8 Girl Bosses Who Inspire Us this International Women's Day

By Tansey Tang on 14 March 2022

This International Women's Day, we shine the spotlight on eight girl bosses in the wedding industry, and the inspiration behind their art.

In light of International Women's Day on 8 March 2022, we celebrate eight inspiring women in the wedding industry, whose creativity and passion have shaped the wedding trends in Singapore. With their sensitivity to the emotional impact of a wedding day, these female photographers, florists, and stylists offer a beautiful perspective on weddings. Their dedication to their craft not only inspires us during International Women's Day, but all year round. We interview eight inspiring female artists in Singapore to get their views on what it's like being a woman in the wedding scene here.

HellofromFlour

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Jophia from HellofromFlour, image by Firewood & Earth

What was the inspiration behind starting your business?

Jophia: We started off with the desire to design and inspire wedding narratives for couples who want to have more than just a ceremony. In this, we slowly discovered that a wedding is more than just a unification of two into one.

With that, we hope our works can help pave fresh wedding narratives for every couple and most importantly transform space for an experience that doesn’t forgo their personal aesthetic.

Maritha Mae Photography

How would you describe your wedding styling style?

Jophia: I would say our works are honest and organic, sometimes dramatic, and we particularly love site-specific drama. We believe an honest and authentic celebration inspires conversation, and this forms the basis of all our designs.

Oh yeah, we love details too--all sorts of nitty gritty details which can help to delve deeper into uncovering our couple’s authentic story.

How does being female impact your work? Do you believe it gives you a different perspective or helps you better relate to your clients?

Jophia: Hmmm, that's a very good question. As you all know, we are a husband and wife team, and we both look into things differently. Larry generally focuses more on things at a macro level and I would focus more on things at a micro level, delving into the details and user experience, even to the angles of the chairs. But, I would say the differences are not huge since we are now living in a gender-equal world.

Justrealle Photography

How do you juggle your different roles as an entrepreneur, wife, and mother?

Jophia: I am a mother of two and oh man, "mom guilt" is real and I am still struggling to overcome it. But I would say we are really blessed to have a supportive kampong of family and friends who are willing to extend their help whenever we need them. So thankful, and it definitely helps lighten my mental load.

Phone: 9296 0129
WhatsApp: 9296 0129
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.hellofromflour.com
Instagram: @hellofromflour
Services:
Wedding design & Space styling + Floral & botanical design
Rates:
By consultation.
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Huahee

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Claire of Huahee

What was the inspiration behind starting your business?

Claire: We started this business seven years ago because we realised we couldn't easily find customised wedding flowers at an affordable price. Every bride deserves to look her best on her big day and we hope to do that by making bespoke bridal bouquets easily accessible and affordable.

How would you describe your style of floristry?

Claire: Refreshing and fun! True to our brand, Huahee, where "hua" (花) means "flower" and "hee" (喜) means "happiness". We hope our flowers bring happiness to whomever receives them!

Huahee

How does being female impact your work?

Claire: Being female helps because the majority of our clients are females, and it makes it much easier to be in their shoes. Although a marriage usually involves both parties, it is usually the females who are more involved in the area of floral planning for their big day. Having gone through our own wedding and also countless weddings over the years, we have experienced various perspectives of how couples view wedding flowers. Because of the cumulative experience we have, it has allowed us to offer varied suggestions to brides who tell us they are clueless on how and where to get started on their wedding planning process! Without sounding like a cliché, as women, sometimes the intuition and gut feel that we have from just a few exchanges with brides have actually allowed us to be spot on in identifying what the couple needs for their wedding flowers!

Huahee

What is it like to juggle your different roles as a girl boss?

Claire: Juggling the different roles is never easy; an entrepreneur, a mother, a daughter, and a wife. Some days we feel like we can conquer the world when we manage to send our kids to school without any drama, finish our work tasks, and sip tea by 3pm. On most days, it is feeling overwhelmed with the never-ending tasks and firefighting both at work and at home. I think the portrayal of girl bosses being on top of things and being overachievers is overrated because we always overlook the entire village and support systems that make this possible. Just like how behind every successful man is a supportive woman and family, every successful woman has had support systems that made them who they are today. So to any girl boss who always feels that you are not enough, stop being so harsh on yourselves! We are enough and we will get there in our time!

