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Real Weddings & Elopements 4 min read

The Ultimate Japan Elopement | A Luxury Love Story on the Izu Peninsula

The couple kiss on a round stepping stone in the koi pond of the Japanese garden at ABBA Resort Izu, their Japan elopement venue.

There are places in Japan that feel written by the wind. And then there’s Izu … where poetry meets coastline.

A peninsula of cliffs and gardens, waves and whispers, it’s what we call poetic Japan. The Wuthering Heights of romance. Wild, timeless, breathtaking.

And for two extraordinary souls from Colorado by way of Hawaii … who had never left the U.S. before … it became the setting for something unforgettable: their luxury Japan elopement at the stunning ABBA Resort Izu.

Dark volcanic cliffs drop into the Pacific under a pale pink sky on the Izu Peninsula, the setting for a luxury Japan elopement.
Details of the day: a wooden villa sign, surf on the cliffs, koi, a camellia bud, pearl drop earrings on obi fabric and a crystal brooch.
Green maple leaves in the garden, and the two wedding bands resting together among sparkling points of light.
In black and white, a square diamond engagement ring reflected on a dark surface among soft points of light.
The dark roof of the villa at ABBA Resort Izu from above, and water pouring from a wooden spout into its private outdoor onsen.
The groom buttons his dark blue shirt against a warm wall as he gets ready for his elopement on the Izu Peninsula.
The groom looks toward the window light as he fastens his collar in the villa at ABBA Resort Izu.
The groom fastens his cuff by a tall window in the villa, and the bride checks her lipstick in a small pink mirror.
The groom adjusts his cuff by the window, and pulls on his cream jacket in front of the garden greenery.
The groom in silhouette against a paper shoji screen as he fastens his cuff before the ceremony.
In black and white, the bride's face appears in a small hand mirror, her dark hair filling the foreground.
In black and white, the bride looks into a hand mirror in her robe as a hand reaches in above her beside a light panel.
A close portrait of the bride in window light, and an orange teapot with red cups laid out on a stone in the garden.
A rainbow prism flare crosses the bride in profile as her makeup is done, and her eyes close for the final touches.
The bride in a satin robe laughs as she reaches up to her wedding dress hanging on the wooden lattice of the villa.
The bride in a long sleeved white dress fastens a pearl earring as a woman in a grey kimono helps behind her.
In black and white, the bride fixes an earring, framed by dark blurred shapes in the villa.
The groom ties his shoes beneath his cream jacket hanging in the glass doorway, framed by leaves from the garden.
The groom in his cream suit seen through the branches of a garden tree at ABBA Resort Izu.
In black and white, the groom walks alone down stone steps through the Japanese garden at ABBA Resort Izu.
The groom in his cream suit pauses at the foot of stone steps in the Japanese garden at ABBA Resort Izu.
The groom in a cream jacket, dark shirt and black bow tie, a white rose boutonniere on his lapel, among the garden greenery.
The bride in her long sleeved white gown fastens the strap of her pale heels on a patterned sofa in the villa.
The bride holds a bouquet of pink and cream roses in her square neck gown, looking into the camera in the villa.
The bride stands in her long sleeved gown with a pink and cream bouquet against the warm walls of her villa suite.
In black and white, the bride glances aside in her square neck gown and a fine diamond necklace.
In black and white, the bride in profile, her dark curls over one shoulder and pearl drop earrings catching the light.
The bride turns toward the window light with her rose bouquet, a carved wall shelf above her in the villa.
The groom stands on stepping stones above the koi pond in the garden at ABBA Resort Izu, orange and white koi below.
A bouquet of pink and cream garden roses held against the folds of the bride's white gown.
In black and white, the bride looks down at her bouquet as she stands on stepping stones across a still pool at the villa.
The bride's reflection ripples in the water of the villa pool, her white gown broken into waves of light.
In black and white, the bride steps across the stepping stones of a reflecting pool, her gown mirrored in the water.
In black and white, a wide view of the courtyard pool with the bride crossing its stepping stones beneath the villa roof.
The bride stands before a white sofa in the villa lounge, her bouquet and its long ribbons in her hands.
The bride stands in the center of a wooden lounge at ABBA Resort Izu, tall lattice windows and a white sofa behind her.
In black and white, the bride stands in a dark room beside a barred window, her bouquet held low at her side.
The bride looks out a tall wooden lattice window, soft light falling on her gown and pink rose bouquet.
The bride in near silhouette against a glowing shoji screen, her bouquet low at her side.
In black and white, the groom in his suit and bow tie stands beneath a wooden pergola in the garden.
The groom walks between the wooden posts of a garden gate among green maples at ABBA Resort Izu.
In black and white, the bride reflected in a still pool, and the couple side by side with the bride smiling at the camera.
The bride walks up the path behind the groom for their first look, and they meet beneath a red parasol by a stone lantern.
The bride rests her head on the groom's shoulder, and they embrace beneath a red parasol in the garden at their first look.
The couple face each other beneath a red parasol by a stone lantern, and the bride touches her face as she looks up at the groom.
In black and white, the groom wipes a tear with a tissue as the bride stands close in the garden.
