appy hump day everyone! I'm leaving you with a sweet little engagement session shot mostly on film, at one of the prettiest little bungalows I've had the pleasure of visiting, with it's own pool, loft, and everything. All hidden in between the trees so that it's still nothing but peaceful and serene :) I'm sorry I can't write much, as I'm celebrating my 5 year anniversary this week, but I hope these images will leave you warm and fuzzy while I am away! :) 
 
xoxo 

'm sitting here with some rare spare time, and have realized I post about one personal post per year these days. Which is such a stark contrast to the pre 2010 Jenny Sun who wrote her heart out almost weekly about things that scared me, made me laugh, upset me, and just made me happy. It's easy to blame the lack of time over the past few years, since the majority of it I now spend nurturing my personal life over my business life (a move I will never ever regret), but at the same time, I think I've just become overall more guarded as I've grown up. Plus there seems to be about an extra 25,000 of you reading what I write these days so that also adds to the "be careful what you put out there, in case you get tomatoes thrown at you" fear. I've become a girl who no longer wears her heart on her sleeves.  
 
That said, I do really miss those days where I could just spill on whatever was on my mind, and a session of fun or serious verbal diarrhea would rule, and have it not be about work. So I'll try harder this year to do that :) To let you all in, that is :) And I'm hoping you'll enjoy the posts that ensue :) 
 
So, to start, here are a few random things that you may or may not know about me right now: 
 
1) I am NOT a sweet tooth. 150% NOT. I don't know why. I've tried and tried to like cakes, desserts, and all things sweet, but the most I can manage is the 5 mini tubs of ice cream in my freezer which I seem to only open when visitors come over. I also like to bake red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. But again, only for others to eat. People think this is weird, so I'm not sure what disorder to call this.  
 
2) I am OBSESSED with music. And that word, is probably an understatement. In my other life, I was a rockstar or some famous singer song writer churning out grammy award winning hits. But in this life, I'm a song hunter. No joke. If this was a real job, I'd be a professional. I'm THAT good ("self praise is no praise", I hear my husband telling me haha). Seriously, once I hear a song I like, I will hunt it to the ends of the earth til I know what it is, and how I can get my hands on it. If Shazam won't help me, that's ok, I'll find a way. A recent track I fell in love with didn't even exist in record form, so I begged the artist to please record a version. God must have heard because a week later, she launched the song for purchase. I was in audio heaven :D 
 
(3) I am the word WANDERLUST personified. I actually think I should diagnose this as a disease because the desire is so strong, my love to travel and see the world is greater than my love for shoes, clothes, bags, and makeup ALL COMBINED. I recently told my husband I'd take a holiday over a new Chanel bag, or a rolex watch. He, and everyone else looked at me as if I was mentally insane. I am still daydreaming about my next trip to anywhere my feet haven't been... sights set on Istanbul, Brazil and South America, the USA again (I fell in LOVE with New York last time and have been dying to go back), Switzerland, Moscow, Egypt and the Pyramids, and the more obscure parts of Europe :)  
 
(4) I have a secret constant fear that I am not good enough at my job. I don't know why. I sometimes look at my work and wonder what it is you all see in me because I believe there are so many other photographers who are so much better at it than myself. I know this sounds crazy to most, but it's true. The ones I confide into the most about my work will know that I am scared of being a failure and just being a disappointment. So thank you to every one of you who have encouraged me. I do mean it when I say to people I notice every 'like', read every comment, and appreciate all the kind words via email, twitter, facebook, and instagram.  
 
(5) I'll be celebrating my 5 year anniversary next week with the man I've shared the last 13 years of my life with. It's crazy to look back and see how far we've come, and how much we've changed and grown over the decade and a bit. I would never have guessed 13 years ago that God would have brought us through all that we have been through, and come out more rooted in our relationship. That doesn't sound like much of an achievement, but trust me, to us, that is huge :) And I am so thankful. So, while I am no expert on love and marriage, three things big lessons I've learned in the last decade is that i) forgiveness, compromise, and accepting a person for who they are, are HUGE ingredients to a marriage that flourishes. ii) things like passion, fun, friendship and love don't disappear in a relationship (most people think they do), but instead they often take on different forms. It's learning to recognize those forms and embracing them that adds fuel to the fire :) I think once I came to terms with those two things, our marriage was in a much healthier place :) AND iii) learn to prioritize the other person in the marriage instead of expecting it the other way around. It makes it easier for them to put you first in their lives :)  
 
And since no post feels right without at least one photo, I've grabbed 16 from my recent instagram feed (my username is: jennysun for those looking) to give you a visual snippet of the recent pages in my life :)

Left to right, top to bottom:  
1. being sick for over a month and still not well :( 2. I'm rarely up for sunrises, but this one was well worth being awake for 3. my very stubborn, cheeky, and feisty cat, Padme. 4. At a recent wedding with friends as a guest! Im in the top polaroid 5. Evidence of the red velvet cupcakes I DO make :) 6. My favourite little girl in the world: my niece Emily :) 7. Coffee love forever!! I have at least one every day 8. Probably the one seafood I could eat all the time. I'm obsessed with baked pepper crab. 9. Summer time fruits like cherries are my favourite all year 10. Although I don't love travelling to Asian cities (I'm a country/beach kind of girl hehe), I did make it to HK recently and got to add another country to my travel list 11. Evidence of my perpetual life on the road. 3/4 of the contents never ever leave the bag. 12. Being there for important moments :) 13. My favourite person in the world :) 14. These things are my BIGGEST diet weakness. Damn you potatoes!! 15. The best gift anyone can ever give me. I LOVE scented candles and oils! :D 16. Evidence of my mission to get fit and stay trim this year. It's been hard, but I'm still trying! :D

To end, I just want to leave you with a song that I've just been OBSESSED with lately. Probably the BEST rendition of U2's "With or Without You" I've ever heard. I absolutely LOVE this girl. She is so underrated, its not funny. You all HAVE to check her out. Sarah Darling's voice is absolutely beautiful and the original songs she writes is off the charts amazing. I promise you she is worth the time!! :) Connect with her here: official website, facebook, twitter, iTunes :) I know this should really go in the JSP Song Vault, but it's okay to break the rules now and again :) Enjoy!! 
 
