The Big Jaclyn Ying And Feline Wedding Saga.. What You Should Know!

I'm totally shocked.

Of course I'm shocked! Because just like everyone, I was wondering which bridal studio gave such crappy photos for the actual wedding day!!! The shock escalates when I found out that the bridal studio is Feline Wedding! (*omgwthbbq! Isn't that the bridal studio which we engaged?*)

I have to say Mr OOPS and I were in disbelief.

Photo grabbed from Jaclyn Ying's facebook

I was reading the comments from various sources. It seems that there were comments about why it cost $3000++, or why is the couple asked to pay for such ugly photos etc. I also attempted to contact Jaclyn herself, hoping to understand her situation and post it here as a warning for other bride-to-be. She didn't get back to me. But when the bridal studio and photographer finally speaks up, everything starts to unfold.

Disclaimer: This post is not meant to "flame and shame" anyone. This post is intended for bride-to-bes who have already paid for wedding services at Feline Wedding. Because if I were one of them, I will either be freaking out thinking how to sell my package away OR  cry in helplessness that I have to stick to such a notorious bridal studio. This post is meant to assure you that things ain't SO bad.

Based on my experience as a graduated bride from Feline Wedding,
  • The $3000++ has nothing to do with AD photography. In fact, my package also cost $3088, which covers only pre-wedding stuff, AD clothes, car decoration and some miscellaneous items. Whatever is stated in the receipt as FOC was given FOC. In this package, we are offered 30 pre-wedding photos and that any additional piece will be chargeable. We also paid extras for the usual charges like early hours fees, ampoules, second make up costs which you will need to pay at any other bridal studio. If you are wondering, we also get the whole nonsense about pushing us to purchase more photos, but Mr OOPS and I make a firm decision NOT TO TOP UP and we have no regrets. Read about : Why We Chose Feline Bridal? 
  • We were offered an option to add on AD Photography at $600 whereby all the photos taken on the day will be given back to us in a DVD. This is something on top of the package we purchased and usually little/no editing done. Basically you can be assured that a photographer engaged by the bridal studio will definitely turn up but you can't secure which one because they are supposedly all not bad. Because we are unsure about the photographer skills and we placed a lot of emphasis on AD photographer, we chose not to take up that offer. Pre-wedding photos can be photoshopped or taken again, but that's not the same for AD. Also, a good pre-wed photographer is not equivalent to a good event photographer. Thus, we find it risky to pay for a photographer whom we have never met and we decided to source for a more reliable and passionate photographer instead. And if you are thinking how did we come to our final choice of engaging Haige from H&V Photography, you can find the checklist we used with our AD photographer. He's really awesome BTW! Read about: Meeting Your Potential Photographer for Actual Day Photography (What To Look Out)
  • The couple emphasized that they paid $3000++ but in actual fact, the top up price which they paid for the 10 hours AD photography is only $350. Sorry to say this, but you are paying for what you are getting. Professional, or even award winning, photographers will not spend 10 hours sweating their guts out for an event and still spend additional hours editing every single one for just $350. Either way, that's an insult to their professionalism. Note to Feline bridal, the lesson that you need to learn is not all consumers like us have a sense of professionalism. The only mentality we have is we want it "CHEAP AND GOOD". So although you may be offering us a dirt-cheap price (compared to the $1200 and above AD photography packages outside), but we will expect the standard to be of equivalence to the $1200 and above kind. Get it? So if you can't confirm on securing such a "CHEAP AND GOOD" photographer, don't try and get a cheap yet sub standard one. It just makes the studio become notorious, like now.
Screenshot captured from Chung Siew Goh Facebook
  • The photographer claimed that the post was unfair because he took a total of more than 900+ photos. Together with his post, he posted a couple of the better shots. Feline Wedding also revealed that the photographer had more than 20 years of experience. Sorry Mr Goh, even though the couple paid $350, from the way you pass them the photos and edit them, I thought you have only 2 months experience. Don't you understand that the role of a photographer is not just to shoot and return all? It includes relooking at the works, removing the unsightly ones and adjusting the colours. I'm most appalled by the SUPER ODD editing of having colours at random spots. They way you edit and manage those photos gives us a feeling that you are totally not passionate about your work. This may not be a well-paid job but if you take pride in it, it will be against your professional values to release such photos. Coming to that, I was relooking at my own actual day photos and thankful that I was saved from such a trauma of seeing myself rolling my eyes because I swear I do that quite often when I'm anxious.
Photos from Jaclyn Ying's Facebook
Edited by Mr OOPS (who recently caught on the
Descendants of the Sun craze) =P
  • The bride showcased 21 atrocious wedding photos that got all our jaws dropped. It went viral. But she should have given a more balanced point of view by showing some of the better photos out of the 900+ she is receiving. Yes we feel for the bride! It's horrendous seeing those photos. Those photos should be deleted! But just showcasing the best of the worst from the album gives everyone the perception that every single photo given to you are of similar standards. I can say you succeeded in doing that. But thanks to an accidental release of the "better photos", we now have a clearer idea that things are not as bad as what we believed. To be fair, these photos are nowhere near awesome. But at least the couple is smiling in all the photos and the photos are bright and clear. 
Photos from Chung Siew Goh Facebook
(photos are now removed from his facebook)
Photo grabbed from Feline Wedding facebook
Photo grabbed from Feline Wedding facebook
Photo grabbed from Feline Wedding facebook
Photo grabbed from Feline Wedding facebook
  • The bride emphasized that her post was not meant to "flame and shame" the bridal shop or the photographer and has repeatedly declined to reveal these details. She also wanted to highlight "the industry practice of not letting wedding package couples choose their photographer based on their specific portfolio". The wedding industry is so small and there are just that many of "pretty reputable bridal shop" around. It's no surprise that their identities will be revealed within a day (kay-poh-us). Let's just put things into perspective: this couple made the informed choice to take up the AD package even though they knew they could not choose her photographer based on their specific portfolio. So this is what happens. For future feline or non-feline BTB, don't make a similar mistake.

Points to highlight to the Feline BTB,

  1. Not all expensive AD photographers are good. Source around, check out reviews, check out their entire portfolio (not just the best photos) and talk to them before confirming your deal.
  2. Communicate with your bridal studio on your concerns and thrashed them out so you do not feel worried about your big day. Relax and keep calm!
  3. Check out my full experience with this bridal studio and let it clam some of your nerves.

Having said that, we thank Jaclyn and Kelvin for raising up a genuine concern in the wedding industry. Let's hope this put a red alert to those amateur (or self proclaimed professional) photographers who think they can get quick money by just holding a DSLR. This is also a red alert to those bridal studios who think they are offering a cheap and good deal to their clients when they have not spend time to understand their photographer's professionalism enough.I also want to thank the keyboard warriors for those LMAO kind of meme based on the epic photos. They were awesome.

Sharing my personal favourite:
Photo from hardwarezone forum
With love,
Mrs OOPS

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