Wedding Photographers - What To Look Out For

Brides to be in Singapore are spoiled for choice when it comes to picking the photographer for the big day. Google 'Singapore Wedding Photographer' and you will know what I mean. When I was deciding on our photographer, the question that came to mind was whether to engage the photographer who comes along in my Margaret's Bridal Package (she has a good selection of reputable photographers) or to go to go a la carte and hire one on my own. 

From The Bridal Package

There are a lot of pros going with photographers who collaborate with bridal shops. For one, the services provided are great. Generally, you get a set of crew consisting of 3-4 staff who will fuss over your make up and wardrobe change for the entire day. Not to mention, you will have an array of wedding costumes and evening gowns to choose from for your shoots. Accessories are normally provided too, so you dont't have to worry about where to get your tiara or that lacy umbrella you have always wanted in your shoots. Transportation is also provided for you and your entire crew, so all you have to worry about it smiling for the big camera. 

Having listed all the plus, buyers beware of the unexpected ballooning cost. Most of the local packages entitle you to about 30 shots, 50 if you manage to bargain up. After which, they will charge about $60 to $80 per extra picture. Note they don't usually say yes to returning the raw photos. Now I suggest that you think very carefully if 30 to 50 is going to be enough. Or if you are happy topping up. Do the maths - if you want 50 extra photos at $60 per piece, that is a whopping additional $3k. Feedback from friends; one was upset that she has to top up so much but at the same time she badly wanted the pictures after a long hard day of photo shoot. Who can fault her for wanting more of those photos, lest they to go to waste. Afterall, you only get married once right? Another friend was pretty happy paying up even though it cost her about $2k more.

Kent Wong

After bouts of searching in Tanjong Pagar, I decided that the packaged service is not for me. Too much maths hurts my head. And so I ventured out and look for one myself. The journey started by scouring websites for photographers and checking out their portfolios. It didn't take me long before I found some nice portfolios from an acquaintance, Chee Kian aka Kent Wong. Check out his websites here. His style is definitely not the fancy schmancy type that you would see in the websites of the more established photographers. Nevertheless i think it's impressive. Hubby was happy with his portfolios, because like me he can't really tell the difference between the very good ones (defined as super expensive) or the lesser known ones. Well, unless they are really bad of course. So we decided to sign on with Kent. And he did not disappoint.

Check out our photo-shoot here.

A month before our wedding, Kent returned us 180 photos edited which comes in the form of a CD. His package also includes a photo album for display during the wedding dinner, for 40 of our chosen photos. 

We have yet to receive the photos for our wedding dinner, but I am sure they will not disappoint too. 

Good luck on getting yours. Just some tips if you care to read.

Tips on engaging your photographer:

• Think about the locations. If you have places in mind, do check with the photographer if he has experience shooting in those locations. 
• Think about the style you want (posh, casual?) and compare that with the photographer's portfolios. 
• Think about how much you want to spend, and note the extra charges. 
• Think about the story you want to tell, and discuss that with your photographer.  
• If you are not engaging the photographer from a bridal studio, ask if services like transportation, make up artiste, bridal bouquet and photo-shoot accessories are provided. If not, start arranging for them. 

Tips on the day of the photo-shoot:

• Check out the weather forecast a few days before. Plan your shoot locations around the weather. 
• If you are shooting outdoor during the day, remember to apply sun block. Because we totally forgot and ended up burnt. 
• Just enjoy yourself!! 

Pre-Wedding Photo Shoot

It was a very hot day! Yes that seems to be theme throughout our wedding prep, up till our wedding day (think pool-side solemnization) and then our honeymoon (think Maldives). No, being in Singapore doesnt make you more accustomed to the heat but I digress.

Hubby wanted our pre-wedding album to tell a story, not just one that highlights his dashing good looks. So we thought of shooting in locations that mean something to us. The first obvious choice was at Starbucks in Siglap. Tucked away in a little shophouse along Upper East Coast Road, this is the coffee place that I frequent the most. It is also the place where I first met Calvin.

Our 2nd shooting venue was at East Coast Park, where Calvin spent a lot of time chasing me. Literrally. 

Our 3rd location wasn't at some place special. We decided to have a generic nice outdoor venue, and I suggested some place with tall lalang (grass in Malay). Kent suggested Lorong Halus near Punggol so off we went. To be honest I love these sets of pictures the most.

The final shooting place was at the Changi Airport - Terminal 3 as hubby wanted to capture the 777 in this album. The airport was a refreshing change after being outdoor for the better part of the day. Hubby got to change out from the white suit that was already drenched in sweat, and transformed into the dashing pilot in uniform. I was too tired to change out into my evening gown. 