The bride reaches up to touch the groom's face, her pearl drop earrings catching the light in the garden.
The groom smiles through tears, a tissue at his eye and a white rose boutonniere on his cream jacket.
The bride cups the groom's face with her hand as he covers his mouth at their first look in the garden.
The groom dabs his eyes with a tissue while the bride, her hair pinned with a clip, holds a tissue of her own.
In black and white, the bride touches the groom's cheek, and stands framed by a wooden garden gate with her bouquet.
The groom waits among tall garden plants, and red, white and yellow koi gather in the pond at ABBA Resort Izu.
The bride seen through maple branches and garden shrubs as she waits in her gown with her bouquet.
In black and white, the bride walks a path between clipped hedges, and the groom reads his vows to her.
The couple hold hands on a mossy rock in the Japanese garden, the ribbons of the bride's bouquet trailing.
In black and white, the bride looks down with her bouquet in one hand and the groom's hand in the other.
The couple hold hands for their vows in the garden, and the bride looks up at the groom as he speaks.
The couple exchange vows on a stone bridge over the koi pond, orange koi in the water below them.
A wide view of the Japanese garden at ABBA Resort Izu, the couple small on a stone bridge for their elopement ceremony.
The bride reads her vows from a card on the arched stone bridge as the groom listens, both reflected in the koi pond below.
The couple hold hands on the stone bridge above the koi pond, reeds and clipped shrubs all around them.
In black and white, the couple kiss on the stone bridge, and laugh together face to face in the garden.
The bride sips from a red sake cup during San San Kudo as the groom waits beside her in the Japanese garden.
The groom sips sake from a shallow red cup for San San Kudo, green leaves framing him in the garden.
A woman in kimono serves sake to the couple in the garden, and the bride sips from a red cup beside the groom.
Sake poured from a red lacquer vessel into a cup in the bride's hands, and the couple with their kimono clad host by the pond.
In black and white, the groom looks down at the bride during the sake ceremony as a woman in kimono stands behind them.
The couple share sake on the stone bridge, and a close view of the bride holding a small cup in her ringed hand.
The groom holds the bride's waist as they face each other on the arched stone bridge, koi gathering below.
The groom reaches out to touch the bride's face on the wooden deck of the garden, a paper lantern behind them.
In black and white, the couple walk side by side along a path through rounded shrubs in the Japanese garden.
In black and white, the couple walk hand in hand down stone steps in the garden, the bride laughing with her bouquet.
The couple walk toward a red parasol and red benches in the garden, the low back of her gown catching the light.
A sake barrel wrapped in rope and painted with a red character, with wooden mallets and silver cups set out for kagami biraki.
The couple lean in over the sake barrel on its red cloth for their kagami biraki in the garden at ABBA Resort Izu.
The couple hold silver sake cups, and drink together beneath a red parasol by a stone lantern after the kagami biraki.
The couple drink sake from silver cups in the garden, and walk small beyond a tall moss covered stone lantern.
In black and white, the couple walk hand in hand across the paved courtyard toward the stone lanterns of the garden.
The couple walk hand in hand toward the wooden entrance of the villa, the bride's bouquet at her side.
A portrait of the bride in her square neck gown and diamond necklace, her dark curls falling over one shoulder.
The bride looks back over her shoulder on the paved courtyard, a red parasol and red benches in the garden behind her.
The bride holds her rose bouquet beside the groom, and the couple stand small in the garden seen through soft green leaves.
The bride looks down at her bouquet of cream and pink roses, a diamond necklace at the neckline of her gown.
The bride stands with her back to the camera beside a red parasol, her long train spread across the paving.
The bride looks over her shoulder with her bouquet, the row of buttons down the open back of her gown in view.
In black and white, the bride stands on the paved courtyard with her bouquet at her side, a parasol and bench behind her.
A soft portrait of the bride looking down in her square neck gown, green garden light behind her.
The groom and bride stand close beside a red parasol and a stone lantern in the garden at ABBA Resort Izu.
The groom leans in to kiss the bride beside a red parasol and stone lantern, sunlight in the trees above them.
In black and white, the bride and groom pose with their heads close together, her bouquet held between them.
A portrait of the bride in the garden with pearl drop earrings, her bouquet at the edge of the frame.
The bride looks away with her bouquet as the groom stands behind her, soft in the background.
The couple smile together in the garden, and the bride turns her head beneath a red parasol.
In black and white, the couple walk hand in hand along a garden path beneath tall trees and bamboo supports.
Looking down on the red parasol and garden from above, and the couple sitting close together beneath the trees.
The couple walk past a tall stone lantern in the garden, and stroll across the courtyard beneath a red parasol.
A high view of the paved courtyard with its red parasol and benches, and the couple walking hand in hand in the garden.
The couple kiss on a stone bridge seen through soft out of focus leaves in the Japanese garden.
The bride walks toward the camera on a stone path as the groom follows behind her in the garden.
The couple walk hand in hand along a path between clipped green shrubs at ABBA Resort Izu.
