Around the world in 3 years – this couple incorporated their love for travel with their love for each other through 50 cities in 10 different countries over 3 years. Making full use of nature, culture and their sense of adventure, this wonderful DIY set of photos encapsulates the excitement this couple shared (for 3 years!) before finally tying the knot.
Kenny: “Most of our photos were taken using a tripod and remote control, while some of it was shot by friends and family who travelled with us. It was quite challenging yet fun, and the process was indeed memorable.”
CANADA
Icefields Parkway, Alberta, Canada
Lake Louise, Alberta Canada
Lake Minnewanka, Alberta, Canada
Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
GREECE
Santorini, Greece
Santorini, Greece
Ios Island, Greece
Mykonos Island, Greece
Acropolis, Athens, Greece
Crete Island, Greece
Meteora, Thessaly, Greece
Panathenaic Stadium, Athens, Greece
NEW ZEALAND
Church of the Good Shepherd, Lake Tekapo, Canterbury, New Zealand
There’s no better light than sunlight – together with the soft colour palette of pastel pink and white, it gave this photoshoot an all over dreamy, rustic fairytale feel. Thanks to Multifolds for sending us this whimsical styled shoot. The wispy dresses and flower crowns were just what was needed to complete the look.
The Wedding Notebook continues to be a platform that celebrates couples who dare to be different and think out of the box. These couples are worth mentioning because they took risks and showed us what is possible. Each of them have parents and in laws to deal with; though some might have had limited resources, they chose to focus on their strengths and they were successful. We hope they too will inspire you to overlook your struggles and limitations. To these couples, we say thank you for setting a precedent that countless other bridal couples can emulate.
The bride wanted a modern oriental wedding that did not “shout” red. Carefully merging what is in trend now, like letterpress printing invitations and even Viking table arrangements, with an oriental theme, it all looked pretty awesome together. Why didn’t anyone think of this before?
First she tackled the great taboo and had all her bridesmaids wearing black. She claimed that everyone looks good in black and we all know she is right. Then she refused to give up on having an entire aisle filled with petals. Taking matters into her own hands, she sourced them from TaoBao and got a good deal. She didn’t compromise and had to sacrifice quite a bit of time, but it was worth it.
This duo, despite their carefully matched clothing, didn’t look cheesy at all. They are from the advertising industry, which explains their great eye for colour. Their boldness in going to an unknown location and allowing the photographer space for creativity is the key to this masterpiece.
This bride wanted an outdoor wedding but wasn’t willing to sweat it out, so she did the next best thing and brought the outdoors indoor. The place looked fabulous and, more importantly, her makeup stayed intact.
It is one thing to create a video and quite another to dress and style yourselves so you appear to be from another era. For starters you might not look good in it, and think of what people will say? Honestly though, this wouldn’t look anywhere near as good if this couple hadn’t taken the chance.
Most couples take a year to plan their wedding, a process that includes over-thinking and many sleepless nights. The advantage here is that the groom has an event company, so the bride happily entrusted everything to him. Their wedding was planned in three months and was nothing short of amazing.
Would you believe that this bride had no idea what her décor was going to be 1.5 months before her wedding? She also bought her dress online, not from a bridal store, and it’s one of our favourite dresses that we’ve seen this year. Everything looked gorgeous!
Since the couple had founded a laser cutting company with a few friends, their wedding seemed to be the right place to experiment and showcase what laser cutting could do. Theirs is where design and functionality meet; you should totally check this wedding out.
Everyone has their own talents. Baking was never our thing but this bride knew exactly what she was doing and made her own naked cake. She was even generous enough to share the recipe with our readers! Look it up.
They didn’t feel comfortable about posing in front of another photographer so they decided to do their photos themselves with a self-timer function. This bride actually contacted us a few months ago to say she is now offering wedding photography services too. This explains the skill shown in the composition of these photos.
We are quite smitten with this different take on destination bridal portraits in Paris, thanks to Le Secret d’Audrey. The indoor shoot looks divine, and we love how there’s so much character in that little black dress. There’s a real sense of adventure and elopement in that vintage car that’s got our hearts racing.
