The Love Temple at the villa was the perfect place for the bride and groom to lay their eyes on each other for the first time, and offered many photo opportunities. The ceremony was emotional and sweet, and later everyone enjoyed themselves to the sounds of the mariachi band and the open bar.

Precious and Blooming Floral Design did an excellent job with the flowers, and Mariela’s wedding planner, Amy (Twitterpated Weddings) was a pleasure to work with as well.

We will let the photos tell the story in full…

For the ceremony, Tomomi wore a traditional white wedding kimono called shiro-maku (white-pure). Watching the bride be wrapped in the many layers and adorned with myriad details was nothing short of awesome. There’s something magical in tradition and rich culture.

John was dressed in a montsuki kimono with pleated hakama pants. He wore it well.

The similarities.

Having done some research about Japanese wedding ceremonies, we made a decision to give the day’s photos a traditional look. We hoped to replicate the feel of the century old photographs we’ve seen online. We’ll let you be the judge of how well we did, and would love for you to leave us a comment.

Tomomi and John’s ceremony was performed at the Sokoji Temple in San Francisco.

The photograph below portrays the bride and groom engaged in what is known as the “san-san-kudo” ceremony, a three-times-three exchange of nuptial cups. Pass the sake, please! … okay, now we want some sake.

There is something incredibly charming about holding an old photograph in your hands, isn’t there? And we don’t mean of you as a baby, we’re talking about the one of your grandparents getting married – the one of a kind, faded, cracked, irreplaceable, and priceless.

Click the photo below for a larger version.

Tomomi, John… we’ll see you next week!

We shall skip the preparation details and jump to how beautiful and happy Mary looked.

Arriving at Villa Montalvo Arts Center we found Keith finishing up his vows, and doubling as a tux model. He looked sharp and collected.

Keith and Mary agreed to see each other before the ceremony so we could take some pictures of just the two of them. We set up a meeting for them at the Love Temple, making sure that when they saw each other, it would be special… and it was.

Thank you for letting us share in your joy, and giving us the opportunity to be a part of such a beautiful event.  We wish you and your family many happy and prosperous years.