4 flights to our honeymoon destination!

We waited until October to go on our honeymoon. There was no real reason for this. We just wanted to wait until the weather was more mild. So where did we go you ask? We went to the Maldives, Hong Kong, and Macau!

The Maldives were unbelievable! I would definitely want to visit there again. Here are some of my favourite pictures.

Sunrise view from our villa

Our villa was on the far left

Hanging out on the top deck of our sunset cruise - there was no sunset though  

Beach view

Massive sting ray

800 year old Banyan tree on a local Maldivian island

Rainbow over the Maldives

Ruins of St. Paul's in Macau

Sai Kung in Hong Kong

Wedding Photos! Where has the time gone?

I can't believe how fast time flies. We have been married for over three months already! A year ago this week, I was writing about how to make twine flowers!

Our wedding was amazing! Everything went smoothly, and I wouldn't have changed a thing!

Besides help from our families, and our wedding party, we had some great vendors helping us as well.

If you are getting married in the Okanagan, or holding an event there, you MUST contact the lovely team I worked with!

Day-of Coordinator: English Rose Weddings - Laura was amazing! She was so organized, and I barely noticed her on our wedding day. She was in and out, and got everything set up quickly and quietly.

Decor Rentals: Vintage Origami - Yuriko was so great to work with! We met once in person, and chatted over the phone once, and everything was set! I gave Yuriko a budget, and she stayed within it. I didn't even see her on my wedding day! :(

Hair: Tie the Knot Hair Design - Amy was great to work with. We had a trial a few months before to figure out what I wanted, and it turned out what I articulated wasn't what I wanted at all! But Amy was able to create what I truly wanted in the end. Thank goodness for trials!

Make-up: Jenny McKinney - Jenny and Amy work together frequently, so it was great to have a pair that already have chemistry. I actually did my make-up trial the same time I did my hair trial. So it was great seeing Jenny and Amy in action together. Like my hair trial, I didn't end up liking what I thought I liked. But like Amy, Jenny was able to give me my perfect look on my wedding day.

Flowers: Edgy Petals - Arlene was a pleasure to work with! I met with her a year before our wedding and told her what our colours were, the look I was going for, and our budget. I'm not a flower person, but I absolutely loved what Arlene came up with.

Cake: Blue Icing Bakery - Like everyone else, Tiffany was a breeze to work with. We had a tasting, and we were able to quickly decide on a flavour since we both love chocolate. I already knew what style I wanted thanks to Pinterest.

Venue: St. Ann's Parish and Hillside Winery. Both venues were so great to work with. Even though the manager at Hillside changed a few months before our wedding, the transition was so smooth. Hillside was so accommodating, and helpful before and after the wedding. Nothing could be better than the view we had from the winery. We actually love Hillside so much that we are part of their Wine Club. Hillside's Bistro will always be one of our favourite restaurants in Penticton.

Music: Signature Wedding - Mike and Jay are friends of ours, so there was no doubt that we would hire them for our special day. I gave Jay a list of songs I wanted to be played, and that was it! He was able to build a playlist around my core songs, and everyone had a blast!

Photographer: Three Sixty Photo - We did our engagement shoot with Justin back in April. I absolutely love his work! Our wedding pictures did not disappoint! It was so much fun working with Justin and his team. I would definitely go back to him when we want more pictures done. Oh, did I mention it only took two weeks to get our pictures? AND we got over 1000 images on USB without watermarks!

Here are some of my favourite pictures.

I had so much fun at our wedding. I was worried that I would be stressed out about things not working out the way it's supposed to, and whether other people would have fun, particularly my family, but everything was just perfect!

I can't wait to get our video from Signature Wedding so I can relive the day. But, if you ask me if I'd do it again, I'd say HELL NO!!

Props to the companies who love weddings so much that they can help brides as happy as I was, but I would never want to plan another wedding! EVER!

But all in all, Chris and I are so blessed to have so many people who care about us to share in our special day!

xoxo

~meesh

Engagement pictures are done! FINALLY!

