Wedding Breeze

Edison Chen, who is involved in the biggest sex scandal of this century, has just apologised for his actions. He claimed that the photos were extremely private and in no way did he intended them to be shared. He was also going to leave the Hong Kong entertainment industry.

I?m not sure why, but I actually shed a tear or two when I saw that press conference. I actually sympathised with him. He had been one of my favourite actors. I actually discovered his blog earlier, and he wrote the way one would expect him to (lots of swearing and slang).

I love the way he spoke in English during the press conference, but too bad it was under such circumstances. I think with proper lighting, anyone can look good. He looked horrendous in his self-made video apology with poor lighting.

I haven?t really seen the photos, but I could imagine the hurt and shame caused to the women involved. However, if they had consented to taking such photographs, then they should have expected that there was a possibility that they would be leaked out. One marriage is at stake, while another wedding appears to be called off. The complete fallout will continue to be felt.

Moments of indiscretion could come back to haunt. This incident acts as a cautionary tale to whoever wants to record their private life in the bedroom. So, hang on tight to your videocam when you go for your honeymoon if you ever think of having something to look back on. In addition, whatever you choose to do, think of how it could affect you later. It may cost you your job (Gillian Chung and Edison Chen), or your marriage (Cecilia Cheung and Bobo Chan).

According to an article I read in the Digital Life, files are never deleted on your hard disk. They are simply moved to another sector, or the name changes. Hence, forensic computer experts can find the data easily. The only way to destroy the data completely is to smash your hard disk to bits.???

I hope that people would move on with their lives and not have to bear with the consequences indefinitely.

My wedding coordinator wants me to bring more of my own clothes there, so that they can have a variety of poses. Haha, I think it?s just a ruse by them to take more photos of us, so that we will pay more money to buy the photos back.

Anyway, since they said they would like to use our photos as sample album, hopefully I can wrangle out better deals from them.

I do have a lot of dresses, but I think they don?t flatter me or they will look good on camera. Hence, I went out to shop and found one shop in Marina Square that had a lot of nice dresses. I told the saleslady to find some nice dresses for me because I was going on a photo shoot. I tried about 10 dresses, and bought four.

One was peach in colour, with Bertha neckline. It?s close to being off the shoulder, but not quite. It is good for smaller-busted women, as it creates the illusion of depth and cleavage.

Another was bluish, summer colour, not exactly my colour, but I liked the design. Gives me a little Marilyn Monroe look.

One was more of a summer dress. According to the saleslady, it was similar to an Anna Sui dress. It has spaghetti straps, and it?s in off white with some small prints, and pink waist. It will make a fun shot. I?ve got another greenish yellow white dress, similar in style, so I?ll bring this there as well.

I got a grey dress, it?s quite covered up, sleeveless, but I thought it looked grand.

I got my husband to find some shirts to match my dresses.

Actually, I went shopping to buy silver shoes, but they are so hard to find. In the end, I bought two cheap pairs of 2-inch heels, hoping that they can?t be seen on the photos. I can’t buy super high heels because my soles will crack if I wear them, and I can’t look taller than my husband, especialy since my hair will be done up.

I don?t really like the idea of wearing lovers? clothes, as I find the idea a little cheesy. I don?t like uniformed look. And quite often, the female top is not so feminine. I guess some people like that.

My husband has been trying to find belts, shirts, and shoes. He went to more places than I did. I guess it?s usually easier for the bride to choose her clothes before the groom finds the matching stuff.

I know my photos will turn out great!

Now that there are only a few days more to my overseas trip, I want to share some tips on what to look out for in preparing to get an overseas wedding photography package.

First, you have to decide where you want to have your overseas wedding photo shoot. What is it about Singapore that is lacking? For example, if your dream wedding photos are taken at a pristine beach with clear blue sea, then obviously with the dirty brown water around, it?s going to be hard. If you want to take photos at a lavender farm like me, I don?t think Botanical Garden offers that.?

