave effort to down the vile stuff!

Need I say more?!

More wrong answers. So the wasabi biscuits were brought out…

…followed by the salted soybeans in condensed milk.

Thankfully Alex managed to stomach all that and made it upstairs to Marie’s room while singing her favorite Chinese song.

Marie was ECSTATIC with her handsome prince.

Alex’s nephew gave me a wide-eyed stare.

The car window sticker on Marie’s car couldn’t have been placed at a better time.

This isn’t a Dali-esque clock that runs backwards. It’s a reflection in the day room’s huge mirror at The Legends.

Alex’s mother is a very capable mum. She helped her husband with his corsage…

…then Marie’s mum…

…followed by Marie’s dad.

There were only enough cupcakes to be distributed to children.

The ceiling at The Legends changed colour every few seconds.

Alex & Marie had their solemnisation at dusk, just before the evening reception kicked off.

And they chatted by the warm lights of the colonial facade.

Alex sung the same Chinese song that he sang in the morning’s gatecrashing. He had the kind help from Hsin Yeow of A Little Dream.

Their first dance as a couple.

Related posts:

1. Alex & Marie