Prewedding Photography
Venue: Khoo Kongsi. Credit: Pixel Tree Studio
Make your wedding in Penang even more special with prewedding or engagement photographs you will cherish forever! Captured at some of Penang’s most romantic and beautifully exotic venues, from pristine heritage mansions to a helipad with the iconic KOMTAR as your perfect co-star, your timeless moments in Penang are going to be stunning. Furthermore, Penang’s compact size and good road networks make it convenient for photographers to capture the contrast between the state’s bustling UNESCO Heritage Site of George Town and serene 130-million-year-old rainforest, along with its gorgeous shorelines, charming villages, and hidden gems in a matter of days.
Capturing Diverse Culture & Heritage
There’s just something about the UNESCO Heritage Site of George Town that gets our hearts fluttering. Known as the city with an exquisite blend of the old and new, you will be amazed by the well-preserved eastern and colonial architectural gems, traditional Chinese waterfront settlement of the Clan Jetties, quirky street art, old coffee shops, trendy cafes, and the hustle and bustle of people down every street.
Venue: Old coffee shop. Credit: tee-too.com/Bridalgram
Venue: Tan Jetty. Credit: Memento Wedding
Prewedding portraits shot at iconic buildings such as the highly ornamented Khoo Kongsi, Pinang Peranakan Mansion and Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion can evoke an elegant and yet exotic old-world style. To many, these old-world charmers are especially resonant, setting a striking stage for awe-inspiring shots. But for others like Zarraz Lee Quick, a Penangite who married American John Quick, shooting at Pinang Peranakan Mansion, with its Peranakan antiques and embellishments, are visual stories of her earlier narratives and a reflection of John’s interest in Asian cultures. “I am a Penang-born Nyonya, and the Pinang Peranakan Mansion allowed me to show my husband where I came from,” she says.
Venue: Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion. Credit: Momento Wedding
Pinang Peranakan Mansion. Credit: Momento Wedding
Clan Jetties of Penang
Add: Pengkalan Weld, George Town, 10300 George Town, Pulau Pinang.
Khoo Kongsi
Add: 18, Cannon Square, 10200 George Town, Pulau Pinang.
Tel: +604 261 4609
Info: www.khookongsi.com.my
Pinang Peranakan Mansion
Add: 29 Lebuh Gereja, 10200 George Town, Penang.
Tel: +604 264 2929
Info: www.pinangperanakanmansion.com.my
Cheong Fatt Tze – The Blue Mansion
Add: 14 Lebuh Leith, 10200 George Town, Penang.
Tel: +604 262 0006
Info: www.cheongfatttzemansion.com
Capturing the Intangibles
The Goddess of Mercy Temple. Credit: Amelia Soo Photography
When it comes to snapping prewedding photographs in a living heritage city like George Town, you’ll want to take advantage of the city spirit — and if capturing the intangible is what you’re after, then places of worship along Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling (also known as the Street of Harmony), like The Goddess of Mercy Temple, can’t go uncaptured.
Photographer Amelia Soo enjoys getting couples to explore the old streets of George Town — especially Street of Harmony — on foot and on traditional trishaws to capture the sights and sounds of the city in the most beautiful way one can ever imagine. “When the couple looks back at the photographs of them sauntering down the busy streets while locals of all walks of life go about their daily businesses, they will remember the smell of the burning joss sticks, the sounds of the streets and the interaction they had with the locals,” she says.
Credit: Amelia Soo Photography
Goddess of Mercy Temple (Kuan Yin Temple)
Add: 30 Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling (Pitt Street), George Town, 10200
Penang Street Art
Penang Street Art. Credit: Pixel Tree Studio
Modern culture is present too on the island and the mainland, injected by colourful street art. Whether it’s the nostalgic murals of children (Ernest Zacharevic’s style) or bright graffiti covering the old walls and five-foot ways, the 7th Most Instagrammed City for Street Art In The World has the right backdrop with all the right colours and strokes to suit. George Town has become a prime ‘real estate’ for artists the world over, so street art and wrought-iron caricatures can be found at every turn. They ooze creativity and lots of personalities ― perfect for art-loving couples! It’s also worth checking out other murals reviving Butterworth’s and Balik Pulau’s derelict buildings, too. Pro tip: Don’t compete with the background ― trade your high heels, suit, and gown with more casual clothing.
Penang Street Art. Credit: Pixel Tree Studio
Capturing Diverse Landscapes
The Habitat Penang Hill. Credit: Pixel Tree Studio
Penang is proud of its diverse nature & landscapes — pockets of sea, hills, and jungle sceneries can be found throughout the island and the mainland, and they all promise unforgettable photographs among nature. Here is a sampling of what awaits soon-to-be-wed nature lovers, from peaks and parks to beaches and paddy fields.