Next, you have to take care of the logistics. Taking photos in Singapore already requires a lot of research. Do you want to make the process more difficult by going overseas? Do you plan to hire a photographer overseas? Are you able to look at this photographer?s portfolio before you commit? I had dreamt of doing this long time ago, but the sheer amount of work put me off. It was only because of an overseas wedding package offered by a local bridal company that offered to take care of everything that made me decide to grab it.

In addition, makeup artistes in other countries may be used to doing the makeup for certain races, and your face structure may be different. They may not be able to bring out the best features in you if they are unfamiliar. In addition, their idea of beauty may be different from you. You cannot expect to take photos without having great makeup. That?s how great photos you see in wedding magazines come about. Besides, some makeup artistes do not do the hair as well, which means you have to look for another hairstylist. If you are able to have good contacts, then this is not a problem.

Your local bridal studio may not allow you to bring your wedding gown for overseas photo shoots, especially if it is rented. They are not going to risk that MTM gown for your own personal shots because they don?t earn any money out of you if you go overseas to take the photos. Another reason is because they want to protect their gowns. Usually, gowns for outdoor shoots are not as elaborate, as they are meant for the outdoors. My friends told me about dirty wedding gowns she wore for her outdoor shoot. They can?t be seen on camera, but they will definitely be seen on photos. They certainly do not relish the thought of getting their expensive gowns ruined before your actual wedding. Hence, you may have to think about how to get hold of wedding gowns for your photo shoot.

Make sure your passports and visas are in order before you fly over. The bridal studio I have signed up with kept making us scan our passports for them. Recently, I heard some travellers are stopped from going to US because their passports are not biometric ready or something like that.

Timing is a factor. If you want to take photos by the beach, I?m sure you do not want to go during the monsoon season where rain is constant and flooding may even be a problem. If you go in the wrong season, the flowers may not have blossomed, or the leaves may not have turned golden in autumn.

Finally, cost is a major factor. Make sure you do not blow your budget when you take your photos overseas.

Whatever it is, make sure you have lots of fun while taking photos instead of stressing yourself out. After all, the bride that looks the best is the one that is having the most fun. Make sure you and your partner are able to afford the dream wedding you want before you go ahead with your plans for taking photos overseas.?

When we are on a budget, having a lot of shots taken by friends and family allows us to use these digital images and enhance and manipulate then with programs such as Photoshop to get a truly professional image.

It might even be well worth investing in a good digital camera yourself as you can get someone to use it for taking photos at your wedding. In addition, you can then bring it on your honeymoon to capture all the images of your lovely romantic holiday too. There are many models available.

Good digital cameras are relatively small investment for the ongoing enjoyment that they can bring with the unlimited photos that you will be able to take. It would be useful to choose those that have anti-shake proof, especially for those with shaky hands. You won?t want to get images that are blurred. After a getaway to Bintan, my husband and I decided to get a great camera for my birthday with that feature, because many of the photos were not sharp enough, especially those of me.

Don?t leave the photos on your computer. They will be wiped out through viruses or hardware failure. There are even services available these days where professionals can take your digital images and upgrade them for you with digital imaging allowing you to only pay for the specific images that you have chosen as special. You can even use software to design the photos like expensive books and print them out. Some of the websites offer such free designing service and you get a good coffee table book to show others.

The quality of your wedding photos is extremely important as your wedding is the best opportunity to capture the great moments for life. Having a backup is even more important. I just read somewhere that a bride lost all her photos because her only photographer got drunk and was forced out of the cab when he vomited in the cab, or almost vomited. The cab then sped off with the camera still inside. All the memories are gone.?

It is definitely worth the time to get the best photographer possible depending on budget. Even then, friends or family members should be quite willing to help you take some photos, so that you can get a variety of shots from different perspective. If you are enlisting the help of your family and friends, it would be better if you can get more of them especially if they are not professional photographers.

Where there are no professional photographers present you are going to have to rely on quantity to help you find the quality shots that you will be pleased with. With digital cameras, developing the photos is not a problem. All you need is to have enough memory cards to store the photos, and enough battery. Many people have digital cameras, so it will not cost extra money to take hundreds of photos.

Oh my goodness, this photographer takes one of the most stunning wedding photos I have seen. The colours are rich and vibrant. Interestingly enough, the bride in the photos has many bridesmaids, and she dressed them up in brown in various designs, depending on the body shape and preference of the bridesmaid. The bride had a great gown too.

