Every time I see my mobile phone, there’s a good chance I’ll remember Andrea and Mike. And no, it’s not because Mike likes to follow-up on things (haha, seriously it’s not so much), it’s because the mobile phone casing that I’ve been using for quite a while now came from them. And there was more to that because for a long time, I’ve tried and rejected using many kinds of covers for my iphone. In one of our meetings, Andrea and Mike noticed that I don’t use any casings and surprised me with one. Honestly I was thankful for it but was skeptical that I’d be able to use because like I said, I’ve never liked any. Turned out it was the one type I’ll be able to love and use till now.

That story maybe as simple as a small gift but it says a lot. It says a lot of about how much attention to detail, and the taste that go along with it, Andrea and Mike have. They just didn’t see that I didn’t have a phone accessory, they identified what is was that would make me love and use one. And really it was perfect. Now, if this is the case (pun intended) for something as mundane as an iphone, you can just imagine how far-reaching the entire process would be when it came to making their wedding the best it could possibly be.

I remember Andrea and Mike as very discerning, they knew what they wanted and they would make sure they got what they wanted. They remember small details, like things that you said before and even things that you didn’t say before, and I deeply appreciated them for that. After all, I think that the more selective a couple is, the more they would really recognize the difference in the level of experience Metrophoto brings. Thus everything else happened inevitably, a wedding that is exceptionally beautiful and uniquely wonderful photos to show for it.

Speaking of the photos, hope you enjoy this feature and as for me, I’d still be remembering Andrea and Mike whenever I look at my phone – but this time minus the reminder that I still have their beautiful wedding to feature for the world to see. :)

Supplier Line-up:
Coordination: Kutchie Zaldriagga
Bridal Gown: Veluz Reyes
Groom’s Suit: Ermenegildo Zegna
Videography: Bob Nicolas
Emcee: Atom Ungson

While this pre-wedding shoot of Fennie and Halim is not my first in Beijing, it is still many of firsts for me. After all it has been a good three years since I last visited the Capital of China, and back then, we shot a pre-wedding shoot nowhere else but on the Great Wall of China.

This time, even though I wanted to, we decided that we will not shoot on the Great Wall of China, and instead explore the other parts and locations in Beijing. I got a good tip from one of my grooms to check out the Temple of Heaven and that turned out to be just amazing. Fennie and Halim also fielded their preferences to shoot at the back alleys of Beijing, a spot just outside the forbidden city, as well as at the National Center for Performing Arts. It was a very good mix of the old and new and we contrasted that with a combination of daylight and nightlight set-ups.

Now all those locations were a first for me, but those were just a few of the many firsts that I mentioned. Fennie and Halim were also my first Indonesian couple. I know it’s easy to assume that they are Chinese, which they are but of Indonesian nationality – and it is in Beijing where they met, fell in love and decided to stay together forever thus there wasn’t a place more fitting to have their pre-wedding photos shot. Aside from that, Halim is also the first person I personally know that is a Chinese Herbal Doctor. Seriously, that may seem peculiar to some (and even to me at first) but it is very fascinating. Halim took me to the biggest store that sells Chinese medicine and it was insane, he tried to explain to me what the items there do to you and I swear, I was like a kid in a museum and I couldn’t get enough of it. It is some of the most interesting stuff I’ve ever heard.

I hope you also fancy some traditional Chinese theatrical make-up because I loved Fennie’s idea of putting them on for their first look and it turned-out really beautiful.

Overall, because of the very tight schedule, I only stayed in Beijing for a total of 36 hours. Despite this, I felt I’ve learned and accomplished more than a week’s worth of things. Thanks to Fennie and Halim who wanted nothing but the best for their pre-wedding photos.

As a side note to this already wordy post, I was forced to travel to China alone for this shoot and it was a bit daunting. Everything of course went more than great and aside from the huge preparation that Fennie and Halim did, I owe a huge thank you to Siane who helped me throughout the shoot. I couldn’t have had a better shooting partner that day :)

So enjoy the photos, it’s not always you see pre-wedding photos from beijing as unique and and as beautiful as these. :)

As part of the of the year-end tribute to the most successful year yet of Metrophoto, we are having a 2-feature recap of our 2012 favorites. A few days a go we had a post on the fabulous wedding shoes that the Metrophoto brides wore in 2012 and today we’re sharing our favorite group shots.

