A Journey To Forever In Lyrical Poses & Tantric Artistry

Last Saturday - 6th November 2010, we had some AWP members organized a little photography exhibition and talk - showcasing the artistic wedding photography of Yeh Poh Chung from Wondrous Vision. Jointly organized by Nupts & Such together with the venue - Small Talk With The Moon and endorsed by Association of Wedding Professionals (AWP) Malaysia, the exhibition featured some of Yeh's artistic wedding nudes as well as his creative slideshows.

Most friends from the wedding industry popped in for an afternoon of creativity, listening attentively as Yeh provided insights into lightings, photography style and even went into the technicality details of angles, cameras, technology and how to use them to enhance photos. Canon - the sponsor for the event was of course, very pleased with the entire showcase. Both experienced and amateur photographers were delighted to share and learn from the 'sifu' himself.

Here's a little congratulatory note from us at AWP Malaysia to Yeh Poh Chung and his first solo exhibition. We're proud of our members and we hope you will continue striving to achieve greater heights!

By the way - for those who haven't seen it - Small Talk's venue is large enough to host an intimate function and yet, small enough for it to remain warm & cosy. The owners (who happens to be Yeh's ex-clients) are all about championing and growing the local arts & culture scene. Aside from hosting a list of fabulous indie art events, Small Talk also sells unique trinkets and curios - hint! hint! Wedding Favour ideas! :)


** Photos of Exhibition by Yeh Poh Chung & Team
From TOP to BOTTOM : Yeh with the owners of Small Talk With The Moon - Lara and Nik, Yeh with The President of AWP Malaysia - Leticia Hsu (sporting a new haircut), The Vice President of AWP Malaysia - Eileen Lui - Skyping In for the exhibition, Yeh Poh Chung doing his knowledge / skill-sharing session

Wedding Around The Corner

This one's specially for my partner-in-crime, Leticia - whose wedding is just around the corner and we're all very excited about it :)

Counting down the days leading up to your wedding could be both stressful and exciting at the same time. Exciting because after months (for some people, years!!) of preparation, the BIG DAY is finally here and you will celebrate your journey towards eternal bliss in the presence of your loved ones and close friends. Stressful because there's always last minute changes to plans that you thought have already been set in stone (Note : Plans are NEVER set in stone. They are just that - P-L-A-N-S). And especially for those who are celebrating a destination wedding, there's always the stress of the traveling - with ALL your wedding essentials intact and in order.

Destination weddings are fun, romantic and at the same time, it can be stressful and tiring. Depending on where you're journeying to, the traveling alone can be rather tiring in itself. Not to mention, there's bound to be some plans by the bride & groom to meet up with friends and families who have traveled from afar for dinners, get-togethers, etc.. before the wedding. These schedules, if 'over-planned', can be tiring and hectic.

Speaking from experience, me thinks that whilst it is great to give your guests a list of planned activities and get-togethers for dinners or lunches, it is more important to give yourself the time to enjoy and relax. In other words, bask in the celebratory mood with your other half - plan time to escape for a couple's spa session, take a romantic stroll along the beach, have a romantic candlelight dinner together...... the list can be endless.

When I had my wedding, I was so busy running around for meetings, making sure family members have settled in and planning time to take them out to lunch and dinners as well as making time to meet our friends that I hadn't realized I nearly forgot about the fact that this trip was really about US. Not until my other half came up to me and said "Can we cancel all plans tomorrow because I want to date you," that I took a step back and enjoyed a day at the spa and a romantic candlelight dinner :)

Families and friends who have traveled for your wedding will understand that the celebration is not about them. It is about YOU. In fact, some of them may appreciate the fact that they are left alone to do their own "holiday-ing" and taking in the local sights and culture or whatever else that may tickle their fancy. Remember - this is after all, their holidays too :)

Having said that, of course, if you do have lots of time and you are able to spend some time with your loved ones and friends pre-wedding, it will surely be a bonus too. All a part of the celebration experiences for your once-in-a-lifetime moment :)

So to Leticia and all soon-to-be-weds out there whose wedding, destination or otherwise is around the corner, just remember, this celebration is for you, about you. Come what may, go on out there and have a BLAST! :) Because your guests are sure to have one too! :)

p/s : I do believe our next blogpost will be from Leticia herself, regaling us with tales of her destination wedding! Not to mention - another one from Kris Wong, who will be doing the post-wedding write-up on his blog :) So stay tuned!!