 
 
 
xoxo 

This blog is in serious need of a wedding post, I know :) So I hope this one makes up for it. If you've been wondering where I've been, as usual, we've been busy with peak season, and on top of it, I'm a few weeks behind schedule on everything just because this past month I've had the worst flu I've ever had in years. I'm still not 100% better yet so things have just been a bit stressful trying to balance life and work, and attempting to get better. So praying that I get over this bug soon!! It's been driving me mad! :P Anyhow..... onto the photos!! 
 
I don't know what to say about this wedding. Really. And that's weird for me, because I usually have too many words, but for once, I am at a loss for what to write because I don't think anything I will type here will do justice to everything that was felt and seen at this union. Even the rain that visited ever so frequently on the day that Andrew and Linda said "I Will" to each other, didn't seem to put a damper on the huge amount of love, friendship, and joy that was shared by all that sat under the stars and fairylights. There's just something magical about small intimate weddings that just capture my heart. I know weddings and nuptial celebrations come in all forms, sizes, and types, but it's the small ones that involve just the closest of family and friends that really give way to what makes weddings beautiful - love, joy, intimacy, closeness, and camaraderie. Those are the things that truly make photos beautiful and shine.  
 
So while I adored shooting their beautiful countryside engagement session HERE, their wedding was an even more special affair of the heart, as it finally put a close to the cords of serendipity, timing, and friendship that intertwined throughout their 7 year love story, and it began a new chapter full of hope, adoration, love, and an even more pronounced praise to God.  
 
Thank you Linda and Andrew for having us as part of your journey. You could have chosen ANYONE from the thousands of talents out there that you know, so please know it was a HUGE HUGE honor as a photographer, and as your friend. Bucketloads of love to you both. You're an amazing pair together.  
 
xoxo 
 
 
PS: Warning. HUGE blog post ahead :) If you don't fancy scrolling through so many images, head to the bottom to see the slideshow for all the photos featured in this post and more! :) You don't want to skip the slideshow as it has alot of special VIDEO clips :) It's 15 minutes long, but we promise you it's truly worth your time to sit down :)  
 
Venue: Sydney College of the Arts 
Caterers: Aria Catering 
Hair and Makeup: Amy Chan Hair & Makeup Artistry

How pretty is the lamp with flowers as a replacement for the bride's bouquet? :D

David was busy with the boys while Vincy and I were with the girls :)

I adored these rustic and whimsical boutonnieres that the boys got to wear on the day.

Andrew and Linda decided on doing a first look. To meet each other in a quiet special spot, to see each other for the first time, without all the guests watching. It's absolutely an honor to document a first look... there's always such sweet smiles, emotions, and tenderness filling this slice of the day. have a look :) Best to check out our slideshow at the bottom of this post to see it unfold in video! :)

The bridal party then joined us in for some picture fun :)

Love!! :) Linda looked radiant! And isn't her vintage headpiece just so perfect? :)

Then it was time to make it all official. And linda didn't spare any details... hand painted calligraphy on wooden boards, flowers in hanging mason jars, a beautiful wispy white canopy made from wood and lace, and some very nifty ceremony programs that also acted as fans! :D

Now THIS moment really deserves some light. Andrew and Linda saved their first kiss for marriage. YES... its their FIRST kiss ever!! It really called for many many frames to seal this moment :)

Now THAT is how a groom should kiss on his wedding day! :D

We quickly went around one more time for some portraits before the rain came :)

We even managed to find some light. Praise God :)

And a rainbow :)

Party time! :D Linda and Andrew opted for a very casual affair filled with loads of great food (as they are both food lovers!!), where everyone could either sit down on a picnic rug, or hang out at a table under the stars and fairylights. I loved the showbags they gave everyone, the beautiful wishing well and guestbook corner, their fun candybar, and all the DELICIOUS food that Aria Catering provided. To top it all off? Instead of a cake, they inserted a gelato bar - which was just PERFECT for summer!!  
 
Oh and just another side note - LOVED that this was an outdoor reception! :D

Pretty little details... including the lovely burlap linens, and tea that everyone got as favours :)

Truffle and risotto. Roasted lamb. Can anyone say YUM?

Then a quick tea ceremony to honor Linda's side of the family :)

*heart* this moment between linda and her mother.

Then from this point onwards it was just speeches, and hanging out to have a great time. No formalities in the form of cake cutting, or first dance... they just wanted a chillax night under the stars, and that's pretty much what they got :D

And... here is their slideshow to end. Do press play.. there's LOADS of other images and special video snippets. We promise you its worth the sit down, so grab a cup of tea, maybe some popcorn and enjoy :)  
 

ps: To my AMAZING team - David and Vincy. I couldn't have done this without you. You guys are INSANELY talented. And you make team JSP so much more incredible. I am thankful to God everyday for having crossed paths with you, and having you part of this crazy journey with me. Huge love to you both.