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While I love all the weddings I’ve been able to experience and relish in learning about each couple’s stories, I’ll be honest to say I may just love David and Michelle’s a wee bit more.

Ok, maybe I’m a little biased here, because Dave and I were colleagues in the same agency from back in the day. Late nights in the office, after-work drinks and weekend get-togethers over the last se7en years has made us pretty good friends, where we’ve seen each other through some of the best and most challenging times in our lives.

David is a friend who is warm, uber generous, extremely focused and someone whom I can count on. He is also the sort of guy who is a ‘connector’ of sorts, through him I have made friends with some amazing folks – from fellow sci-fi/fantasy nuts (“May the force be with you”), to a gang of whiskey/wine/beer ‘connoisseurs’ . And it is also through him that a certain ladyfriend’s path and mine met.

Michelle is one of the loveliest, most genuine and sincere person I have come to know. When we met ‘Mich’ for the first time, the ladyfriend and I clicked with her instantly. We have much admiration for her cheerfulness and fortitude in face of challenges. And her love for art and fashion is a great compliment to David’s creative flair.

Together, D+M have a love for God, family and their friends. And I think I speak for all of our mutual friends, that we were all overjoyed when they got together.

So I was stoked when David told me over an espresso one day “Dude, I’m going to propose. Can you help me shoot the proposal?” He had it all planned–a custom engagement ring, permission from Mich’s parents (“I have been waiting for you to ask for a while now”. – Michelle’s Dad), a date, a time and a place – 12th February 2011, 1630hrs, The Botanical Gardens.

This short film of David+Michelle’s story has been a year in the making–from the proposal in the gardens, to the portrait sessions, to their interviews. The location of Dave+Mich’s interview at Old School@Mount Sophia is of particular significance–on the 18th of February 2012, a year from the proposal, David and Michelle were joined as husband and wife in a gallery space within the venue. Also, Old School@Mount Sophia was recently marked for urban redevelopment (read – demolished) and by the end of this year, the venue of their interviews and their wedding, will no longer be around. But it was with much joy that I was able to attend their wedding not as a photographer, but as one of Dave’s groomsmen. Their celebration was an amazing event and experience for me. So much so, that I wished all my friends would get married every weekend, just as an excuse to celebrate. Do check out Jerald’s photos from that day.

With that, I’ll let them tell you, in their own words, the story that is David+Michelle. But before we go, I’d like to leave you with a quote I love, that I have blatantly copied from Michelle’s Facebook feed–

“We are all a little weird and life’s a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.”
– Dr. Seuss

Linda + Ørjan travelled all the way from Norway to Singapore for the most intimate wedding that I have ever photographed. Including the couple, two witnesses, the solemnizer and yours truly, were present for a total of six of us who witnessed their ceremony.

The couple were on a vacation around Asia and stopped over Singapore for their wedding. There’s an interesting story to how Linda got in touch with me – she had seen me in an episode of ‘Scene City: Singapore’ (check it out here and here) back in 2009, googled my name and ‘voila’ found my blog.

We were blessed that afternoon with great light and spent a couple of hours at the Marina Barrage for their portraits, which made for some lovely images. I hope you like them too.

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Kenneth and Evie are the creative peeps that made me that “film roll” thank you card!~ j.z

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