AWP's Efforts

This coming September, AWP Malaysia will mark its 2nd year anniversary and I think here is where Leticia and I, as the co-founders of this association would like to count our milestones as well as express our sincere gratitude and thanks to all the committee members who had relentlessly, in one way or another, lent us their support and encouragements.

Starting the Association was no easy feat and it took us a good 7 - 8 months of deliberations and planning and not to mention, the tediousness of applying for our license. We are NOT registered with the ROC but we are registered with the ROS - which basically means we are NOT a money-making company or organization - despite what a few sour grapes would like to think. I mean, when we and the committee work on any of the AWP projects - these are based on our "volunteering" time and we do not draw a salary from this Association. We know, we know, it is a thankless job almost 100% of the time - and YET, there are still those who doubt us, who slander us and who..... bitch about us. But hey - we can't exactly control what you think or say. We shall not give in to these back-lashing and continue to steer the Association down the right path and at the same time, root for mutual benefits for all our members.

Looking back - here are some of events that brought us to where we are today :

Cathay Cineplex Online Contest in partnership with Cathay Damansara (promotion of Bride Wars starring Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway)
Cathay cineplex online contest in partnership with cathay damansara (along with the Bride's War partnership, AWP together with Cathay Cineplex Damansara also carried-out an online contest for members of the public. Prizes for the winners are sponsored by members of AWP)

Cathay Wedding Showcase
Cathay Wedding Showcase (AWP, using the Bride's War platform was offered a premium space at the entrance hall for members of AWP to showcase their wedding items - decor, favours, photography were all displayed to create publicity mileage for both the association as well as the individual members)

Cathay Wedding Exhibit
Cathay Wedding Exhibit (As a side-special, the AWP also organized a wedding exhibition at Cathay Cineplex's preview lounge from the 6th - 8th February. This is done in line with the movie premier of Bride's War. The exhibition showcased member photographers with their enchanting photography styles and moment-capturing instincts)

Valentine's Special at The Curve
Valentine’s Special @ Curve (as part of the Valentine's month activities, AWP organized a Valentine's Special, working together with The Curve to bring a different kind of wedding showcase to members of the public)

Platinum Lounge @ Cathay
The exclusive platinum movie suites at the Cathay Cineleisure opened its doors to our AWP photographers to create a museum photo exhibit to cinema patrons and friends. The promotion was held in conjunction with the month of love. Photographers who participated were Zach Chin Photography, Fabulous Chapter Photography, Edmund Tham Photography and Ideal Wedding.

Berjaya Love Me Do
Berjaya Love Me Do contest winner, Kelvin Teo Seh Kiat & Kimberly Yap Huay Sean had their grand wedding at the Berjaya Langkawi Resort & Spa on the 23 April 2009 and what a celebration it was indeed for the happy couple and their sixty invited friends and family! Congratulations once again! AWP endorsed the entire contest / event.

Garden of Eden Contest
The Association of Wedding Professionals Malaysia launched the “An Escapade : Garden Of Eden” online contest last August. With various vendors and service providers who are current members of the AWP co-sponsoring the event, contestants had a chance to win some great prizes – including a pre-wedding photography package with some of the top-notch photographers in town.

Tourism Malaysia Langkawi Expedition
As the first step in recognizing AWP in its effort to jointly develop weddings for tourism in Malaysia, the tourism ministry had invited AWP to do a thirty-minute presentation to tour agents and press from China who are greatly interested in this market. The presentation took place in Langkawi and we received fantastic response from the tour agents and press. Members wishing to work together with China - please contact AWP for more information.

Community @ Heart
In association with Community @ Heart, a non-profit charity organization aimed at providing workshops for the residents of Klang Valley. One such was the pre-marital wedding workshop for soon-to-be-weds and part of the course offered couples a helping hand from AWP on how to plan their wedding. The event was a fun-filled one with That Special Ocassion, Ideal Weddings, Truly Scrumptious and Beauty Haven.