Phone: 9694 6286
WhatsApp: 9694 6286
Email: [email protected]
Website: thehuahee.com
Instagram: @thehuahee
Address: 1 Kaki Bukit Road 1, #02-49, S415934 (by appointment only)
Rates:
Bridal bouquet - From $200
Boutonniere - From $20
Bridesmaid bouquet - From $95
Church flowers - From $799
Venue styling - From $1,200
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Knotties Frame

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Wan Jing of Knotties Frame

Why did you choose to focus on wedding photography?

Wan Jing: For me, wedding photography is a hobby-turned-passion career. There's no doubt that this is a "happy job", one that gives me the privilege to witness many couples' significant milestones in life. I always find it a very rewarding occupation which has given me many opportunities to meet people from all walks of life and couples with different dynamics. It taught me that the language of love can be expressed in so many different forms! There's just so much to learn from each couple, be it love relationships, human-to-human interactions, or life lessons.

Knotties Frame

How would you describe your style of photography?

Wan Jing: Weddings may be a once-in-a-lifetime event, but the photos will last a lifetime! With that in mind, I keep my photos timeless and at the same time, unpretentious, as I aim to create photos that truly reflect the relationships and raw emotions between couples.

Knotties Frame

What does it mean to you to be a female photographer in a largely male-dominated industry, and how does being a female photographer give you a different perspective?

Wan Jing: Being a female photographer definitely has its edge as I find it much easier to relate to brides-to-be! This allows me to better understand brides and their thought processes. Some brides I've worked with have also shared that they feel more at ease with a female photographer because weddings are, after all, very personal and intimate events. Furthermore, I believe female photographers tend to be more meticulous and place more attention to minute details.

Email: [email protected]
Website: www.knottiesframe.com
Instagram: @knottiesframe
Facebook: www.facebook.com/knottiesframe
Services: Pre-wedding and wedding day photography
Rates:
Pre-wedding photography - From $1,180 for 3 hours
Solemnisation photography - From $1,260 for 3 hours
Actual day photography - From $2,660 for 8 hours
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Caline Ng Photography

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Caline of Caline Ng Photography

Why did you choose to focus on wedding photography?

Caline: I studied visual communications and have always been familiar with a camera. When I was given the opportunity to shoot for a friend's wedding, I absolutely loved the experience and felt like this was something I was meant to do. Weddings are always joyous and I love being in that environment, and I genuinely feel like it's a privilege to capture love stories and tender moments between loved ones.

Caline Ng Photography

How would you describe your style of photography?

Caline: I shoot with an honest, non-invasive touch, and centre my sessions to be wholesome and fun experiences. I love bringing out that natural smile from my clients.

Caline Ng Photography

What does it mean to you to be a female photographer in a largely male-dominated industry? Do you believe that being a female photographer gives you a different perspective?

Caline: At the beginning of my career, there were probably only three or four female photographers in the wedding industry and I have experienced some discrimination that a female photographer is not as capable as a male one. That fuelled me to focus more on developing my skills and improve my style of photography. It definitely changed my perspective, as a wedding is so much more than just traditions. The emotions each loved ones feel during a wedding is complex, and being as females, I do believe we are more sensitive to such emotions.

Services: Pre-wedding and actual day photography
Rates:
Pre-wedding photography - From $750
Actual day photography - From $2,000
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Fleurandcraft Film

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Gloria of Fleur and Craft

Why did you choose to focus on wedding photography?

Gloria: I consider myself a very creative person and I really thrive when I am using that part of my brain. I love that every wedding is unique and it is an opportunity for me to document the couple’s story in my own unique style.

Fleur and Craft

How would you describe your style of photography?

Gloria: Like scenes from a Wong Kar Wai Movie, weddings in the 80s/90s, quirky? That’s how my couples describe my style.

Fleur and Craft

What does it mean to you to be a female photographer in a largely male-dominated industry, and how does being a female photographer give you a different perspective for wedding-related or boudoir shoots?

Gloria: From a female perspective… we are looking for angles as we want to make sure the photos are exceptionally pleasing to our eyes, the way we want our OOTD photos to be on Instagram. No ugly moments!

Fleur and Craft

If you are married and/or a mother, what is it like to juggle your different roles? How does it inform your photography?

Gloria: I believe every photographer started this job with a passion. Even with different roles in life, I believe we will make the best out of it and find new expressions for our creativity.

Services: Wedding photography
Rates:
10 hours - $2,800
5 hours - $1,500
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Just Like Magic Co.

