My wedding: Bridal portraits

This is the part that I had spent the most time doing research on. I have a very different taste for bridal photography. I think bridal photography shouldn’t be just about capturing those pretty/handsome faces and gorgeous dresses/tux. It should reflect the couple's personalities and capturing the candid moments, gestures and expressions. Timeless, happy and romantic are the elements I would want to see and feel when I browse through my photos.

For indoor photography, the backgrounds must be simple and plain, no unnecessary setting. In my opinion, messy and complicated settings would only take the focus away from the bride & groom though it may help creating an interesting scene. Personal preference I would say.

For outdoor photography which was my main focus, I wanted natural surroundings and sunset by the beach. Just simple.

After much browsing through the net and forum discussions, I eventually decided on Z-Wedding D'sign in Singapore. They were known for their gorgeous gowns but that wasn't my main affection. It was their photography style (especially outdoor photography) for that they could deliver what I was looking for.

The photos were taken 6 months prior to our wedding. Their service was great. They even allowed me to bring two evening gowns back to Miri for my reception! We were very comfortable with the photographer through out the session. He was funny and easy to get along with. The whole session was fun and full of laughter.

We were very pleased with the photos that we topped up our original package to include another album. That was 4 years ago, and the photos still bring me joy every time I look at it.

The cover of my album. The Rick Doreen logo was designed by yours truly

I wore the wedding gown provided by the boutique for outdoor photography to avoid getting my own gown spoilt during the shoot.

So? Your favourite?

My wedding: Accessories

I got married 3.5 years ago, this "My wedding" series is just a recap and also to share some of the details as well as some thoughts I had at the time.

My wedding accessories (for both ROM and wedding day) were mainly crystals and they were just very simple and humble pieces. The last thing I want was to end up looking like a Christmas tree on my big day. The necklace, earrings, bracelets were custom made. Tiara was bought from Bridal Fashion Mall , an US based online bridal shopping website. Fur wrap bought from Ebay for my New Zealand civil ceremony. Shoes were from local shoes stores in Wellington.

Wedding day

Evening reception

Civil ceremony (ROM)

Civil ceremony (ROM)

Wedding day

Civil ceremony (ROM)

My wedding: The big plan

I got married 3.5 years ago, this "My wedding" series is just a recap and also to share some of the details as well as some thoughts I had at the time.

It would have been ideal if my civil ceremony (ROM) and wedding day could fall on the same day. Neat and clean. But, this was not practical for us having almost all family and friends back home. They mean a lot to us, and we would love to have as many of them to share our special day, if not all.

So the big plan was to have our ROM in Wellington as an intimate affair for our friends here. Then, our big day and reception in Malaysia. Initially, we were planning to have two receptions. One in Kuching (My parents and Rick's hometown) and another in Miri (Rick's parents and my hometown). It is confusing I know. Both my parents are from Kuching, moved to Miri and I was born and raised there. Rick's family is completely opposite.

Anyway, after much consideration, we eventually abandoned the two receptions plan and decided on having just one in Miri.

All the planning and correspondences were done through emails. It was a real challenge for us!

My wedding: The look

I got married 3.5 years ago, this "My wedding" series is just a recap and also to share some of the details as well as some thoughts I had at the time.

I had it clear in my mind.

Simple, sweet and romantic

When it comes to look, I am very particular. I would never want to let all the decisions solely lay on hands of others. Call me bossy or demanding, but I don't think there is anyone else knows me better than myself. I know my style and I know what suits me best.

The look had to be very me, not someone else. One thing that I was very firmed about was not to wear my hair up. Up-do never suits me yet I wanted to look a bit different from my usual self. So I decided to wear my hair half up with feminine soft curls for my civil ceremony and bridal photography. And wearing it all straight on my wedding day.

...complete with a modest tiara, a finger-tip length veil and a light, natural make-up. Pure and simple!

My wedding: The gown

I got married 3.5 years ago, this "My wedding" series is just a recap and also to share some of the details as well as some thoughts I had at the time.

It is the most expensive dress I've ever owned, and also the most beautiful one. It was also the first wedding gown I ever put on and it is of course a wedding gift from Rick.

When I was searching for my wedding dress, I knew what I want and don't. I was very determined on simple yet not at all monotonous design. The dress must not have any single crystal/bead/stitched flowers of any sort. A-line ball gown silhouette that gives me a sweet princess look. That's my style. I even made a sketch of my dream gown (and lost it!) thinking to get it tailor made if I didn't come across anything I like.

I made an appointment with a bridal boutique here in Wellington for a trial just to get an idea of what looks best on me as well as trying my luck to find THE gown. What I want may not be what my body likes you see, so a trial was necessary.

So, there I was, looking through racks of sample gowns...then lo and behold...MY DREAM GOWN!!!!! I couldn’t believe my eyes! It is almost an exact match to my sketch, just that it has a bit more details on the top part which makes it even more gorgeous! I couldn't see anything else but the gown, so I tried it hoping it would look good on me. And boy was I lucky, I fall in love with it as soon as I saw myself in the mirror. Although the sample gown was 2 sizes bigger, it looked great!

I didn't want to waste the session for trying only one gown though I've had my mind set on this gown. So I went on trying another 3 more and nothing beat that first one.

I put down my order.

The gown arrived 6 weeks later. I donned it on once again, this time the right size. And it was stunningly beautiful. It was impeccable!