Check out the rest of the photos here. All in all we had an enjoyable time shooting with Kent. Thanks Kent Wong for accommodating all our choices of locations. And thanks to my dearest hubby who tirelessly drove us everywhere. I love you every day, always.

Save The Date!

Edited using Seashore (Mac version)
Picture taken in S.Korea <3

Goodwood Park Hotel

And so we went to GoodwoodPark Hotel, the third and final hotel we had on our list. As the wedding date is drawing close, we couldn't help but feel more and more anxious without a venue in place. Prior to the visit, we had a sneak peek and discussion on the wedding package and kinda liked what we saw. Food will be catered from Min Jiang Restaurant, which is a restaurant within the hotel itself. That was a surprise as I thought there was only 1 Min Jiang in Singapore and that was at One North. Nevertheless, it was a pleasant surprise as I've only heard good things about the restaurant.

So we went there with high hopes, and fingers and toes crossed that there would not be any unpleasant surprise. And Goodwood Park did not disappoint. Rahman, the wedding coordinator was helpful and willing to accommodate some demands. Additionally, I fell in love with the Mayfair Poolside which was used for small solemnization. Unfortunately, it could only accommodate 30 pax at the maximum. We would either have to narrow down the guest list or move to the other pool side area which is bigger and more commonly used for solemnisation.

We are going with the smaller ballroom - the Tudor Ballroom which can accommodate 18 to 22 tables, which we felt was just the right size of wedding we wanted all along. Our package was finally signed and we could finally heave a sigh of relief!! 

I think there will be more fun decision making process ahead, like should we have the dessert corner, or the instant photo taking booth, and where we should place the band, etc. Whhheeee... at least for now, we can spend the next few weeks attending the Marriage Prep Course in peace. More on that later.

Update - For more information on the wedding package please follow this link.

The Dress That's Meant To Be

Every bride-to-be in Singapore's journey wouldn't be complete without a visit to the bridal shops along Tanjong Pagar. Mine was no exception. It started with DiGio Bridal where I tried on a French Chantilly Lace dress and instantly fell in love with it. What's not to love? It's classic and timeless. Unfortunately, the dress that I tried on was too long and DiGio Bridal did not allow me to shorten the dress. 

A few weeks of searching finally led me into a little quaint bridal house at Siglap, along Jalan Tua Kong. And I found the dress I've been looking for at Margaret's Bridal House. Most of her dresses are simple, so if you are looking for something elaborate Margaret's not for you. But this is the exact reason why I love her dresses so much. I tried on about 10 dresses and had a hard time deciding on The One! 

Finally, after another few weeks of deliberation I decided on the dress. It's one with her signature see-through lace-backed gown. Unfortunately, someone else already taken up by another bride. Ooops, the downside of procrastination. Feeling extremely upset, I went back to try on other gowns and was ready to start the tiring process of choosing again. But lo-and-behold, on the day of the appointment, another similar dress was returned to Margaret. It is almost the same as the one I decided earlier, except it's better as it comes with the scallop sides along the train. It needs some minor alteration but otherwise everything fits! I took the dress there and then and returned a happy gal. 

Check out the back of the dress. 

Mini Moon to South Korea

Food was great. Skiing was awesome. What's there not to love about South Korea.

Where's the Wedding?

So we're getting married this year and we haven't exactly done much planning yet. Well I've chosen my wedding gown from Margaret Brides and I am so excited. There is a story to the gown, but it's for another day. And we've chosen our photographer for our pre-wedding and actual day shots but that's about it. The big question on where we're gonna hold it is still a Big Question Mark.

Oh geez, we started out with this grand idea of having a unique wedding party that's different from all the previous ones that we've attended. Getting married in the 30's means that we have already been through like a thousand wedding dinners held in hotel ballrooms, Chinese style. So we thought hey, why not do something different? So we started scouring restaurants instead and we short listed 2 - White Rabbit and 1 Altitude.

White Rabbit - I fell in love with the Rabbit Hole aisle and the outdoor area (at the back of the restaurant) where we can hold our solemnization. However Calvin pointed out that it would be a moot point if we hold our solemnization in the church. The dinner is set up Western style. I don't remember them offering a Chinese menu. The chapel has a high ceiling, so I am not sure if the sound system would be great. Great idea from the start, but the more I look at it, the more I dislike it.

1 Altitude - We were very close to signing a deal here. Totally loved the whole glass window from floor to ceiling. And they have a very pretty solemnization area too on top of the OUB Building. It would be perfect if we're not holding our solemnization in church but oh well. We have about 180 guests (and expanding). The venue can hold exactly 180 guests but we would have to compromise on having a band.

So the search continues.. but now it's very likely we are holding it in a hotel ballroom, Chinese style like all the thousand dinners we've attended so far. Eek.