Sayaka & Tom

A Japanese Shinto wedding ceremony in Hiroshima for one of my best buddies and his stunning new wife that was as beautiful as it was traditional. After the formal pre-ceremony shots, the wedding procession entered the main shrine building for prayers, sake and lots of standing up and sitting down again. Admittedly none of the UK contingent had any clue what was going on, but the atmosphere was just incredible – especially with the eerily haunting flute music floating around us. With the ceremony done we were all treated to a nine-course traditional Hiroshima-style feast, all washed down with copious amounts of sake and Asahi beer. A few emotional speeches and a quick photoshoot in the adjoining Zen garden wound things up, before moving on to get amongst it in the hipster bars of downtown Hiroshima to keep the celebration going. What a day. Congratulations Sayaka & Tom, all the very best for your new life together.