From the simple, to the complicated, and up to the seemingly impossible, we have put together a unique collection of group shots that are truly diverse, creative, and still very much elegant. Shooting a couple artistically, is already a challenge in itself and adding one person at a time increases the difficulty level exponentially (in terms of coordination, lighting, posing, composition, etc) and that’s why we are proud with what we’ve come-up with and we are continually developing new techniques and concepts to come-up with even more breathtaking photos for the grooms and brides that are unlike any other.

Congratulations to each and every one of our Metrophoto couples, your love for each other, your enthusiasm to be different, your benignity to the people around you, and your passion for nothing but the best has inspired and continue to inspire us. We do all of these and more for your sheer pleasure and happiness. :)

So please do enjoy the photos, and we wish everyone the very best as we now usher in what seems to be an even better new year for Metrophoto. Let’s keep raising the bar. :)

I have featured Larae and Monds already previously with the photos from their e-session that we shot in a ranch in Batangas, Philippines. That shoot even had its own accompanying Metrophoto Bride campaign poster. Today, I’m excited to share with you the photos from their absolutely beautiful wedding in San Sebastian church and in Sofitel Philippine Plaza in Manila.

If their e-session showed more of power and speed, their wedding wass all about elegance and the impeccable attention to details. In fact if there are two things I cannot forget about this wedding, it would be the exquisite details I saw throughout the day AND how much these two people are so obviously into each other. I know these things sound too common in weddings, but also believe me when I say that theirs, really stood-out.

In fact, Larae and Monds’ so-to-speak “flexibility” in being able to consistently look gorgeous in whatever theme or surrounding we tried and put them into, plus the awesome fact that they seem to can’t get enough of each other, made me decide to choose them as my models (and brand representative) for my recently concluded Hothouse workshop. Those are just terrific qualities of consistency and love that are also always present with Metrophoto.

So go ahead and enjoy the photos. Look at each photo more than once and you would really appreciate the details and the celebration that made this wedding one-of-a-kind.

I will be out for a long break this next few days and before I embark on that stationary journey of doing nothing, I’m making sure that I leave my dear blog visitors a feature that is beautiful and fascinating enough to keep them pleased up until I come back. So for my 7th and last post for the month of October, we are sharing with you the photos from the wedding of Emil and Marielle. Frequent visitors of this site, should be familiar with this couple as they are the winners of the Metrofied for Life Contest that we had last year and thus the awesome bearers of the Metrophoto logo tattoos in their bodies – didn’t I tell you it would be an interesting post? :)

Easily one of the most anticipated weddings of the year for Metrophoto, Emil and Marielle are not just a Metrophoto couple but literal brand ambassadors as they carry the tattoos on their forearms. Their personalities and the story of their love for each other are what made them stand out from the other couples who joined the contest. Here is an excerpt from the contest letter that Marielle sent to us:

I deserve to win because I have a very beautiful love story to tell, I deserve to win because I deserve to have my wedding day captured by a very good storyteller Oly Ruiz through his pictures, artistry, and passion. I deserve to win because through my story I will be able to inspire other couples like us, who have endured love and will fight for it until their last breath.

To read the entire entry and to see the wonderful photos from their e-session please click here.

It might sound odd but being in their wedding and covering it is like shooting my own children’s wedding and it was a very proud moment for all of us. It is not usual for someone to do something like this, in fact it has never happened before. There are always things that people will do for love and for the desire of something, and not everyone will understand it, but the most important things is that, these things that greatly inspire us also allow us to create something special and something beautiful that we will treasure all our lives – a true spirit of being part of Metrophoto.

Enjoy the photos, and hopefully when we come back next month, we’ll be able to treat you to more posts than ever before. Marielle, coincidentally being a florist, prepared all the gorgeous flowers for her own wedding, so do check that out as well. :)

Supplier Line-up:
Videographer: Joel Salindong
Make-up: Pong Niu
Bridal Gown: Joe San Antonio
Flower: New Yorker Florals by Marielle Ramos