Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Styling and photography with 'The Inside Out Workshop by Jenny Sun'

Earlier this year, our dear friend Sherly Aziz of Tie The Knot told us about a new project she was involved with, and asked if we were interested to be a part of her design/styling team. We said yes! Wishing Tree is always up for fun side projects, especially those that require loads of pretty. The Inside Out Workshop by Jenny Sun was a great chance to indulge the other side of business, so to speak, not to mention a great way to mix business with pleasure.

We have many beautiful photos from the workshop, many thanks to Joshua K of Inlight Photos!

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Welcome to 'The Inside Out Workshop by Jenny Sun' in Kuala Lumpur

Jenny Sun is a Sydney-based wedding photographer who travels around the globe wherever her work takes her. Since 2011, Jenny began holding photography workshops - the first of which was in Singapore, and the second in Sydney the year after. 'The Inside Out Workshop by Jenny Sun' in Kuala Lumpur was her third and most recent one, a 3-day intensive practical workshop held on 28-30 June 2013 at Wanaka The Bungalow in Damansara Heights.

Jenny's workshops are for anyone who loves photography and wants to develop their style and business. She covers topics on shooting, lighting, workflow and editing, as well as business and branding - some of the most important lessons on becoming a better photographer and entrepreneur! She keeps her workshops small, at around 20 participants, to ensure sufficient 1-on-1 time. As with her previous workshops, bookings were closed within a week despite a participation fee of RM3,000 per person.

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As a newlywed and with a budding business as a wedding planner and stylist in 2009, Sherly quickly became a fan of Jenny's photography and especially loves the photographer's vintage aesthetic and styling. When her friend and industry colleague, Joshua K from Inlight Photos, mentioned Jenny's plan for a workshop in KL but didn't have time to organize it, Sherly asked if she could have the pleasure of planning it for Jenny. And that's how Wishing Tree became a part of Sherly's "dream team" together with Trulyscrumptious and  weekendiminlove.

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Bathed in glorious sunlight both indoors and outdoors, with a spacious garden, Wanaka The Bungalow was the perfect location for the photographers.

Sherly worked her magic over three months of preparation, her inspiration coming from a "fabulous tree in the garden". The earthy space was a wonderful canvas for a rustic romance theme with shabby chic details. "I wanted the participants to leave with a memorable experience of a fun and pretty 3-day affair by adding little details in personalized stationery and goodie bags, the desserts and the overall atmosphere. After all, they are photographers and would love to capture all the pretty details!"

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What a load of pretty details! The flowers by Wishing Tree, of course. Keeping the colour palette to a minimum with brown, green and white, Sherly was able to play with beautiful pastel colours coming from the flowers, the dessert and some props, creating quite a wonderland for the photographers.

As a stylist, Sherly is a huge fan of props but advises that props are just to enhance your theme. "Don't go overboard and end up cluttering your set up. A few good props make a huge difference; they don't have to be expensive but something that suits your style and venue."

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There is so much inspiration sources out there, say Sherly, which sometimes leads to an overcrowding of ideas on the drawing board. Learning to cut out ideas and shorten your decorations list isn't going to be the easiest thing to do when you're hopped up on design and styling inspiration, so to make your wedding or engagement party stand out, use ideas that are personal to you as a couple and keep editing your inspirations to choose the details that mean the most to you.

We were very fortunate to have great weather during the workshop, seeing how unpredictable our weather has become. The lighting was fabulous and our photographers were happy.

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A section of the outdoor set up in the garden at Wanaka The Bungalow

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The wonderful thing about rustic, vintage, or shabby chic themes is that your vases, ornaments, accessories and props do not have to be expensive, matching, or in perfect condition. It helps to have an eye for details and a touch of creativity, Sherly explains. For the DIY bride, her advice is to start early and look for good bargains at flea markets, arts and crafts fairs, or even at places your travels take you. However, if you are struggling to put your ideas together, an expert will be more than happy to lend a helping hand. But do scout around for vendors who can work within your budget.

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Floral arrangements need not be huge or larger-than-life, as you can see in the photos above. Small arrangements in mismatched glass jars, metal cans, porcelain jugs (you get the idea) can all make a big difference. The trick is to cluster more of them together in larger, more open spaces, or use them individually on smaller props or furniture.