Peaks and Parks
At 830m above sea level and just a short distance away from George Town, Penang Hill not only attracts visitors looking for a quick getaway from the bustling city with its pleasantly cool climate, but it also attracts lovebirds looking to encapsulate the 130-million-year-old virgin rainforest of the iconic hill in their prewedding shots! Nearby, the awe-inspiring treetop walkway and canopy walk of The Habitat Penang Hill offers sweeping backdrops of the magnificent virgin rainforest. Down the foothill, the green spaces and towering trees of the Penang Botanic Gardens offer scenic photos for your storybook wedding.
The Habitat Penang Hill. Credit: Pixel Tree Studio
The Habitat Penang Hill. Credit: Pixel Tree Studio
Penang Botanic Gardens. Credit: Momento Wedding
Penang Botanic Gardens. Credit: Momento Wedding
Encompassing a large chunk of the western side of the Penang island, Teluk Bahang features some Pinterest-perfect locations worth immortalising into your prewedding photographs. Boulder Valley Glamping is one of the best-known photogenic locations in this part of the island ― the site offers natural views of the wilderness through glass rooms or spaces. Looking to spice up your engagement photos? The Tropical Spice Garden has all the right ingredients for a spice-filled photoshoot you’ll remember for a lifetime. Growing out of Penang’s rich past as a spice island, the venue is a biodiverse living museum of the spices and other plants that have been our medicines as well as Penang’s foodscapes since the dawn of time.
“Tropical Spice Garden is different from any other garden in Penang,” says Zarraz Lee Quick, who also selected this location. “It feels like you are walking through a secret garden, a place where it is just the two of you and Mother Earth.”
Venue: Tropical Spice Garden. Credit: Momento Wedding
Penang Hill
Add: Jalan Bukit Bendera, 11500 Ayer Itam
Tel: +604 828 8880 / 828 8839
Email: inquiries@penanghill.gov.my
Info: www.penanghill.gov.my
The Habitat Penang Hill
Add: Bukit Bendera, 11300 Penang
Tel: +604 826 7677
Email: inquiry@thehabitat.my
Info: www.thehabitat.my
Penang Botanic Gardens
Add: Jalan Kebun Bunga, 10350 George Town
Tel: +604 226 4401 / 226 4404
Email: botani@penang.gov.my
Tropical Spice Garden
Add: Lot 595 Mukim 2, Jalan Teluk Bahang, Teluk Bahang
Tel: +604 881 1797 / 881 1796 / 881 1795 / +60124307795
Email: info@tropicalspicegarden.com
Info: www.tropicalspicegarden.com
Scenic Beaches
Credit: Pixel Tree Studio
Penang offers so many scenic sandy beaches, some developed into world-class resorts, others as rugged and empty as the sailors of way-back-when found them for the first time. The long, wide beaches of Batu Ferringhi, Tanjung Tokong and Tanjung Bungah on the island, as well as Pantai Bersih and Teluk Air Tawar in Seberang Perai are amongst some of the famous spots to capture the magical sunset shots. “Penang beaches not only offer sandy backdrops, but also rock formations that are very interesting to include in a frame,” says Kenn of Kenn Foo Photography.
Credit: Momento Wedding
Quaint Paddy Fields
Sungai Dua paddy fields, Butterworth. Credit: Sunnysan Photography
Due to Penang’s agricultural background in rice farming, patches of rolling paddy fields still exist in quaint countrysides like Balik Pulau on the island and Sungai Dua on the mainland. Often, shots taken at these spots are accompanied by swaying coconut trees and rustic traditional kampong houses on the horizon.
Balik Pulau rice fields. Credit: Pixel Tree Studio.
Kampung Terang, Balik Pulau
P239 Jalan Pulau Betong, Balik Pulau
Sungai Dua Paddy Fields
P206 Jalan Kampung Guar Petai, Butterworth, Seberang Perai
Capturing World Unsurpassed Attractions
Venue: The TOP’s Rainbow Skywalk (World’s First Tower Curved Skywalk). Credit: Tie The Knot Photography
Ever-changing and exciting, Penang is a state that reinvents itself constantly. There are a host of attractions with world-surpassed titles that couples can photograph to make their photographs even more memorable. The TOP’s Rainbow Skywalk, the World’s First Tower Curved Skywalk, offers a background unlike any other places. The glass skywalk sits 250 metres above ground, with just a piece of glass separating you and the traffic beneath your feet! While you’re here, how about a thrilling photoshoot at the World’s Highest Ropes Course Challenge at The Gravityz? Before walking down the aisle, walk down the World’s Highest Altitude Stressed-Ribbon Bridge at The Habitat Penang Hill. The Langur Way Canopy Walk sits 700 metres above sea level, and the view is a stunning span of an ancient virgin rainforest. If you are looking for that stunning shot of you two surrounded by 15,000 fluttering butterflies, the Entopia by Penang Butterfly Farm — World’s First Tropical Butterfly and Insect Sanctuary — is the only spot to do just that.
