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A WEDDING IN JAPAN! I am still is disbelief that this really happened, but here it is! And here are the photos to prove it! I have always wanted to travel to Japan because my grandmother was Japanese. The bride, Kelly, moved from California to Japan years ago to teach English. While she was in Japan, she had no idea that she would meet and fall in love with someone who lives in Japan! Kelly and Kaz have been together for a while now and were so excited about getting married. Kelly is also my husband’s cousin. They originally planned a wedding that would take place in Lake Tahoe, California, but then they later decided to have a wedding in Japan for Kaz’s family members that wouldn’t be able to make the trip. We were booked for the Lake Tahoe wedding, but we would absolutely be more than willing to travel to Japan! We were here with an amazing couple, beautiful venue, vineyard, mountain backdrop and perfect weather. How incredibly lucky are we?!?! Everyone was so friendly and welcoming to my husband and I. The wedding was completely spoken in Japanese. Even though we did not know the language, we could still feel all the emotions this day. Japanese people are so kind. There were so many unique traditions that are done for weddings in Japan. Weddings here typically take place in the middle of the day for just a few hours. Their wedding rehearsal is done just before the actual ceremony will take place. All the guests stand for the ceremony. I love how everyone introduced themselves before the ceremony. The groom meets his bride at the beginning of the aisle and they walk to the altar together. When the bride and groom entered the reception, they broke open a barrel of sake that was then served to the guests for toasting. The reception was full of speeches from many guests, delicious plates of food and a fancy dessert bar. The plates of food kept coming. Japanese food is so unique and every plate looked like a masterpiece! Just perfect! At the end of the brunch, the parents of the groom were presented with bouquets of flowers as a symbol of their marriage and a welcome to the family. This was an incredibly touching moment. After the reception, we took the bride and groom out for more photos around the winery.
This wedding was so sweet and absolutely perfect. I am so grateful that we were able to travel and photograph this beautiful wedding. Japan has always had a special place in my heart, but I never dreamed I would love it so much. I still can’t believe how every single person we met here was so welcoming and giving. The Japanese culture is so respectful and it just makes you feel so good. Places like this do exist! If you haven’t been here, put it on your bucket list!