We've been engaged for over a year now, and we JUST got our engagement pictures done. We didn't book Justin from Three Sixty Photography until June last year, and by them he was knee deep in wedding season. We thought about doing our photos during Winter, but we're not really winter people.

It was a beautiful morning when I went out to get my hair and makeup done. My regular hairstylist needs a couple months notice, and we booked our date so late, I had to find a "random". I was debating between Blo or Holt Renfrew Salon. Since the prices were pretty much the same, I decided to go with Holt's. I was not disappointed! By the time I finished hair and makeup, which took about two hours, the skies were beginning to cloud over. By the time we got to our first location, 49th Parallel, it was a MASSIVE downpour. At least we were inside was all I could say. Justin made us feel so comfortable, and he was able to make Chris laugh, which is no easy feat. When we were done at 49th Parallel, it was still pouring rain. But we decided to go on with our second location anyway, Queen Elizabeth Park. I'm so glad we decided to keep going because by the time we arrived, it had stopped raining, and was just slightly overcast, which is the perfect lighting for photographs!

We received about 100 photos to print, and share as we wished. Here are a few of our favourites!

Here are the obligatory "engagement photo" poses for the family.

Do you know what to look for in a photographer? Check out my previous post!

xoxo
~meesh

5 things you need to know when hiring a wedding photographer

I thought instead of being narcissistic all the time, I'd post some helpful tips for wedding planning. I've been in the planning process for about a year now. Like most brides-to-be, I spent a lot of time contemplating various details, and also figuring out what questions I need to ask various vendors.

One of the most important vendors you will be working with is your photographer. My way of thinking is that you’re not just paying for some pictures, but you’re buying memories. I know that sounds cheesy, but it’s the truth. You may look back at your shoes and remember how pretty you felt, but you’d probably also remember how uncomfortable they were.

Source

Here are some things to look for in a photographer:

1. What style are you going for? My fiance and I are casual people. We aren’t super cheesy people who stop and pose for pictures. When we researched photographers, we looked for portfolios that had candid, more journalistic shots. However, being Chinese, I also needed to satisfy my family with some portraits. So we also had to make sure the photographer we chose was comfortable in taking huge family portraits.
2. Cost: This is a biggie. Ask your friends who got married recently and find out how much they spent. You can also check wedding forums and get feedback from other brides if you are the first to bite the bullet. Create a budget and stick to it. As much as I believe in buying your memories, you also don’t want to be broke.
3. Packages: When you request a quote from the photographer, they are going to give you prices on various packages. The packages will include things such as hours of photography, number of photographers, and goodies such as number of retouched photos. When you are comparing prices, make sure you’re comparing apples to apples. One package may seem cheaper, but may not include as many deliverables such as albums or printed photos. You need to be sure your overall spend (including prints, and albums) is within your budget.
4. Interview: If you’re in the same city as your photographer, SET UP A MEETING! You need to be sure your personalities fit. This is a great opportunity to ask questions, and also look at a larger portfolio. Most photographers have part of their portfolio on their website, but those online are only the tip of the iceberg. You may not like a photographer’s website, but you like his prices. It doesn’t hurt to set up a meeting. You may be surprised by what you find.
5. Sign the Contract!! If you like what you see, chances are, another bride getting married on the same day will like him too. Once you sign the contract, you can move on and plan other aspects of your wedding! (In my case, I’m contemplating my table settings)

After thinking about all these things, I got a few quotes from photographers from Vancouver, and also in the Okanagan area. I quickly eliminated a lot of them based on cost. As much as I believe that you shouldn't skimp on photography, I also couldn't justify spending half my budget on it. I was so happy to find Justin from Three Sixty Photography. I discovered him at Vancity Bride's blog! Justin has a great portfolio, and great pricing. He really listens to what you're looking for, and will do whatever he can to accommodate. What I like about him is that he's done journalistic style shoots, as well as the formal portraits. Him being Chinese is a plus, since he already knows how to handle the demanding aunties! Haha!

We will be doing our engagement shoot soon. I'll be sure to share some of the pictures once they're available!

I hope these quick tips will help you in finding the perfect photographer for your special day!