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Before The Pre-Wedding Photoshooting Days
1) How do we choose the photography studio?
👉 Looked for photographers online and we came across the studio in my Facebook page. The price and package offered met our requirements and thus we made an appointment in the studio itself. We talked to the photographers and understood more details in the photography package and thereafter signed up directly! The whole process took lesser than a few days 😂 Yeah, we not research and compare many studios, just feel is ok and pick that up directly!
📢 TIPS: Look for more photos online on the studios that you are interested in. Each studio has different style or charm.
2) How do we decide our pre-wedding photoshooting country?
👉 I like to travel and feel it is the best to combine pre-wedding photoshooting and travelling in one whole set, thus we went for overseas pre-wedding package. Taiwan and Japan have almost same price, or maybe Japan is a bit more expensive since not as crazily famous as Taiwan package. Europe package is a bit higher in our budget. As we preferred our album to be more relaxing rather than purely city itself, we opted for Hokkaido/Santorini for the scenic view and relaxing feeling. I was contemplating in between two of these. Based on the photographer's feedback, he told us that Santorini photoshooting has lesser factors than Hokkaido, as it is mostly blue white dome photos. I love to visit Santorini but after much consideration, we decided to enrol in Hokkaido package! And what's more, we were the 1st couple to enrol in this Hokkaido package as it was their 1st time to go Hokkaido for photoshooting! It was a great honour to be able to join the lead in their Hokkaido photoshooting, felt like ambassador though.. 😂 Well for the fans who love to see Santorini, good news is we have completed our honeymoon holidays in Santorini & Switzerland! 😍 Click on it to link to my Santorini & Switzerland blogs for more photos and details! 📢 TIPS: Look for photographer albums in studio or online, to decide your favorite shooting location.
Talk to the photographer your favorite styles then they will recommend you as well.
📢 TIPS: There are 2 types of photographer, one is professional wedding photographer, another one is freelance photographer. We picked freelance photographer for this pre-wedding photoshooting because the package offered was cheaper and most important was they gave back all copies of your photos (but is unedited) to you! Unlike professional wedding photographer, they only gave up to 30 to 35 pieces max, and you need to top up for more. The choice is really up to individuals preference, some will feel not worth to get all because they are unedited. For us, we would like to have all memories to ourselves with no extra cost! However one cons on freelance photographer is they only have 2 gowns for bride, unlike professional one has 4 to 5 gowns. But fret not, you can prepare another 2 sets of casual wear for photoshooting, combine with 2 gowns, it makes to a total of 4 outfits as well. For freelance photographer, some offer 1 day photoshooting, while for the studio we picked, it offers 2 days photoshooting which means more photos for us! Although usually people will feel satisfied with 1 day photoshooting as it is really quite tiring to walk under the hot sun with the gowns for hours... 😒
3) How our package looks like?
Our Hokkaido pre-wedding package costs RM6988 with the following:
👉 Include:
- 2 days photoshooting in Hokkaido
- 2 wedding gowns for bride and 1 suit for groom for shooting
- 55 pcs edited photos in 1 big and 1 small album
- All unedited photos copy given back for Free
- 1 big photo and 1 small photo washed out (forgot the size already sorry 😅) to hang in house
- Make up artist and photographers already arranged by themselves (NOTE: We do not need to ask for another make up artist outside)
👉 Exclude:
- 2 casual wears for shooting
- Flight ticket to Hokkaido (NOTE: Only pay for 2 of us)
- Transportation (car rental) in Hokkaido (NOTE: Need to pay for photographer and make up artist as well)
- Expenses during 2 days photoshooting such as foods etcetera (NOTE: Need to pay for photographer and make up artist as well)
📢 TIPS: You must rent a car to travel in Hokkaido during the photoshoot so is easier and more comfortable. There is one time that I need to change my gown in the car itself too as it is not easy to find toilet everywhere 😅
3) Things to prepare before the photoshooting day?
