YOKO + BLAINE

Shozan Resort Kyoto Wedding | Japanese American Wedding in Kyoto at Shozan Resort | Best Documentary Wedding Photographer Kyoto | Christian Wedding Ceremony at Shozan Resort Kyoto

.

Yoko is Japanese and Blaine is American. They are architects, live in New York, and planned their wedding in Kyoto, Japan.
I am latin and live in Helsinki, Finland.
I don’t know how Yoko and Blaine found me, but I surely am glad they stumbled upon my portfolio.

There’s something truly special about international weddings. To me, they always speak about how amazing my couples must be, when their family and friends gather from far away places to celebrate them. I enjoy destination weddings and I’ve worked with many international couples. Moreover, I can relate to them from my personal intercultural wedding experience. As a result, international weddings are always close to my heart.

Sometimes international weddings are a Finnish couple who lives abroad but plans a wedding back in Finland with international guests. Other times, a couple from down under eloping in Finland. Or a Japanese couple getting married in Southern France.

In the last few years I’ve covered several Japanese couples eloping in Europe. Little by little I’ve discovered more about the Japanese culture. The mix of strong tradition, strict etiquette, deep politeness, modern architecture, minimalistic lifestyle, high level of modern technological development, fascinate me.

.

Japanese American Wedding in Kyoto

I feel deeply honoured that Yoko and Blaine chose me to document their wedding. Many people have asked me how I, based in Finland, came to document a Japanese American wedding in Kyoto. It was also a mystery to me in the beginning. Prior to their wedding in Japan, I only met Yoko and Blaine through Skype. Yoko told me she just found my portfolio and liked my work.

It wasn’t until their wedding in Kyoto that I understood how perfectly natural my presence at their wedding felt. Yoko did not want a fully traditional Japanese wedding, nor an American wedding. She wanted an international wedding that would represent both cultures, a wonderful mix of both worlds. And, oddly enough, Scandinavian culture feels exactly somewhere in between those two worlds: both western and minimalistic.

Yoko and Blaine’s wedding had a wonderful mix of these two worlds: a western wedding dress (and super minimalistic, as any architect bride loves) hanging on a shōji paper door, American designer bridal shoes resting on a tatami mat, a touching Christian ceremony followed by cocktails in a Edo period garden setting. Yoko and Blaine themselves: two amazing humans of New York.

Thank you Yoko and Blaine.
What an amazing experience your wedding has been! Thank you for your wonderful hospitality, for opening your world to me. 

Shozan Resort Kyoto Wedding | Japanese American Wedding in Kyoto at Shozan Resort | Best Documentary Wedding Photographer Kyoto | Christian Wedding Ceremony at Shozan Resort Kyoto

Wedding dress: BHLDN | Bride’s Shoes: STEVE MADDEN | Veil: Loveyoubridedesign (Etsy) | Jewelry: Blue Nile | Bridesmaids Dresses: lulu | Groom’s Tuxedo: Zara | Groom’s Shoes: Zara | Flowers: VALFLOR | Catering: Shozan Resort | Stationery: Minted | Wedding Planner: Shozan Resort, Mayu Izaki

PS. If you’re considering getting married at Shozan Resort Kyoto – I fully recommend it. This place is fabulous! The hotel, the different wedding venues, the surroundings, the Japanese Garden, the exquisite food. Everything.

Also, if you’re planning to get married in Kyoto, or if you are spending your honeymoon in Kyoto and would like beautiful photos, get in touch with me about your plans.