Dominic and Vanessa officially met in Plymouth in the UK, where they were both pursuing their degrees. However, they crossed paths way before they met! Both worked in the same company (Vanessa was an intern and Dominic was working there after completing his diploma and while waiting for his conscription to start). They even attended the same training conducted by one of the full-time staff. Unfortunately, neither have any recollection of the other but talk about meant to be…
ANYTHING ABOUT YOU AS A COUPLE?
It wasn’t love at first sight or anything like that. Our interaction was mainly through gatherings (we shared the same group of friends back then). We have very little interest in common! Dominic is sporty while I am not. He prefers acoustic music and Mandopop while I prefer oldies and K-pop. The list goes on.”
We started hanging out 1-on-1 more often when we were back in Singapore after completing our studies. Things progressed from there and he asked me to be his girlfriend on 21-Oct-17, which made him my first boyfriend.
21st October became a significant date for us. It was on this date, 3 years later, he proposed to me at Gardens by the Bay. It felt perfect for me as it was pretty private (my friends assisted in the proposal too) and I was surrounded by “nature”. And to nobody’s surprise, we will be getting married on 21-Oct-23.
We do get along well despite our differences. We can talk about anything and everything under the sun, and also be comfortable in each other’s silence. Most importantly, we can count on each other for support.
WHY KOREA AS A PRE-WEDDING DESTINATION?
We make it a point to travel to a new country on our anniversary. Unfortunately due to the COVID-19 pandemic, traveling for leisure was made impossible for almost 2 years.
Fast forward to October 2021, Singapore announced the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) scheme. It was a no-brainer to pick South Korea for our 2022 holiday destination as it was one of the first few countries to be part of the VTL scheme.
The pre-wedding photoshoot was totally not part of our holiday plan at all. The idea only came across our minds 4 months before our holiday. We thought that we should take advantage of the autumn weather and scenery that South Korea has to offer, something that we cannot get in Singapore. Based on our schedule and your recommendation, we came to a decision to have our pre-wedding shoot at Jeju.
THE VIBE
We love the photojournalistic style + dark and moody vibes of wedding photos that you’ve shown on your portfolio. We wanted to be in a place of nature too.
FAVE DETAILS
It was technically our first day at Jeju (we arrived on 23-Oct-22, evening). Our 5th anniversary was on 21-Oct-22, 3 days before the photoshoot!
THE DRESS & THE SUIT
As this was an overseas shoot, we felt that it was a little inconvenient to pack a wedding gown and suit (*ahem* luggage space and weight limitation). We wanted our outfits to be light, therefore we decided on something casual and yet a little dressy.
I was actively looking for Jeju Pre-Wedding shoot photos on social media for inspiration and I came across many pictures of Korean couples donned in black dresses and veils (for the bride), and black shirts and pants (for the groom). Some even wore matching sneakers which gave a hint of casualness to the outfit. We knew that we can never go wrong with black so we went ahead with it.
WE’RE GLAD WE…
As cliché as it sounds, we’re glad that we stepped out of our comfort zone to do this photoshoot. It’s not every day that we get to have a professional to snap photos of us ♥️.
We’re also glad that we chance up on Lorryn’s work while Googling for photographers based in South Korea! That was also when I learned that Google is not the right platform to be searching for stuff related to South Korea
A WORD OF ADVICE…
There’s nothing to worry about as you can always trust Lorryn. Like almost every couple I believe, we were both quite nervous as the day of the photoshoot came closer (we are both very awkward in front of the camera!). However, all that fear and nervousness gradually went away once Lorryn starts her magic. Don’t stress and enjoy yourselves! Things will fall into place naturally.
Oh! Depending on your outfit and if you’re shooting at a beach in autumn, it’s best to carry along an outerwear or heat pack as the wind can get reeeeeeally strong.
LITTLE LOL
The ticketing officers at Seogwipo Healing Forest thought that you were shooting for a celebrity couple who recently had a black-themed wedding haha!
STANDOUT VENDORS
Our makeup artist! I wanted a natural makeup look and she took my request into consideration. She is fluent in both Korean and Chinese which made communication much easier for us.
