Happy Valentine’s Day! To mark this lovey dovey day, I would like to share with you what love means to me.

Love [noun]

1. a deep and tender feeling of affection for or devotion to a person or persons.
2. an expression of one’s love or affection.
3. a feeling of brotherhood and good will toward other people.

Love Quotes

“For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.” ~ Judy Garland

 ”To love someone deeply gives you strength. Being loved by someone deeply gives you courage.” ~ Lao Tzu

** Rosli & Rizqin – you bring so much love, joy and happiness in my life.  I love you both. **

I found this in the website recently.  Check out Wordle – cool stuff! 
Its really fun stuff and you can use it for creative exercise.

I am using it to further define Wedding & Romance brand.

A couple of weeks ago, I met Clara Lian of Wedding & Travel Magazine.  She was sharing with me about the history of the magazine, how it came about and infact the first magazine in Singapore, paving the way for destination pre-weddings photo shoots. They were among the first wedding magazines that did the overseas wedding fashion shoots to places such as Europe and South Africa.

Wedding & Travel Magazine features more than 300 pages of exotic locations, dream weddings, and stylish gowns. Since 1986, they have established close professional ties with bridal boutiques, photographic studios, wedding venue providers, wedding related services, as well as tourist authorities and luxury resorts in countries all over the world. 

Buy their new re-launched magazine with great emphasis on design, layout and style… very impressive.  The current magazine, issue number 16, fashion shoot is in Mauritius. Check out their website planning portal, www.wedding-travel.com, with lots of information on planning a wedding.

Photography and Visual Director, Ridz of A Picturebook Wedding has developed his own unique style called Freestyle Wedding Photography. Like an old saying ”love has no boundaries”… he traveled around Asia to capture couples’ most happiest and memorable celebrations. 

He went to Bangladesh to do a photo shoot of a couple’s three-day wedding, a grand affair of rich culture and traditions.  He has been to heavenly paradise to take pictures of a couple’s honeymoon such as Maldives and Bali. His unique style has obviously melted many couples’ hearts.  Browse through his website gallery, and you will know why. 

If you want your celebrations’ photos to tell the true story of your event as it unfolds, capturing you, your friends and everyone there just having a ball of a time, then do it his way. Do it freestyle!

Do you love the idea of being married on a gorgeous sunset beach, in an intimate and romantic setting away from every day life? If your answer is yes, the chances are you’re planning a destination wedding! A destination wedding (a recent trend in Asia) is where the couple travels to their chosen dream destination to exchange their vows and celebrations, accompanied by family and close friends. The couple and their guests can enjoy some rest and relaxation in a serene environment or experience some adventures while exploring the sights and the culture of the chosen destination.

A destination wedding can fulfil numerous dreams and fantasies, but in reality, it is not for everyone. So if you are thinking of having a far away affair, do consider the following to determine whether a destination wedding is right for you.

Prefer a non-traditional wedding. A destination wedding often appeals to couples who prefer to escape from the traditional and formal events. These couples want their wedding to be a memorable event, and most importantly reflecting their own unique style and personality.

Invite only the closest family and friends. A destination wedding typically involves fewer guests. The logistical planning aspect will be easier if you intend to invite only a small group of people that you care about and know will join you.

Put an extra effort in planning. A destination wedding often last a few days. Give your guests as much as advance notice as possible. You may have to be involved in your guests’ travel and room arrangements, and prepare welcome or gift baskets (containing map, sunscreen and a list activity), which will make your guests feel welcome and occupied.

Desire to save money. For a destination wedding, it costs much lesser compared to the traditional wedding at home, due to the fact that fewer people attend and the local vendor options are simpler and less expensive.

Have fun and relax. With a destination wedding, the couple need to put a great deal of trust in the professionals that they have engaged at the location. Learn to “let go” and “go with the flow”. If you are the type of couple who can do that, a destination wedding can be a wonderful choice, as it will be less time consuming and stressful in making decisions.

Love the idea of combining wedding and honeymoon. A destination wedding means that the couple can have their honeymoon right after their wedding, without additional travel. Just relax and enjoy – you’re already there!

Deciding if a destination wedding is right for you require a thorough assessment. Evaluate each of the above components, and make sure you are comfortable as it will help you understand if this experience is indeed the right way to celebrate your wedding day. Or perhaps it the uniqueness of a destination wedding that the couple and their guests gets to travel away from home, to share a wonderful and memorable moments of a lifetime.

Check out this new wedding portal, www.destinationweddingsasia.com, when planning your dream wedding at select destinations in Asia.  

Couples can search from over 3000+ wedding suppliers, from finding the perfect hairstylist in Phuket, to a boutique florist in Bali, to the picture perfect photographer in Hong Kong.

Finally, after almost 18 months of silence, I am proud to launch the new Wedding & Romance website!

As you all know working on website is a long and challenging process and I would like to extend our gratitute to Lindsay Landis of Purr Design, a creative and talented young lady, and has suggested great ideas to be included in the design of this website.  Huge thanks to Wedding & Romance  network partners who always been very supportive to collaborate with and also to the photographers who have agreed to let me use their pictures in Wedding & Romance website.  To my family for their patience and support.

This will be an exciting year for Wedding & Romance and also for the couples (engaged/to-be-wed/married) as there are great events, programs and promotions plan throughout 2009.  I encourage you to check in to this blog, as often as you can, to get the latest updates.  

So welcome again to Wedding & Romance Website, Hello 2009, and wishing everyone a healthy and prosperous year ahead!

…  we would like to hear your feedback on our new website

I have soft launched Wedding & Romance’s website today.  There are still more contents to be filled and updated. 

The official launch will be in January.  Stay tune …

The Romance Team was in Bali early December for a trade event.  Towards the final of our stay in Bali, we were invited to stay in a romantic villa in Seminyak called Mutiara Bali.  We stayed in a two-bedroom villas with a great pool, kitchenette and very spacious bathroom.

If you would like to know more about this villa, please check their website at www.mutiarabali.com.

Finally I step into the world of blog! My purpose of creating this blog is to find and post ideas, share information and thoughts, so that I can inspire couples to travel to their dream destination…  Passport to Romance. 

So welcome and join me on this voyage, and I hope you will enjoy reading it. Feel free to comment on my posts or just drop a liner to say “Hi!”. I’ll do my best to post as often as possible.

… love is all around