wei wei + a wedding = Aweiding: February 2016

Monday, February 22, 2016

Bride + Nathan: Maternity Photo Shoot

The first time I stepped into Bridge Church in February 2012, our senior pastor, Pastor David was greeting us at the auditorium entrance. "Welcome to church." he said. Back then I had no idea who was Pastor David, all I knew was he preached a good sermon about loving your wife, it must be a Valentine's day related sermon haha!

I would never forget the first time I saw Pastor Bridie on the stage. I couldn't take my eyes off of her, and her beautiful beautiful long blonde hair. "What a beautiful hair she has! How can someone so pretty became a pastor?" I was a very new Christian who just migrated to Melbourne, so I assumed that pastors should be someone in their middle age. I thought in my heart:" I wish, one day I would get a chance to photograph her."

Most friends at church thought that Wei Wei is a social butterfly, with her beautiful vintage outfits and shaved hair... But I am actually an extremely shy person, so I never approach to talk to any of the pastors, unlike Gary who loves talking to leaders.

The first time Pastor Bridie talked briefly to me was after the Christmas Spectacular in 2014, she told me that the photos we took were amazing! I just smiled and didn't know how to reply, I was feeling very shy and couldn't believe that she talked to me!

Pastor Bridie soon married to this tall policeman called Nathan. I thought they are perfect fit for each other. And now they are expecting their first baby! Wohooo! So I took up the courage and asked Pastor Bridie if she was interested in doing a maternity photo shoot with me... But as soon as I sent her the message I regretted deeply thinking that I would be embarrassing myself...

To my surprise, she said yes! Oh, she even purposely went to church to pick up a dress that I passed for her to try on. And to my greater surprise, Nathan is extremely extremely friendly too. Do not judge a man by his muscles (I thought to myself haha)! God just blessed us with a perfect weather and a golden sunset during the photoshoot! Ahhh I loved it when the wind blew Pastor Bridie's golden hair. Honestly, I've never touch a real golden hair before, except for my barbie dolls'...

The photoshoot went so well because they both trusted in me. We had a few jokes, like "restart" when I wanted them to relax with their postures. Nathan thought my name was pronounced as "Wee Wee"!

How can Pastor Bridie still looked so good even though she is pregnant? What a good set of genes she has! Jealous! I told her about my wish to photograph her, and she laughed:" Who knows it's with my big belly!"

Dear Mr and Mrs Spices, thank you so much for your precious time allowing us all to get to know each other better. And thank you so much for making my wish came true! We can't wait to see your little angel! May God bless you with a smooth delivery of the baby, happiness and health! And thank you so being such good leaders :)

♥

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Rebecca + James: The Wedding at Stones of The Yarra Valley

" Feel Like Home"

by Chantal Kreviazuk

Somethin' in your eyes

makes me wanna lose myself
Makes me wanna lose myself in your arms
There's somethin' in your voice

makes my heart beat fast
Hope this feeling lasts

the rest of my life

If you knew how lonely my life has been
And how long I've been so alone
And if you knew how I wanted someone to come along
And change my life the way you've done

It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me
It feels like I'm all the way back where I come from
It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me
It feels like I'm all the way back where I belong

It was a very very beautiful wedding. We called it a "Royal Wedding", when the princess finally found her prince.

The wedding was held at Stone of The Yarra Valley, which offers beautiful landscapes, wineries, trees, and a perfect white chapel. I am so so thankful that Rebecca and James let us to be part of this royal wedding. I was tearing at the rehearsal, for it was my first time listening to the song "Agnus Dei", and it touched my sentimental heart to see this two persons who are so in love with each other getting married in just few days time.

We all know that Rebecca has a good taste and is very talented in styling, which she got it from her mother. Every detail was designed by her and outworked by the vendors, e.g. the wedding dress, the type of flowers, the features on the cake. The wedding gown was made of royal silk, which made the it looked so classic and elegant. The veil and the headpiece was from her mother. I was so excited when I saw the beautiful bridesmaids' dresses, which were all designed by Rebecca and tailored in Dubai (her family live in Dubai). Everything at the wedding was just so beautiful!

The glorious Melbourne weather (rainy, gloomy, sunshine, and windy all in one day) didn't affect James. He was so chilled throughout the day. I saw true love in James's eyes, he couldn't wait to bring the newly titled Mrs. Hills home. When the chapel door flung opened, James's expression was so priceless as he lay eyes on his beautiful wife, when she walked down the aisle.

Rebecca is always his daddy's little girl. Daddy was the first one who brought her flowers. Her brothers and sister are very protective of her. They were hugging her and kissing her the whole day, how I adore the close bond between the family members! And Rebecca is truly blessed with the best sister and sister-in-law, who are willing to give their best for her. That really really touched my heart.

There's another thing I 've learnt from this wedding: teamwork. I Loved how James and Rebecca gave full trust to the brothers and sisters at church in helping them on their wedding day (including me and Gary). From celebrant to emcee, to worship team, to the person-in-charge, to the designer of invitation design, to videographer and to photographers, I was glad that I knew all of them and we worked very well as a team towards the same goal, like what we always do at church. Leah is a close friend of Rebecca at church and she was assigned as the person-in-charge. This tall and blonde girl is a super woman. I've witnessed Leah giving all her best to make sure it was a perfect wedding for Rebecca and James. Leah didn't care if she looked funny for jumping under the rain, she just wanted to cheer up the bridal party. Thank you for your endless positive energy, Leah.

The highlight was, of course the first dance! I knew I knew the dancing part would be awesome! Because Rebecca's mother, Cheryl was a dancing instructor, and the whole family loves to dance, including nanny and grandpa. Cheryl was dancing happily, surrounded by her beloved children. What a hipster mom and I love her spirit! I really loved it when James's mom, Fiona and Cheryl hugged each other, and to see the two family members get along so well.

When the newly wed Mr and Mrs. Hills got into the bridal car, leaving the reception, I saw Fiona still waving her hand in the dark, and whispered:" Goodbye, my love..." Ahhh, that precious love from a mother! Although I was merely a photographer at this wedding, but it didn't stop me from catching every single moment of happiness, joy and love.

Dear James and Rebecca, although we didn't have the chance to have a quality catch up before you left for Dubai to start a new chapter together, I wish you both all the best from the bottom of my heart. I just want to say, thank you, thank you for the friendship, too. I would not forget that in James's speech, he said:" Thank you Gary and Wei Wei from Aweiding. Thank you for your friendship." I will forever cherish that, thank you.