👉 After signed up the Hokkaido pre-wedding photoshooting package, we went to the studio to pick the wedding gowns (2 for bride) and suit (1 for groom).
📢 TIPS: Not all gowns are allowed to be brought overseas. As overseas shooting also involves a lot of walking and exposed to more environmental factors, those gowns which are grand or super heavy type, can only be used in indoor studio photoshooting only. For outdoor photoshooting, usually they will recommend more casual or lighter gown.
📢 TIPS: The gowns and suit will be brought to Hokkaido by ourselves. So, remember to reserve a big luggage to pack all these inside. Just to let you all know, we took the 28 inch luggage to the studio itself and let them packed nicely for us. We worried might scratch the gowns so let the professional did it. However, most of the people will pack themselves at home, so it depends. For the flight journey, please remember especially the gowns they are heavy, so please check in luggage and make yourself comfortable during the flight journey.
👉 Look for flight tickets to Hokkaido on the month of July for lavender season.
📢 TIPS: Flight tickets are not covered in the package. 👉 Have a Whatapps chat group created among 4 of us (ie bride, groom, photographer, make up artist) to discuss on the details.
📢 TIPS: Tell make up artist the hair style you like so they will prepare hair accessories for you.
4) How do we choose photoshooting locations in Hokkaido?
👉 As we are the 1st couple to enrol in Hokkaido pre-wedding photoshooting, there is no example of wedding album for us to refer. And unlike Taiwan, Hokkaido photoshooting is less famous and off the beaten track. Even if we able to find Hokkaido pre-wedding photoshooting through Google-ing around, most of them are winter and snow theme, not much of them are on summer lavender season. We like to have colorful flowers rather than only white snow in our album, so we opted for summer season and we love purple lavender season. So based on the limited information I able to plug from online research, I made the itinerary myself! Most of them are the famous tourist attractions and some are off the beaten track!
📢 TIPS: Remember, this is your unique pre-wedding album, so you are the one to decide how it looks like! Do not go with the crowds, choose the one you truly like it as it is once in a lifetime experience💗
5) What to take note on the day before pre-wedding photoshooting days?
📢 TIPS: Take the rental car one day before photoshooting. Prepare everything before hand as you need to wake up super early the next day for preparation and then start the shooting, you do not want to waste your precious 1 hour just to settle the rental car on the day! Remember to rent a compact car which is enough to fit 4 people (ie. bride, groom, photographer, make up artist).
📢 TIPS: Make sure to contact your photographer and make up artist one day before photoshooting. You might have to meet up with them for any upfront discussion on the photoshooting next day, i.e. meet up time for doll up, shooting location, outfits to match the location background, and etcetera..
📢 TIPS: So the big day is coming tomorrow. Prepare invincible bra, gowns, suits, casual wear, accessories, props etcetera and pack all of them in a bag! Remember to do some face masks (easier to apply make up the next day), nail art (optional), wash hairs on the night before (advice from make up artist as it is easier as can directly 'design' your hairs the next day) and then head for ample rest (though can't really sleep due to nervous and also need to wake up very early in the morning haha 😆).
During The Pre-Wedding Photoshooting Days
⏰Woke up @ 5am
👑💄Dolled up nicely for bride and groom ~ 2 hours
😋Had simple breakfast
📢🔔Took all necessities (i.e. water, prop, outfits etcetera)
🚗Rock and Roll!