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Renee of Just Like Magic Co.

Why did you choose to focus on wedding photography?

Renee: I've always enjoyed looking at photographs because they can capture significant moments in our lives. Often, the people in the photographs are what capture our attention. I believe that couple sessions and wedding days are services that people seek out because they want those significant moments recorded. I chose family, couple, and wedding photography because I think it is my pleasure to be able to capture those memories for others.

Just Like Magic Co.

How would you describe your style of photography?

Renee: I would describe it as casual and fun! I believe that every photo session is unique to the clients. Every couple, family, or group interacts differently and I love bringing that out in photographs. Being comfortable, having fun, and letting loose is important!

Just Like Magic Co.

What does it mean to you to be a female photographer in a largely male-dominated industry, and how does being a female photographer give you a different perspective?

Renee: It was intimidating initially. Not only because it is a male-dominated industry, but the requirements of moving quickly with heavy equipment, especially for overseas shoots, were challenging at the beginning. Technology improved and cameras are becoming a lot more compact these days, so that helps! I've also experienced skeptical comments such as, "Wah, now ladies also can be photographer ah?" from wedding guests. I believe that with more females in the industry, it is becoming a norm and we're less likely to be seen as rare birds.

I believe that having a female photographer allows me to connect with my clients a lot more emotionally. It also allows me to speak freely with my clients to make them feel comfortable about being in front of the camera. It is common that women and some men might feel self-conscious about how they look or appear and I completely understand how that feels. Being able to say, "Hey, don't worry! I got your back, just trust that I'd get your best angles!" to a fellow female really helps!

An extra perk of having a female photographer would be that she could double up as your temporary assistant too! We'll be there to make sure your makeup and outfits look on point all the time, otherwise, we can help point it out so you can get that fixed!

Services: Wedding photography
Rates:
Actual day wedding photography - From $2,500
Local photography - From $700
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Senica Photos

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Monica of Senica Photos

Why did you choose to focus on wedding photography?

Monica: My partner and I started Senica (a silly combination of both our names, Sebastian and Monica) in 2015 with the goal of spending more time together. My partner was helping a handful of his friends document their weddings and I also did photography back in my Polytechnic days so naturally wedding photography became the business idea for us to start something together.

Senica Photos

How would you describe your style of photography?

Monica: Our photography style is more photo-journalistic and we adore natural candid shots of a couple's interaction and intimate moments. Our edits use jovial, happy tones with occasional play with light if the situation allows.

Senica Photos

What does it mean to you to be a female photographer in a largely male-dominated industry, and how does being a female photographer give you a different perspective?

Monica: As I work with a team of guys, comparing my work with them, I don't really see a distinctive difference in terms of photography style. In fact, perhaps as all the guys in our team are engaged or married and have experienced the wedding planning process themselves, this might have contributed to their attentiveness to details and levels of patience which are important aspects to being a wedding photographer/videographer.

But I must admit that being a female on this job and having gone through the wedding planning process myself allows me to empathise and understand the emotions of a bride and be able to connect with them better throughout the wedding planning process. I feel that as a vendor (wedding photographer/videographer) who has a big part to play for the wedding, it's very important that we are able to empathise, explain the different wedding processes, and reassure the couple about their wedding day plans.

Senica Photos

How does being married inform your photography?

Monica: As the wedding industry is heavily service-centric, it's very hard to set aside time fully and go off on a break as there'll always be messages from potential and existing couples that we have to tend to. It might seem that since my partner and I work together, we would spend a lot of time together since we never stop working, but it's actually equally important to slot in pockets of pure couple time where we don't discuss work, else it might erode the distinction between our roles as colleagues and spouses.

These pockets of couple time we have also aids the business in a way, as it helps us to reflect and align our life goals which in turn sets the direction for the business.

I also have to plan ahead to ensure that if I have to go on a prolonged break, I have someone reliable in place who can take over my duties.

We have worked very hard to build Senica to be a reliable and responsible brand so it's only fair that couples who have entrusted their special day to us continue to experience this as we journey with them through to their wedding day.

Services: Wedding photography, videography, livestreaming
Livestreaming Platforms: YouTube, Zoom, Twitch
Rates:
3 hours of pre-wedding photography - $1,100
10 hours of actual day photography - From $2,200
6 hours of wedding videography - $1,980
90 minutes of livestreaming - $1,080
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