Karuizawa Wedding Photographers : Darya & Reza

“Once in awhile, right in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairy tale.” ~ Anonymous

It was a (photographers) fairytale wedding, set amid the lush mountains of Karuizawa, Nagano. A world away from the every day. The beauty of Spring abundantly green as 4 cultures collided to celebrate Darya & Reza. A beautiful departure for us from our recent city affairs. The bride from Russia. The groom from Iran. This was a Ru-Persian Wedding (their terminology – with guests from Russia, Persia and all points in between…) A stunningly gorgeous day was the backdrop. An elegant Tudor style hotel with the most darling grounds our base… and then there were all the personal touches that made this wedding just so special, so real and full of meaning. It was an afternoon tea party like no other. With all the trimmings. From all the incredible hand-designed decorations – masses of hand-crafted giant florals (the bride designed and made herself for weeks/months prior to the day…), bouquets for the guests, those floating teapots, all the charming details here, there everywhere. With a stunning hand-made gown. We could do a blog post on the details alone…We were so excited to be part of telling this story…. Everyone was involved. From the groom to the grandparents, friends and family. A community making this come to life… And it unfolded like a storybook. From the happiness and excitement of getting ready, to the emotional first look, a simple heartfelt promise in front of friends and then the quintessential afternoon tea party… it was all about celebrating life. With oodles of traditions, plenty of surprises and some fascinating customs… our first time to see the shoe game (love it!!!). It was a coming together, transcending cultures, the joining of family & friends and finding love in the most unexpected places. Once upon a time…

The preparations begin…with everyone pitching in. Hotel Generous transforms into dreamy, whimsical Russian garden party. Masses of handmade flowers, floating teapots and sweet touches of personal decorations.

And on to the getting ready… our favorite part of the day… peppered with endless laughter, giddiness and love. The bride surrounded by her fabulous bridesmaids and mother.

With the groom getting ready quietly right next door…

Love…

Beautiful light, location and windows of love…

And she’s ready…beautiful & breathtaking & ready for her Reza.

The first look…sigh…

And on to the promise ceremony with an adorable ring bearer & flowergirl…

Radiant…

And with tears, love, much laughter and emotion the reception gets underway.

With first a very Russian tradition. The bread – Kaaravai… traditionally it is offered to the newlyweds by the parents as a symbol of health, prosperity and long life. Both the bride and groom (and in this case 5 guests each)  take a bite of the bread and the one that takes the largest bite will be the head of the family. Outrageously fun and messy. We’re not sure but possibly the bride won…

Then there were surprises galore. From the brides mother, from the artist bride herself and the games and customs ensued… so many magical moments… all translating through 4 languages… sensational…

And the favorite… the wedding shoe game. The couple sit back to back. And take off their shoes, giving each other one shoe, while keeping one of their own. They are then asked a series of questions about them as a couple. How well do they know each other? If the correct answer is the Bride – then the brides shoe should go up in the air… it was a riot… and just our kind of wedding… shoes off!!

The bride’s beautiful gift – her art – astonishes her groom…

Family moments in the beautiful afternoon Karuizawa light.

And just a little time for some bridesmaid fun…so love these girls…

And just for fun… a triple exposure…

Running back to the groom and into the exquisite light…

So meant to be… and we revel & dance in the light for just a little bit longer. As a couple, then with treasured family and friends…

As the sun goes down the lanterns are lit transforming the garden again. The fairytale continues… but it’s so real… stopping time, taking it all in and celebrating what love means…

Darya & Reza, thank you so much for a beautifully unique and extraordinary day. From our first meeting we knew this would be a remarkable experience. The coming together of so many cultures, languages flying and all the moments in between. You bought the world to Karuizawa and we can never thank you enough for including us. So excited for your next chapter and all those to come… Dee & Trace x x