Venue: The TOP’s Rainbow Skywalk (World’s First Tower Curved Skywalk). Credit: Momento Wedding
Venue: The Langur Way Canopy Walk (World’s Highest Altitude Stressed-Ribbon Bridge). Credit: Pixel Tree Studio
The Top Penang (Rainbow Skywalk)
World’s First Tower Curved Skywalk
Add: Jalan Penang, 10000 George Town, Penang
Tel: +604 262 3800
Email: reservation@thetop.com.my
Info: www.thetop.com.my
The Langur Way at The Habitat Penang Hill
World’s Highest Altitude Stressed-Ribbon Bridge
Add: Bukit Bendera, 11300 Penang
Tel: +604 826 7677
Email: inquiry@thehabitat.my
Info: www.thehabitat.my
Entopia by Penang Butterfly Farm
World’s First Tropical Butterfly and Insect Sanctuary
Add: Jalan Teluk Bahang, 11050 Teluk Bahang, Penang
Tel: +604 888 8111
Email: info@entopia.com
Info: www.entopia.com
Capturing Penang Iconic Landmarks
Credit: Pixel Tree Studio
There are so many ways to round-out a quintessential Penang prewedding photoshoots, and one of them is using Penang’s iconic landmarks as your co-star! Look to the skies for inspirations like this couple — they took their prewedding photos atop St Giles Wembley Hotel’s helipad, with Penang’s tallest building — Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak (KOMTAR) — in the background. Another landmark to consider is the iconic Penang Bridge. The bridge is synonymous with the state, and that’s why it makes a perfect backdrop to many prewedding photographs.
Venue: Penang Bridge. Credit: Tie the Knot Photography
St Giles Wembley Hotel
Add: 183, Jalan Magazine
Tel: +604 259 8000
Info: www.facebook.com/TheWembleyPenang/
Capturing Hidden Gems
It’s worthwhile to head somewhere less visited, like the offbeat area of Seberang Perai, to capture the beauty of Penang’s hidden gems for prewedding portraits that will sweep you off your feet. Kampung Agong in Penaga is a countryside theme park set beside a dense coconut grove. It is equipped with swings, giant bird nests and paddy fields, adding quaint kampong aesthetics to your shots. England House in Nibong Tebal is another hidden gem to note. Founded by a former photographer, the cottage is filled with antiques and vintage decor. Frog Hill is one of the few attractions in Penang that still feels hidden — getting to the top of the hill requires going through rough and patchy terrains, but capturing the sweeping vistas atop the abandoned tin mining site are worth the hike. “I love shooting at Frog Hill because of the lake’s colour,” says Beh of Bayz Beh Photography. “It can change from green to aqua and turquoise depending on the weather.”
Travel reminder: Frog Hill is a remote area so visitors are advised to exercise extra precautions.
Venue: England House. Credit: Momento Wedding
Venue: Frog Hill. Credit: WLoon Photography
Kampung Agong
Add: Lot 20, Mukim 05, Bakar Kapur, Penaga, Seberang Perai Utara
Tel: +6012-481 7795
Email: kampungagong@gmail.com
Info: www.facebook.com/Kampung-Agong-1873406712955702/
England House
Add: 10 Lorong Belatok 9, Taman Belatok, Nibong Tebal, Seberang Perai, Penang
Tel: +6012 581 5333
Email: england_house@outlook.com
Info: www.facebook.com/englandhouseweddingvenue
Frog Hill
Add: No road signs point to this abandoned quarry. To get there, enter these into your GPS navigator: 5.436643, 100.485111.
Prewedding Preparation Tips and Advice
You only take prewedding photos once, so make it count! Timmy Khang of Tie the Knot suggests planning the flow of the shooting day because the best images need appropriate light found during different hours of the day as well as to minimize travelling duration.
“Couples like to see variety in their pictures,” explains Vernon of Momento Wedding Photography. “We usually propose to shoot nature together with architecture, so that when they go through their album, they are pleased with the different themes and the image variety.”
Sunny Tan of Sunnysan Photography prefers using natural lighting, shadows, and available elements of the venue to compose the perfect prewedding frames. “I always ask couples to wake up early so that we can start the first photoshoot by 8.30 am and be done by 10.30 am”. Sunny explains that these 2 hours are best for capturing the outdoors and beating the crowds at tourist spots.
In the afternoon, it’s always best to shoot indoors at various heritage buildings, due to the intensity of the midday sun. “We can create some fantastic shadow effects by brightening up the indoor scenes,” he continues, “and most importantly, the couple won’t get sunburnt, and the bride’s makeup will not run.”
Speaking of makeup, don’t forget to plan for a trial makeup session a few days before the shooting.
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