Tourism Malaysia Brunei Expedition
Still working in tandem with Tourism Malaysia, this time around, AWP was invited to speak in Brunei at the Tourism & Weddings Seminar hosted by the TDC Brunei. Of course, all our members were specifically showcased for this special slideshow presentation.

Indian Summit by Tourism Malaysia
AWP did a presentation on destination weddings to a group of wedding planners from India. Yet another effort to bring in the destination wedding market by Tourism Malaysia.

AWP Media Munches
In a bid to bond further with the media, AWP launched the Media Munches - where it is an afternoon of fun & gossips between AWP and members of the media. Here is where good food and great company is enjoyed - without any mention of work. This is a monthly affair and we thank our main sponsor Prince Hotel for your support throughout.

AWP & Asia Bridal Summit
AWP Malaysia was invited to be a member of the Asia Bridal Summit - which is a Federation of Asia & Pacific Bridal Associations. This would further stretch our network beyond Malaysia and we would in the near future, be able to have workshop exchanges with our other country counterparts for ideas and know-hows.

AWP &TV3
From the Media Munch, AWP had successfully gained the support of TV3, and our members are now being showcased on the TV3 wedding website on a monthly basis. The two volunteer writers from AWP (Kris Wong and Eileen Lui) will contact members for interviews, feedbacks, etc.

AWP Wedding Wishes
In another colloboration with TV3, in an aim to "give back" to the society, AWP launched the Wedding Wishes Project, working with organizations like MAKNA to ensure everyone has a meaningful celebration.

For more photos and details of the news and events by AWP - please click here.

We have certainly come a long way. We still have a whole journey ahead of us. We strive to uphold the credibility and professionalism of this tiny (but growing) wedding industry and we hope you will too. For those who believe in us - it is for you guys that we continue striving ahead - without getting paid.

Thank You.

A Wedding Planner's Wedding - Part 2

I had written all about my wedding on my own personal blog. You can view it here. To elaborate, I agree with Leticia - people expect your wedding to be a WOW factor simply because you're a wedding planner. That a wedding planner's wedding would be like - Princess D and Prince Charles and all that jazz. I think different strokes for different folks, people.

I feel sometimes, people forget that a wedding is not about other people, but it is about you as a couple, celebrating your union together with people who are important in your lives. Unfortunately, in our Asian society, a wedding is a showcase, or rather, an "announcement" that is necessary to make. Especially with our parents. Which is why, I usually recommend to my clients to have another separate intimate wedding that reflects their personalities and one more to keep the parents' happy. Like me - I went for THREE receptions - one for ourselves in Bali where we fell in love, one for my beloved Grandma back in the kampung and one for our parents in KL.

Some may say - one wedding is bad enough, but THREE??! Trust me, it was really quite enjoyable for us. Except the tiring flights back and forth since I am based within the Indochina market. Other than that, once you learn to 'let go' and say "I'm going to have a great time, come what may," - you'll realise that everything simply falls into place.

I've seen many a clients who walked down the aisle with a look of intense stress because they are afraid of not playing the role of a good host well, they are worried the decor didn't impress the guests, they are worried the guests are not liking the menu, etc. For me and my other half, I was only worried about timing our walk so that I reached the end of the aisle right on the chorus :)  Having said that - I had a team working behind the scenes to make all three of my receptions run like clockwork - and all I had to do was just be a bride(zilla). Not just because I am a wedding planner, but I seriously, recommend a wedding planner - even to wedding planners themselves!

Sure, in the process, I've had my fair share of emotional blackmail and family pressure to make the wedding a "grand" one. I did give in some, but I've had to threaten to call off the wedding a number of times - and I knew my Dad would rather starve than to have me continue my single-dom - so that helped in getting my way a bit. And when I decided to omit all children from the wedding in Bali, I was told I was being extremely over-the-top bitchy, but you know what? Firstly, it is my wedding and secondly, if you were a good friend to me and knew me well enough to celebrate my wedding day with me - you would understand why this is so important to me! And if you don't understand that point - then, I'm afraid..... you know.

