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!