The photographer is able to get details on other things that are happening at the wedding party reception. I guess I like recurring patterns and designs. The flowers and the chocolate covered strawberries are nicely taken.

It reminded me of the time I tried to teach my friend how to make that dessert, since I watched it in one of the shows where a psychopathic woman tried to murder her lovers by putting poison into those strawberries, and she put a lot of nail polish on her hands, so no fingerprints were lifted.

Anyway, I thought you could buy chocolate bars, melt them and then dip the strawberries into the chocolate. According to my friend, the chocolate bars did not melt and so the dish did not turn out right.

Does anybody have the recipe?

I?ve performed at Victoria Concert Hall before, but I?ve never thought of holding my wedding there. It?s probably good as a solemnisation venue, since people will be sitting in their seats and can?t really move. If I do hold my wedding there, I?ll be tempted to sing.

The couple who held their wedding there liked the grand organ that had pipes the reach the ceiling. I guess if the organs could be used, the wedding march would sound really great.

For reception, it took place at the lawns outside. I think this is probably a good way to have backup plans just in case it rains. They can just have their wedding reception at the entrance instead.

I think if I do use this place, most likely I?ll use it as a backdrop for outdoor wedding photos.

Get an instant photo album on your wedding night. Instead of waiting for a few days after your wedding dinner, you could have a wedding album of the dinner right away. What you could do is to get a friend who is good at photography to take Polaroids of all the wedding guests.

While waiting for the dinner to start, which can be a big problem in Singapore, you can use this time to occupy their time. Once the Polaroids are taken, get someone else to place them into an album, and get the guests to write their greetings on nice coloured paper. This will be a change from the traditional guestbook, where it?s hard to remember who had signed the book especially with some of them having squiggly handwriting.

The photo album could be further decorated with materials you buy from scrapbooking shops. This idea could be further developed for those who are more creative.

With this, you have an instant photobook. Those who come a little later can get to see all the photos and the greetings. It is also a good reminder on who had attended your special occasion. For those who prefer digital cameras, you can get a portable photo printer to print out.

Outdoor Locations in Singapore for Wedding Photoshoot
1.?Changi Broadwalk
2.?Bukit Timah Nature Reserve
3.?Tanjong PagarTrain Station
4.?Chinese Temple
5.?National Museum
6.?Botanic Garden Waterfall
7.?Punggol Lalang Field
8.?Sentosa Beach
9.?Labrador Park
10.?Villa Bali
11.?Fullerton Hotel
12.?Boat Quay
13.?Kent Ridge
14.?Fort Canning
15.?Central Fire Station
16.?Changi Yacht Club
17.?Jalan Sultan shophouses
18.?Portsdown Area for colonial houses
19.?Lower Pierce Reservoir
20.?Spottiswoode Park is
21.?Pulau Ubin
22.?Singapore Art Museum
23.?Millenia Walk
24.?Stadium Waterfront
25.?Mount Sophia

While waiting for the wedding dinner to start, guests can play around with the disposable cameras. It can act as an ice-breaker. If your guests know each other well, then they will have a lot of fun with the cameras. Ask them to things that are interesting. You may be surprised by what they take. You get to see more candid shots and also how the wedding ceremony progresses.

You could also get them to do somewhat of a scavenger hunt, by getting them to take photos of different things, such as the wedding cake, the wedding dress, the wedding favours, different types of guests, lockets, shoes, and people in certain coloured dresses.

Since Chinese wedding dinners are such that there is only one minute to take pictures at a table with the couple, the guests are always rushed to take a good shot. With disposable cameras, you can take more of their shots, and then you can develop and send it to them as a gift for their presence.

I would definitely love to have this as a guest because I?ve taken so many photos with the brides and grooms, but I never received any photo in return. This is especially so because I put in a lot of effort to dress up for wedding dinners.

The only problem I see with using disposable cameras is the cost of developing. But I guess this is one of the cheapest alternatives to getting more photographers to take candid photos of the guests.

There are polariod cameras for rental, so that could be another alternative.