The wedding that joined our friends Tomoko and Brian as life partners was a beautiful experience. After a photo session in the New Otani’s Japanese Garden, we took a short cab ride to the Hie Jinja Shrine with our good friends Phoebe and Marcus who had also flown in from Seattle to join the festivities. It’s hard to believe that a peaceful shrine with tranquil surroundings exists in the heart of a bustling Tokyo. 

The bride and groom were having their photos taken before the ceremony as soon as we arrived. For this part of the event, Tomo wore a traditional white wedding kimono with fresh flowers in her hair. Her wedding planner, in the pink kimono, stayed with her and saw to her every need. Brian matched his Japanese bride by wearing a traditional robe that he called “pajamas”. The couple was too stunning for words. 

Friends and family from all over Europe, the US, Canada, China and Japan attended this truly international wedding. Guests wore wedding-appropriate western clothes and traditional Japanese kimonos to the event. 

The bells chimed to signal the start of the ceremony at 2.30pm. The bride and groom, along with their close family members, walked in a procession from one side of the shrine courtyard to the other, while the guests watched from the center. The guests followed the procession into the shrine and were seated for the rest of the ceremony. 

It was back to picture taking in the courtyard after the couple had tied the knot. The photographer took pictures of all the guests and the family with the newlyweds. There were smiles galore! The newlyweds snuck off to have more photos taken while the guests walked to a nearby restaurant for the reception. Yes! I walked to the restaurant in my new high heels and impressed the pants off Greg and Phoebe. 

Brian stayed in his traditional garb, while Tomoko added a colourful red layer over her white kimono. She totally took my breath away in this outfit. So much so that I shed a tear when I saw her walk down the aisle of the restaurant. Stunning does not begin to describe it.  

The reception was divine, complete with wonderful MC who translated both in English and Japanese throughout the evening. We loved the fusion food and enjoyed the company of Brian’s Mum, Dad and sister as we shared a table with them, along with Marcus and Phoebe. We laughed, we cried, and we laughed and cried some more. The speeches were touching and the love shared between the married couple is deep.

The reception ended about three hours later, but that was not the end of the night. We walked back to the hotel (me in my new high heels), to change into something more comfortable for the rest of the evening. Most of the guests met up again at Joe’s, a nearby standing bar, where we were reunited with the bride and groom who had changed into comfortable clothes too. We never made it to the karaoke part of the night because I was feeling a little under the weather. But we thoroughly enjoyed the wedding and our spectacular trip to Japan. The loving memories and unique experiences will stay close to our hearts for a long time. 

It’s not too late to join the YLF Seattle Clothing Swap Meet on Saturday May 5. The swap will be held in the Seattle Seward Park neighbourhood from 11am till 1pm. Veteran member Antje, who is a clothing swap pro, has kindly offered to organize the event just like she did the year before. I’ll be there to give my two cents and join in the festivities and offer my homemade chocolate cake with cream cheese icing. 

Participating is free and easy: Bring at least 5 items of clothing (clean and in good condition) plus unlimited shoes, bags, and accessories that you no longer want or need and that may work for someone else. Send email to swap@youlookfab.com and provide your full name and preferred email address, and you’ll receive an eVite with more information, the address and directions. We are exited to see you there! 

These photos were taken an hour before the wedding in a Japanese garden at The New Otani, the hotel where we stayed during our visit to Tokyo. With it’s beautiful tomato red bridge and Zen shrubbery, Greg couldn’t have found a more picturesque backdrop for this photo shoot. 

I had hoped to find a new outfit to wear for the joyous occasion, but it didn’t work out that way. Things were either too short, too neutral, too bare, too casual, too flimsy, too expensive or too maximal when I shopped around for a frock and topper. I still liked the blue sheath dress and citron trench coat that I wore for my 40th a few years ago better than anything new I tried. Shopping your closet has it’s benefits.

Although classic in silhouette, the uneven ruching detailing both in the front and back of the sheath gives it a modern and sculptural vibe. It was unexpectedly cold and windy that day and I was much relieved that I had a dressy trench coat to cover up my sleeveless dress. I kept the trench on and un-buttoned during most of the wedding events. 

I hadn’t thought of adding nude hosiery to this ensemble until right before the event. 99% of the women in Japan wear textured, black or plain nude hosiery with their skirts and dresses, so I was inspired to do the same. I bought an ultra fine textured pair at a nearby shop for $4.

And my goodness was I glad that I wore hose. Most of the ceremony at the shrine was outside. And afterwards we walked to the restaurant where the reception was held, as well as walking back to the hotel. I would have frozen my buns off with bare legs, and been utterly miserable. 

The dress was blue. The trench coat, pearls, clutch bag (and dress) were old. And the shoes are new. The citron colour of the pumps stole my heart right away. But I am not a high-heeled stiletto gal, preferring chunkier and lower heels by about a billion percent. However, I loved the black and white stripes on the heels so I gave them a bash.

As far as “sitting shoes” go, they felt fab, and completed the lady like integrity of the outfit. I can scarcely believe, and neither can Greg, that I walked to the reception and back to the hotel in these heels – although it was at a much slower pace than my usual fast stride. Thank you Kate Spade for making high heels that agree with my fussy feet. 

Be sure to see the additional pictures on Facebook or Tumblr, and if you are interested in the making of a YLF photo, Greg has outlined the post-processing steps on his lookfab blog. 

Tomorrow, the finale of our Japan series and the most important post of all: Brian and Tomoko’s wedding.

You are on Team Bracelet if you prefer to wear arm candy — be it bangles, bracelets or cuffs — more than rings. You are on Team Ring if you prefer to wear decorative rings, like oversized faux cocktail rings or rings made of real metals and precious stones, more than arm candy. Note: for this poll, watches do NOT count as arm candy, and wedding rings do NOT count as decorative rings. 

I very, very, occasionally wear bracelets and rings because my minimalistic style prefers to stay clear of jewelry and accessory extras. I stick to wearing an oversized watch and wedding ring daily and leave it at that. A few times a year, I’ll throw on a chunky bracelet or cocktail ring, both gold and bold vintage pieces from my late Mum. I seem to wear the ring a little more often than the bracelet, and also generally prefer rings to arm candy. I’m on Team Ring. 

Over to you. Are you on Team Bracelet or Team Ring. Tell us why and no batting for both teams.