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Displaying your wedding cake or desserts does not always have to be on a table top. See how pretty they look on top of wooden crates? If you're having an outdoor wedding party, get fun and creative! We love that the cakes complement the rustic romance/vintage/shabby chic theme as well as the natural atmosphere of the venue. That's not something we see very often at weddings. Great job, Sherly and the team at Truly Scrumptious!

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We hope that you've been inspired by the gorgeous styling of Sherly and the beautiful photos by Joshua K. We are so happy to have been a part of this event by Jenny Sun!

At the end of the day, says Sherly, styling is all about the "the pretty" and getting an expert stylist will keep you up to date on trends, help create fresh designs, choose colour palettes and provide advice or guidance on venues, tablescapes, customizing your decor from scratch, or sharing info on the best places to source for props and accessories. Happy styling!!

Venue  Wanaka The Bungalow
Stylist  Tie The Knot
Photography  Inlight Photos
Flowers  Wishing Tree
Stationery  weekendiminlove
Dessert  Truly Scrumptious

Monday, July 22, 2013

Sean and Fika's "modern vintage" inspiration at Villa Danieli, Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur

Congratulations, dear Sean and Fika! We are honoured to have been a part of big day held in Kuala Lumpur earlier this year. Thank you for sharing your wedding with us and our readers!

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A bright centerpiece for the bridal table adds much cheer to the ambience.

Over the past few years we have been seeing an increase of wedding receptions being held in nice restaurants, in addition to the norm of having them in hotel ballrooms. Restaurants are perfect for smaller, more intimate weddings if you're not inviting hundreds of guests. We enjoy decorating weddings for both types of venues but there's definitely a little more challenge with restaurants as their identities play a huge role in shaping our design inspiration. Things to take into account are the architecture, interior design, ambience, even its energy.

We can't wait to show you Sean and Fika's beautiful wedding reception in Villa Danieli, photographed by the talents at The Photoz and organized by the wonderful wedding planners, Natasha and Sharon of The Peak Xperience.

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Fika has always loved the rustic feel of old Italian buildings and decor while Sean likes all things vintage, so our couple came up with "modern vintage" for their wedding theme. Neither of them wanted a big, ballroom wedding, and with a guest list of about 120 of their closest family and friends, they wanted a warm, inviting and intimate reception. Villa Danieli at Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur couldn't have been a more perfect venue for this wedding, wouldn't you agree?

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Villa Danieli is an award-winning restaurant styled after a trattoria, with a warm, inviting interior. We chose a complementary colour palette of pale yellow, pale pink and white blooms, using Fika's guidelines for "pale versions of bright coloured flowers", which was what we would have also chosen given the rich colours and dark furniture of the venue. The glow of candle light through out the venue made the evening very atmospheric and romantic.

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Going with the rustic ambience of Villa Danieli, we used rectangular, wooden boxes filled with roses, hydrangea and silver leaf for some of the floral arrangements. These were perfect for the long guest tables and dividers in the restaurant, not forgetting, a nice complement to the glass vases for the other floral arrangements.

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The bridal table was cosy and circular, so we created a simple and lush centerpiece consisting of several low arrangements in glass vases, encircled with candles of different shapes and heights.

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Textures abound in this modern vintage wedding reception! From guest tables to decor, tableware to the wedding cake, it was a feast for the senses no matter where you were seated. The beautiful and elegant cake was baked by Man Kwan of Passionate Cakes.

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We love this little alcove in the restaurant, featuring a long table with low pendant lamps and lots of dark wood. Here, we kept the floral decor to a minimum considering the multitude of textures and dark colours, while not blocking the view of guests seated on the inside of the alcove.

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Once again, many thanks to our wonderful couple Sean and Fika. We had a great time decorating your wedding, and we wish you all the best on your new journey in life together. Fika and Sean sent us a message, which we would like to share:
"When we had a first look into the venue, before the reception started, our jaws dropped open! The decor was high above our expectations and truly made our wedding dreams. Our guests were also dazzled by the beauty. Lily and her team understood our vision and made it reality. Thank you so much, Lily and team, for helping make our dream wedding come true; we will remember this evening for years to come."

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