The couple small among the trees and stepping stones of the garden from above, and the bride looking back past the groom.
An aerial of the koi pond and garden paths with the couple on the bridge, and the bride walking ahead past papyrus reeds.
In black and white, the couple kiss beside a parasol, and walk arm in arm past papyrus reeds in the garden.
The couple face each other through soft circles of blurred light, and the bride glimpsed through papyrus reeds.
The couple kiss on the stone bridge among the garden trees, and the bridge seen from directly above with koi in the pond.
The bride gazes aside as the groom stands soft behind her, and the couple embrace deep in the green garden.
The couple cross the courtyard toward the villa steps, the bride lifting her bouquet, and smile together in the garden.
The groom and bride cut their small white wedding cake, topped with fresh flowers, in the lounge at ABBA Resort Izu.
A small white wedding cake topped with pink, peach and yellow flowers, and the couple feeding each other a bite.
The flower topped wedding cake on its wooden stand, and the couple offering each other a bite in front of lattice windows.
Dark lava cliffs rise from the Pacific as a wave breaks at their base, the couple tiny on the clifftop in the distance.
The groom helps the bride up a rocky outcrop on the Izu cliffs, a pale pink sky behind them.
The couple stand small on the edge of the lava cliffs above the ocean under a soft pink sky.
The sheer volcanic cliffs of the Izu coast drop into dark blue water, surf swirling at their base.
The couple kiss on the rocks at the edge of the cliffs, the ocean and a pale pink sky behind them.
A rocky islet off the Izu coast in pale light, and the couple embracing on the cliffs above the sea.
Surf pours through a gap in the lava rocks, and the groom helps the bride across the rocky clifftop.
The bride hugs the groom from behind and kisses his cheek, his hands holding her arms across his chest.
In black and white, the bride laughs with her arms wrapped around the groom from behind on the clifftop.
The bride laughs as she hugs the groom from behind, her white wrap over his cream jacket on the Izu cliffs.
A wave explodes against the lava cliffs, and the couple stand on a rock above the ocean with a distant island on the horizon.
The couple on a rock pinnacle above the sea with a distant island, and the jagged cliffs of the Izu coast in soft light.
The groom leads the bride by the hand over the rocky clifftop, and the couple stand small among the dark rocks.
The couple stand back to back against a pale sky, and the bride hugs the groom from behind on the lava rocks.
Two frames of the bride hugging the groom from behind, his hands over hers, among the dark lava rocks of the Izu coast.
The bride kisses the groom's cheek as she hugs him from behind, and surf washes over black boulders below.
The bride stands alone on the clifftop above the sea, and a pink and violet sky over a distant island.
A natural rock arch opens onto blue water on the Izu coast, and the couple embrace on the rocks under a pale sky.
The groom offers the bride his hand on a rocky ridge, and the couple stand small on the lava rocks at the cliff edge.
The Izu cliffs curve around a cove of blue water, and the couple hold hands on the rocks beyond a dark boulder.
In black and white, the couple stand close on the lava rocks by the sea, and kiss among the dark boulders.
In black and white, the couple kiss among the rocks, and the bride smiles down as the groom holds her close.
In black and white, the groom steps over the rocks as the bride follows, and the couple stand small by the churning sea.
The couple embrace on the rocks facing the sea, and an aerial of the pair small beside surf breaking into a rock gully.
From above, the couple tiny on the black rocks beside a surging inlet, and the couple close together by the sea.
An aerial of the couple on dark rocks beside a turquoise inlet, and the couple kissing as spray rises behind them.
Looking straight down on the couple among the lava rocks and white water, and the pair small on the shoreline.
The couple small on a rock ledge facing the open sea, and an overhead view of them beside crashing surf.
The couple stand on a black rock above the waves, and walk together over the lava rocks with the sea behind.
An aerial of the couple on the rocks between two surging gullies, and the couple kissing framed by dark rock.
An aerial of the couple on a lava rock between surging water, and the couple holding each other on the rocks by the sea.
The couple small on the black rocks beside a foaming cove, and the groom lifting the bride among the boulders.
The couple on the lava rocks beside the surf from above, and a motion blur of the couple embracing in low light.
The couple sit together on the rocks above the waves, and lean close in low light among the dark boulders.
The couple stand small on the rocks by the rolling sea, and walk back over the boulders in dim blue light.
In black and white, the couple kiss beyond a dark ridge of rock, and embrace in silhouette against a single light.
The couple on the dark rocks above the waves in blue light, and a bright moon glowing in a deep blue sky.
The couple small on the rocks by the darkening sea, and walking past a red parasol lit in the garden at night.
An aerial of the couple on the rocks by the sea in blue light, and the couple close among tall pampas grass at night.
The bride reaches for the groom's lapel among tall pampas grass, the pair lit against the dark of the night.
The couple on the black rocks above the surf, and a lit path at night seen from above with the couple walking along it.
In black and white, the couple cross the courtyard at night casting long shadows, and stand before the lit villa entrance.
The lit wooden villa at ABBA Resort Izu at night with the couple at its steps, and the couple kissing in silhouette by a lantern.

