Just got back from a week in Tokyo where together with Caroline (who put her fluent Japanese to good use!) we planned and executed a ‘Hong Kong’ style wedding at Grand Hyatt Tokyo for 160 guests all of whom traveled from Hong Kong for this spectacular 3-day event. The bride and groom spent many hours on their custom designed wedding invitation, printed on seeded paper that the guests could plant afterwards. They spent many more hours getting the details just right for this ‘eco-friendly’ green wedding.

The celebrations kicked off with a welcome dinner at the historic and 300 year old Tofu-ya Ukai restaurant at the base of Tokyo Tower. Sue Kessler from the prestigious Christian Oth studio in New York was on hand to capture all the revelry. It was her first time in Asia so you can imagine what fun it was for her to be in Tokyo!

The cultural differences definitely posed a challenge (thank god for Caroline!) but overall the wedding went off without a hitch. The hand delivery of 160 individual and named welcome bags to 15 hotels across Tokyo did take the better part of a day though!

All in all, the Japanese are meticulous in their planning and no detail was overlooked. It was a very auspicious date to get married both in the Japanese and Chinese lunar calendars and there were six weddings taking place on the very same day at Grand Hyatt Tokyo. No wonder the hotel had everything running like clockwork, with absolutely no allowances for delays! The festivities continued with an after-party at  Mado Lounge, on the 52/F of the Mori Tower with spectacular Tokyo city views.