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February 24, 2020
A Japanese wedding between Venice and Tokyo
A Japanese wedding between Venice and Tokyo
A Japanese wedding with a European flair at Hibiya Palace in Tokyo
Momoko and Sho met at a singles dating event, but not just any meeting. Momoko, born in and raised in Tokyo, has always been an avid traveler. At 16 she won an AFS scholarship to study in Venice, and this is where I met her. While I was living in Chile, she had taken my room in Venice! On my return we became friends and sisters.
Upon her return to Japan, we knew that her love for Italy would sooner or later bring her back “home”.
After several European trips, Momoko decided to make the leap a second time: she would come to study in Italy. This time she decided to study in Rome, at La Sapienza University.
After the Roman experience, she moved to Berlin to follow her career as a light designer. After her European experience was over, Momoko knew that if she found love, it would be with someone who shared her spirit.
Fate put Sho in front of her: in common they had the experience of life in Germany, and a great curiosity.
A unique wedding at Hibiya Palace in Tokyo, in an unexpectedly hot and sunny February
Momoko and Sho’s marriage was a perfect reflection of them as a couple and as individuals.
All the elements were there: a French restaurant with European elegance, at Hibiya Palace in Tokyo. Lively floral decorations, unique and almost spring-like despite the month, February. The celebration palette was composed of yellows and oranges, with a few touches of pink.
Guests came from all over the world: Venice of course, Germany, Japan.
Momoko’s family themselves were impeccably dressed: her mother, aunts, cousins and even her 90-year-old grandmother all looked gorgeous in their kimonos.
The day was enriched with all the important things for Momoko and Sho and their European experiences
Along the stairs that connected one room to the other, the couple had hung some of the photos they loved most: among these, the photos of Momoko intent on rowing, in Venice!
The aperitif cocktail could only be a spritz, the most famous drink in Venice, complete with an explanation of the recipe for the Japanese guests.
An unexpectedly warm sun in the gardens of the Hibiya Palace allowed us to take pictures even outdoors, among the green of the trees and the pond. The simple elegance of Japan was in every detail. French cuisine with Japanese fusion elements was absolutely outstanding. Due to the different Japanese customs, the day did not take place like a normal wedding: there was no ceremony.
In fact, the Japanese wedding tradition has it that there is a first wedding from the Shinto ritual, then a party with friends and relatives, with all Western rules.
Momoko wore a fabulous wedding dress here, having performed the Shinto ritual with Sho a year earlier. This has not prevented them from celebrating some rituals such as the one that involves assigning the bouquet to those who find a candy hidden in the wedding cake.
The party went on until late in the evening, with all friends and colleagues happy to celebrate the couple with games, jokes, quizzes in Japanese and English for the international guests traveling from Venice.