The Wedding Notebook recently invited some couples along with us to Langkawi to experience a destination wedding. Since we had just a small group of guests, we could afford to include some extra details.
#01 Arrival Cocktail Or Drink
Your guests deserve to be welcomed at the door. Get the hotel to customise something for you if possible, and remember that any welcome drinks are best served with a cold towel so that your guests can freshen up after their journey.
#02 Welcome Bag
Budget permitting, customise or personalise something and leave it in the hotel rooms for each of your guests. We decided to make something for each of the couples. The best thing about small weddings is that you can afford to make each of your guests feel special.
Caption: Welcome bags hand painted by Craft Kitchen
#03 Programme Booklet
Provide your guests with an overall itinerary so that they know when and where your ceremony and reception (plus any other special arrangements) will take place. Remember: don’t overwhelm them with activities, do include a contact person in case of emergency, and do provide a list of things that they can do during their stay.
Caption: Printed with Kraft Paper from an Epson home printer using Durabite Ink (waterproof ink)
#04 Mosquito/Insect Repellent
Being outdoors means mosquitoes or bugs, so do prepare some repellent for your guests, either as part of their welcome bags or make it available during your ceremony and reception.
Caption: Customised stickers on transparent bottles from Daiso (2 for MYR5)
#05 Night Cap
Surprise your guests by leaving chocolates or a midnight snack in their hotel rooms (the hotel might be able to assist you with this during their turn down service). A personalised note can be quite meaningful too.
Caption: Kraft Paper tray from Kaison
#06 Hangover Pack
If you plan on serving lots of alcohol at your wedding and/or reception, it might not be a bad idea to leave your guests a hangover pack as well.
Photo by Bloc Memoire Photography
MORE
Books
Have some chick lit or good novels ready for your guests to enjoy while sunbathing on the beach.
Something For The Beach
Tanning lotion, sunscreen, fans, hats or even provide brush so they can remove sand from their feet!
If you are looking for something artistic and conceptual for your wedding photoshoot and are allergic to cheesy bridal portraits, this list is for you. These photographers’ work will blow your mind; your photos will be one of a kind, but we can’t guarantee that your parents will like them just as much. We can, however, assure you that none of your friends will forget your set of portraits – ever.
In conjunction with Hilton Kuala Lumpur’s new lunch wedding menu, here’s the second episode of The Wedding Stories Video. The lunch menu is brilliant, and we can totally foresee this becoming a trend soon. So many good ideas came up while we were thinking about why couples should opt for a lunch reception that we made a video about it.
Thanks once again to the production team of Stories by Integricity, and to Celest Thoi for the short white gown. A lunch reception is the perfect occasion to wear a short dress! To ensure that you don’t miss out on anything, subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Engaged couples are telling us that they wish they could have a destination wedding, but it’s been difficult to convince their parents. So we thought these points might help:
#01 Fuss free
Tell your parents you don’t want to go through the exhausting process of planning a big wedding, and that you just want to have a small, meaningful celebration in a beautiful place. Tell them it’s the modern thing to do; they won’t want to be called old-fashioned.
#02 Budget
The reception dinner costs almost the same, but you’ll get to save on décor. Plus you’ll have a smaller guest list. Be sure to mention all your pre- and post-wedding financial commitments.
#03 Quality time with the family
When was the last time the whole family got to go on holiday together?
#04 People that matter
It’s a great opportunity for your parents to get to know your closest friends, and vice versa.
#05 Transportation
Works best if your destination of choice has an easily accessible airport. Driving into the city usually takes an hour or two anyway, and this will be easier for guests who are flying in from out of town.
#06 It’s your wedding
At the end of the day, parents just want their children to be happy, so tell yours how much you really want this. Most parents these days are more open-minded anyway.
#07 Trump card
You can still have a small dinner reception for your parents if they insist. No fuss, no décor, just have everyone turn up for some good food and drink. It won’t cost you much, especially if you don’t invite your friends.