Where Wild Meets Serene

Izu isn’t the kind of place you stumble upon. You seek it.

Just a few hours from Tokyo, it feels a world away. Rugged cliffs, hidden temples, onsens steaming in the mist. A place where Japan slows down and exhales.

For couples dreaming of an elopement that’s both epic and intimate, this is it.

And ABBA Resort Izu is one of our most beloved venues when planning weddings and elopements. A private, elegant hideaway where Japanese hospitality meets cinematic views.

The staff there are extraordinary — open to letting us create the celebration of our clients’ dreams, always creative, and endlessly kind. They understand that elopements are about more than just a ceremony. They’re about atmosphere. They’re about magic.

An aerial of the Izu coast with the couple on the rocks by a turquoise cove, and the couple embracing among the boulders.

The Morning Calm

The day began softly. Steam rising from the mountain onsens. Tatami mats. Kimono fabric. Gentle quiet.

Inside their villa, she prepared with calm anticipation. He adjusted his tie.

In black and white, a small mirror catches the bride's face as she gets ready, her dark hair soft in the foreground.
The bride sits on a patterned sofa in her long sleeved gown, fastening her pale block heels before the ceremony.
The groom fastens his cuff beside a tall wooden window, and swings on his cream jacket in the garden light.

And for two people who insisted they weren’t emotional, the first look said otherwise.

The bride leans her head on the groom's shoulder, and the couple hold each other under a red parasol at their first look.
Tears in his eyes, the groom holds a tissue to his face as he sees the bride in the garden at their first look.
The bride reaches up to the groom's cheek during their first look, a white rose boutonniere on his lapel.

There’s something about Japan that invites emotion. Maybe it’s the stillness, maybe it’s the beauty that feels ancient, or maybe it’s just the way time slows down long enough for you to feel everything at once.

The moment they saw each other, the air shifted. Tears. Laughter. That unmistakable sense that this … right here … was the start of something extraordinary.

The ribs of a red parasol in the garden, and the couple holding hands for their vows among clipped shrubs.
The groom takes the bride's hand in the garden, and she looks up at him in her diamond necklace and dark curls.

A Ceremony Among Koi and Camellias

Their elopement ceremony in the Japanese garden was nothing short of art. Carp swam lazily in the pond, gathering like curious guests. Maples swayed above. The air smelled faintly of pine.