💘23 July 2018 (DAY 1 Pre-Wedding Photoshooting)
The route for Day 1 photoshooting as below:
Haystack Biei → Roller Coaster Road → Mild Seven Hill → Zerebu Hill → Blue Pond Biei → Shikisai No Oka → Hinode Park → Ningle Terrace
🚩Haystack Biei
Map Code: Not applicable (A lot in Biei)
Highlights: Pretty scenery, countryside, haystack view
🚩Roller Coaster Road
Highlights: Pretty scenery, countryside, a long & straight road which runs from one hill to another hill
🚩Mild Seven Hill
Highlights: Commercial shooting place, pretty scenery, countryside, one row of larch trees on top of the hill
🚩Zerebu Hill
Operating Hours: 8.30am – 5pm
Average Time Spent: 0.5 hours
Highlights: A park with assorted varieties of flowers, with Mt. Asahi and Mt. Tokachi as the backdrop. (Note: Sunflower is not in season on July)
🚩Blue Pond Biei
Highlights: Apple cover photo, blue color pond
🚩Shikisai No Oka
Highlights: Colorful flowers, lavenders, pretty scenery, countryside, rainbow field
🚩Hinode Park (5★)
Highlights: Lavenders, pretty scenery, countryside, sunset photography, bell arch
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🚩Ningle Terrace (5★)
Highlights: Romantic, wooden cottage, night view
💘24 July 2018 (DAY 2 Pre-Wedding Photoshooting)
The route for Day 2 photoshooting as below:
Otaru Canal → Otaru Old Town → Otaru Sakaimachi Shopping Street → Otaru Music Box Museum → Old Temiya Railway Track → Shiroi Koboito Park → Former Hokkaido Government Office
🚩Otaru Canal
Highlights: Canal in city scenery
🚩Otaru Old Town
Map Code: 493690589*33 (Note: It actually is map code for Otaru Canal, we use this map code to reach Otaru city, park the car and just start to explore those famous streets in Otaru by walking!)
Highlights: Japan houses, traditional building, vintage, culture, sightseeing
🚩Otaru Sakaimachi Shopping Street
Map Code: 493690589*33 (Note: It actually is map code for Otaru Canal, we use this map code to reach Otaru city, park the car and just start to explore those famous streets in Otaru by walking!)
Highlights: Japan houses, traditional building, vintage, culture, sightseeing, dessert, souvenir
🚩Otaru Music Box Museum
Map Code: 493690589*33 (Note: It actually is map code for Otaru Canal, we use this map code to reach Otaru city, park the car and just start to explore those famous streets in Otaru by walking!)
Highlights: Souvenirs, music box specialty shop
🚩Old Temiya Railway Track
Map Code: 493690589*33 (Note: It actually is map code for Otaru Canal, we use this map code to reach Otaru city, park the car and just start to explore those famous streets in Otaru by walking!)
Highlights: Railway track view
🚩Shiroi Koboito Park
Highlights: Specialty shop, cute garden, sightseeing
🚩Former Hokkaido Government Office
Highlights: Landmark, building
After The Pre-Wedding Photoshooting Days
1) What do we think about oversea pre-wedding photoshooting?
👉 It was an amazing life time experience! I was quite addicted to this actually haha 😁 It was like hire a photographer and make up artist to help you shoot beautiful travel photos. Definitely a great memories for us!
📢 TIPS: It was the 1st time our photographer came Hokkaido for pre-wedding photoshooting, he commented that Hokkaido is by far one of the prettiest place for pre-wedding photoshooting in his opinion, due to the beauty of nature and a lot of different elements and scenery in the album! Especially in Hinode Park for sunset photography and Ningle Terrace for night romantic photography, these 2 places definitely top the list! Even he was amazed by the results of the photos too haha 😂
👉 After 2 days of pre-wedding photoshooting done, we continued our self drive journey around Hokkaido, end of our photoshooting also means start of our holidays!! Yeah!! ✌ Refer my blog HERE for more photos and details.
2) What to do after return from the trip?
👉 Follow up with the photographer on the pre-wedding photos
👉 Go with the flow (i.e. Receive photos, Edit photos, Print out etcetera..)
Not much to do actually, just sit and wait till you get your album ready! In the mean time, enjoy your own travel photos in Hokkaido 1st! 😃
That's all about the sharing of our overseas pre-wedding photoshooting journey. Please let me know if you have any doubts and I am happy to help you! Follow me in Facebook and Instagram to get updated on new blog posts and photos too! Xoxo 💗
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👉 Date: 22/7/2018 ~ 29/7/2018