So as Leticia says - wedding planners are still normal human beings getting married. But deciding on what to do and how you do it - is probably what differentiates us from the rest - because through years of experience, we have seen what our clients go through and we may not want to go through the same shite.

Once, I was handling this wedding and the client put me at a table together with some of her "BFFs" for dinner. I was really quite appalled - because these catty girls started bitching about the entire wedding! From the bride's gown to the theme colour to the favours, to the music! Here's a thought : Are these the types of "friends" you actually want celebrating with you on your wedding day?  

Leticia is planning for her wedding this coming 10th of the 10th of the 10th. Actually, she was already planning for her wedding before I had my wedding! Knowing Leticia, her wedding will be very beautiful too. Whilst I was a bridezilla in my "I-want-it-Simple-Simple-Simple" ways, Leticia is a bridezilla in her own ways (Kris Wong will vouch for that!!). And I am still sore that she made me write the excerpt for the lighting of the unity candle for her (and I wrote it oh-so-beautifully that her parents thought I was a good Christian girl) and yet - I am not allowed to read it at her wedding :P

**Bali Wedding Photo taken by Yeh Poh Chung of Wondrous Vision

Joining Forces

Leticia & I first met back in early 2005. It was thanks to Kris, another industry friend and partner-in-crime who made this 'meeting' happen. He got us both on a radio interview together.

We've heard how bitchy the industry can get - but the two of us simply hit it off quite well from the get-go. Sometimes, it's difficult to say why or how. It's just good vibes. And likely - smart thinking from both parties.

I guess it was at this point, we were feeling that perhaps individually, it would be difficult for us to conquer the world. Hmmm...It was just a matter of the stars being aligned *eyelash batting*. In any case, we didn't waste time with the new-found friendship. It very quickly materialized into an "online love affair" - we exchanged trade secrets, we shared information about good vendors, bad vendors and the plain nasty ones, we passed on clients to one another when our dates were booked, we warned one another about potentially "psycho" clients... and really..... that "online love affair" of ours still exists right up till today - it must say something when I exchange more emails with Leticia than I do with my real lover.. and vice-versa!

We kept our own businesses running and even though we were supposedly competition - we actually didn't really see it that way. Simply because our working styles were quite different. They still are. Naturally, the types of clients we attract are very different too. She's the feminine, girly-girly type.... whilst I am more athletic and outdoorsy. As such, herein lie the differences between our portfolios - she features prim-and-proper weddings whereas I feature the breezy destination weddings which are usually outdoors. We are even bitchy in our own different ways! (That's right - we admit that we are. Plain and simple - you don't run your own businesses by being a push-over).

Where we synergize is through our "let's go get it" attitude and our very head-strong characters. We are both the types who would twitch with anxiety when the work platter is empty. And even if it was full, we would still be coming up with fantastic ideas and saying "Do you want to do it??" and the next thing you know - we're working ourselves halfway through a whole full platter of work. We don't give up easily and we are simply said - pretty damn strong. Not just "head-strong", but physically and mentally strong too. And you know what? We deliver.

So, believing that since two stubbornly head-strong characters could combine their efforts to make it work very well for their businesses, and having been encouraged by Tourism Malaysia, we sat down for coffee one day, and decided we were going to start an Association. Thinking (stupidly!) that the entire wedding industry, like us - also believes in the "United We Stand" concept. And thus - the birth of Association of Wedding Professionals (AWP) Malaysia in September 2008. The Association was the first venture that Leticia and I worked together on - and I have to say - even I was surprised at how well we worked together!

We're still working very hard on the Association and trying to sign-up more "believers". We are grateful and thankful of course, to those who had supported us in this endeavour. You could go to AWP's website to see all the good stuff that we had done for the Association and the members thus far.

We had not looked back since the founding of AWP. We've worked on numerous projects together and it was only a matter of time before we really joined forces - this time, to take on the Indochina market with The Wedding Planners. And there are numerous more projects in the pipeline that we are looking forward to doing together.

Because - one thing's for sure - why settle for one of the best when you can have two of the best?

**Photo taken at the AWP Launch on 4th September 2008