The groom stands among papyrus reeds in his cream suit, and koi in red, white and gold swim in the garden pond.
The groom draws the bride close on the stone bridge over the koi pond as koi crowd the water beneath them.

They exchanged vows that they’d written themselves. Honest, unguarded, raw. Then performed San San Kudo, the ancient Japanese ritual of sharing sake from cups, symbolizing their unity and the joining of two families.

The groom drinks from a red lacquer sake cup for San San Kudo, the Japanese sake sharing ritual, in the garden.
In black and white, the groom watches the bride sip sake as a woman in kimono looks on during San San Kudo.
Sake poured from a red lacquer vessel into a cup in the bride's hands, and the couple with their kimono clad host by the pond.

Even the koi seemed to nod in approval.

And then came the Kagami Biraki. The ceremonial breaking of the sake barrel, marking new beginnings with laughter and joy.

A sake barrel wrapped in rope and painted with a red character, with wooden mallets and silver cups set out for kagami biraki.
The couple lean in over the sake barrel on its red cloth for their kagami biraki in the garden at ABBA Resort Izu.
The couple hold silver sake cups, and drink together beneath a red parasol by a stone lantern after the kagami biraki.

A few toasts. A slice of exquisite wedding cake (as beautiful as it was delicious).

A flower crowned wedding cake on a round wooden board, and the groom and bride sharing the first bite at ABBA Resort Izu.

It was Japan at its most elegant. A celebration of tradition, intimacy, and connection.

Into the Wind

As the sun began its descent, we followed them to the cliffs. That wild edge of Izu where the land drops straight into the Pacific.

The groom takes the bride's hand on a lava ridge above the Pacific, and the couple stand close on the clifftop.

The sky turned soft pink, then gold, then the kind of blue that only lasts a moment. Waves crashed far below, echoing vows that now belonged to the wind.

The couple stand on the clifftop at the edge of the Izu Peninsula, the ocean calm behind them under a pale lilac sky.
The bride kisses the groom's cheek with her arms around him on the cliffs, and waves foam over round black stones.
In black and white, the couple share a kiss on the lava rocks, and walk together over the rocks by the sea.

There was something cinematic about it all. A perfect harmony between the fierce and the fragile.

The couple on the lava rocks by the sea in fading blue light, and the moon glowing in the night sky over Izu.

Her dress caught the wind. His laugh broke the silence. And the world, for a moment, was just them.

As night fell, the cliffs turned to silhouette, and they returned to ABBA Resort, where a private dinner awaited. Kaiseki, candlelight, and the gentle promise of an onsen under the stars.

The perfect ending to the ultimate luxury elopement in Japan.

Why Couples Are Choosing to Elope in Japan

If you’re dreaming of a destination wedding that feels intentional, soulful, and cinematic, Japan might be the world’s best-kept secret.

  • Intimacy Meets Experience – Elopements here are deeply personal yet immersive, blending ancient rituals with breathtaking scenery.
  • Unparalleled Hospitality – Japanese service (known as omotenashi) is second to none. It’s thoughtful, intuitive, and profoundly kind.
  • Scenery That Speaks – From Mt Fuji to Kyoto, from Izu’s cliffs to Okinawa’s beaches, Japan offers an endless palette of landscapes.
  • Cultural Meaning – Ceremonies like San San Kudo or Kagami Biraki add symbolic depth that transcends borders.
  • Luxury and Privacy – Whether at a secluded ryokan, a modern villa, or a mountain retreat, you’ll find venues that feel worlds away from the ordinary.

At 37 Frames, we’ve spent decades crafting destination weddings and elopements across Japan. From the neon heart of Tokyo to the sacred stillness of Ise. But Izu will always have our hearts.

It’s where we go when we want to remember why we do this. Because love deserves to be an adventure.

Final Reflection

The beauty of eloping in Japan is… It’s not just about the photos, or the film, or the location. It’s about how it feels.nThe quiet joy. The wind in your hair. The salt on your lips. The moment you realize you’re exactly where you’re meant to be.

Because some stories are best told with fewer people, and more sky.

📍 Izu Peninsula, Japan

💍 Luxury Elopement at ABBA Resort

📋 Planning | 📸 Photography | 🎥 Film by @37frames

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37 Frames

We're destination wedding planners and photographers specializing in creating unforgettable celebrations in Japan and beyond. With 25+ years of experience, we've perfected the art of bringing your vision to life.

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