Singaporebrides | Real Weddings

June 2016

Carmen and Joel’s Pre-Wedding Videography Shoot in Europe

Carmen and Joel ventured to Helsinki, Aalborg, and London to immortalise their story in a cinematic film by IrisWave.

Carmen Chan, 26, Music Teacher and Joel Ong, 29, Business Development Manager documented their love against stunning backdrops as they explored centuries-old castles and gorgeous European capitals, together with IrisWave.

Iriswave pre-wedding videography Joel and Carmen 5Iriswave pre-wedding videography Joel and Carmen 3Iriswave pre-wedding videography Joel and Carmen 2Iriswave pre-wedding videography Joel and Carmen 6

How did the two of you meet?

Joel: We met at my secondary school friend Nabilah’s Akad Nikah, an important Muslim wedding ceremony usually held at the bride’s house on the eve of the wedding. Carmen was a makeup artiste and Nabilah was a model, and they had met in the fashion industry.

It wasn’t love at first sight. The very first thing we talked about after our brief introduction to each another was what foods we liked in Johor Bahru. She took my number and that very night, we talked for about three hours over the phone. The rest is history.

Iriswave pre-wedding videography Joel and Carmen 21Iriswave pre-wedding videography Joel and Carmen 20Iriswave pre-wedding videography Joel and Carmen 19

What was the proposal like?

Joel: With a little help from her mom and brother, we managed to surprise her as I knelt down on one knee and asked for her hand in marriage. I proposed on her birthday, in front of her family during dinner at Jumbo Seafood Restaurant. The whole process was rather intimate as she once mentioned the importance of having her parent’s approval before we make any decisions that concern the future of our two families.

Watch Carmen and Joel’s pre-wedding video by IrisWave

You had a destination pre-wedding videography and photography shoot, didn’t you?

Joel: Our reason for travelling was actually Carmen’s participation at a music conference in Helsinki, Finland. And since we were to travel to the UK, we took the opportunity to add a few more destinations to our itinerary. We were planning to travel alone until we met Alvin Ang from IrisWave. His ideas were both intriguing and captivating. It took us less than two hours to confirm having Alvin shoot our pre-wedding videography whilst on our holiday!

Iriswave pre-wedding videography Joel and Carmen 15Iriswave pre-wedding videography Joel and Carmen 13Iriswave pre-wedding videography Joel and Carmen 14Iriswave pre-wedding videography Joel and Carmen 8

Where did you go?

Carmen: Our first destination was London. We travelled to the outskirts of West Sussex to stay in a 900-year-old castle turned bed and breakfast, now known as Amberley Castle. We wanted to have us against this historically rich backdrop captured through the lens of a camera. It was also a good opportunity to meet a friend, who brought us around to sightsee.

Joel: Helsinki, Finland, was next on the destination list as it was time for Carmen to attend the scheduled music conference. Though the time spent there was short, just four days, we managed to capture the serenity of the beautiful capital.

We chose to visit Aalborg, Denmark, because I have family friends there, and also because I had been wanting to show Carmen this beautiful small town which I had visited a couple of times.

Iriswave pre-wedding videography Joel and Carmen 4Iriswave pre-wedding videography Joel and Carmen 18Iriswave pre-wedding videography Joel and Carmen 16Iriswave pre-wedding videography Joel and Carmen 17

What was the pre-wedding videography experience like?

Joel: The trip was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience and something we will always look back on. It was also our first time travelling overseas together and to Europe! Other than wanting to visually capture the beautiful landscape and architecture, and experience the different country cultures, we left most of the shooting ideas to our very experienced videographer – Alvin Ang of IrisWave. Having the fun-loving and humorous Alvin around was less nerve-wrecking for us as he filled every shoot with so much laughter that it was hard to be serious, and he constantly kept our minds at ease. We clicked instantly from the start, and it was always a joy hanging out with him. He is a very professional individual in his field of work, and he produces super high-definition, quality videos!

Alvin has an eye for beautiful scenery and he had loads of interesting ideas to share due to his years of professional experience in this industry. We love the final product and we were truly blessed by God’s providence throughout the entire process of filming and photoshoots, even though the decision to take our pre-wedding videos in three different locations was rather an adventurous one!

Iriswave pre-wedding videography Joel and Carmen 11Iriswave pre-wedding videography Joel and Carmen 10Iriswave pre-wedding videography Joel and Carmen 12

The Gown: Beautiful Love WeddingThe Bride’s Shoes: DMKThe Suit: Beautiful Love Wedding and Massimo DuttiThe Groom’s Shoes: Rad Russel, LondonThe Engagement Ring: Lee Hwa JewelleryThe Florist: Amberley Castle – LondonThe Videographer: IrisWave


Credits: Images are stills by IrisWave.

Want to see your love story featured on SingaporeBrides too? Submit your wedding here!

All content from this article, including images, cannot be reproduced without credits or written permission from SingaporeBrides.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Telegram for the latest article and promotion updates!

Carmen and Joel’s Pre-Wedding Videography Shoot in Europe