Some people think “trash the dress” wedding photography is something of a fad. Whether or not they’re right, I’m here to tell you that it’s a total blast and one of my favourite things to shoot. As a surfer, freediver and all around waterman, I spend most of my free time in the water and it’s where I feel most at home. That being said, there are a few things to think about before you get soaked in your lovely wedding gown.
#01 Are you comfortable in the water?
This is where the conversation always starts when you book me for a “trash the dress” shoot. I want to know how confident you are in the water so I can determine the type of shoot that will make you the happiest. If you’re are a surfer or diver, then I know that you’ll be comfortable, which means we can be more adventurous with our shots. On the other hand, if you’re not a strong swimmer, then we’ll stick to areas where you can stand or take it easy. Safety comes first! Knowing your limits and communicating them early on will give us a chance to capture awesome material that you’ll treasure for a lifetime.
#02 Your dress gets heavy once it is wet!
A lot of people don’t realise how heavy a wedding gown will get when all that material is soaking wet. Even the best of swimmers may have a hard time with all that added weight. Often, if a shoot takes place in the open ocean, I will have one or two safety divers on standby with flotation devices as an added precaution.
Like many others, we’ve always assumed that destination weddings came with hefty price tags. But after doing some research, we’ve found that the opposite is true. Besides costing less than the average local wedding, destination nuptials can also be so beautiful and fun for everyone. As long as you’re willing to reduce the number of guests, we promise that your wedding will be a memorable affair that everyone can enjoy.
Myth #01: Destination weddings are more expensive
Destination weddings usually work within a fixed budget, which is great for your pocket. Many destination wedding venues already come with basic décor, and oftentimes the venue itself is already so beautiful that very little needs to be done. Guests usually pay for their own transportation and lodging, and because your guest list is shorter, you’ll end up spending less overall.
Myth #02: It cannot accommodate all my guests
Depending on your budget, there are plenty of venues that can accommodate big groups of people. That being said, a destination wedding is a great excuse to have a small, intimate celebration. Hire a good photographer or videographer so you can share your big day with the rest of your friends and relatives. Honestly, you won’t get to spend much time with them in a big wedding anyway.
Myth #03: No one will come
Asia has plenty of stunning destination wedding options, and budget airlines have made it so affordable and easy to travel these days. Because only those who love you enough will set apart an entire weekend to travel to your destination wedding, it’s the best way to trim your guest list without offending anyone. Your wedding planner might also be able to find discounted group deals on travel and lodging, making it much more affordable for your guests.
Myth #04: Too stressful and difficult to plan
Plenty of brides are planning their wedding online from abroad nowadays, and you can even hire a local wedding planner if the venue isn’t providing you with one. Opt for a less rigid programme and itinerary – it’ll make your destination wedding even more fun and memorable.
Myth #05: It’s only for elopements or late marriages
Not true. More and more people who prefer no-fuss nuptials are opting for destination weddings these days, not least because they do away with the formalities and put everyone at ease and in a celebratory mood.
Myth #06: It’s too complicated legally
Most wedding coordinators will tell you to just register your wedding in your country of residence so you don’t have to worry about legal procedures during your destination wedding. But if you insist, most hotels or wedding planners will be able to assist you as well.
Myth #07: It has to be on a beach
Says who? Most hotels or venues are pretty accommodating in terms of venue, whether you want your wedding by the pool, in the garden or in a ballroom. Alternatively, book a private villa somewhere so you and your loved ones can escape the city for a weekend to celebrate your wedding.
This wedding took place a while back but we were so impressed by it that we just had to share! Look at how timeless it is. From what we’ve observed, creative weddings usually only happen when the couple has full confidence and trust in their designer and give them the freedom to explore. Thanks, One Eye Click, for capturing these very detailed illustrations by The Joy Troopers.
Outdoor photography is usually our favourite – rarely can the same natural lighting and beautiful backdrops be replicated in a studio setup. Styling makes a great addition to an outdoor shoot, especially for couples who aren’t naturally skilled at posing for the camera. Hiding behind or around thoughtfully arranged props can also help to put couples at ease and save them from running out of poses that aren’t cheesy. Thanks, Synchronal Photography, for this set of photos. We can’t wait to see more from you!
