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    A Luxury Elopement in Japan

    No. 229 Real Weddings & Elopements 3 min read

    An Elopement in the Clouds: A Private Villa Wedding in the Heart of Nara

    An elopement at Sasayuri-Ann, a private villa in the mountains of Nara, on a day that began above a sea of clouds, with a sunrise blessing at Akame 48 Falls before their vows in the garden.

    Somewhere between the sacred mountains of southern Japan, where the mist settles in the valleys and the quiet is very old, they chose each other. This is the story of an elopement at Sasayuri Ann, one of the most exclusive villas in Nara.

    Bride gazing out over sea of clouds at Sasayuri Ann villa in Nara, Japan.

    Tucked at the base of the Kii Peninsula, with Kyoto to the north, Ise to the east, and Nara and Osaka to the west, Sasayuri Ann offers more than luxury. It offers space, and the kind of quiet that slows a whole day down.

    A grid of details from a Nara elopement: koi, an iron tea kettle, autumn leaves, a waterfall, the ring, pearl earrings and a sea of clouds.
    The thatched roof of Sasayuri Ann, a private villa in Nara, above its garden, and morning mist rising through the forest below.

    To the south lie the holiest of sites, Mt. Yoshino and Mt. Koyasan. Along with the sacred pilgrimage trails of Omine Okugakemichi and Koyasan Choishimichi, they form the heart of Japan’s spiritual geography, designated UNESCO World Heritage in 2004.

    And in the middle of all that sacred ground, they began their day.

    A waterfall spills over dark rock at Akame 48 Waterfalls, deep in the forest on the morning of an elopement in Japan.
    A small waterfall in a mossy gorge, and the couple in straw hats on the rocks above the stream at Akame 48 Waterfalls.

    Waking Up in the Clouds

    At dawn, the couple woke to a sea of clouds, the fog that fills the valleys and leaves only the ridges showing. It was quiet, and very still.

    A tall, narrow waterfall runs down a wet rock face into a dark pool, one of the cascades of Akame 48 Waterfalls.
    The groom holds the bride close in front of a waterfall, a straw hat in his hand, on the morning of their intimate elopement in Japan.

    They traveled through the forest to Akame 48 Falls, an otherworldly cascade and the legendary birthplace of Ninja. There, beneath the ancient trees, a sunrise waterfall blessing began their wedding day.

    The couple small beside a forest waterfall, then close together as she touches his face by the falls at Akame 48 Waterfalls.
    The groom fastens his shirt and ties his bow tie by a round window, with letterpress vow books marked his and her, before a Nara elopement.
    The groom in a black tuxedo sits by a round window at the villa, then smiles as he stands, ready for his intimate elopement in Japan.

    A Slow Morning at Sasayuri Ann

    Back at the villa, the scent of pine lingered as breakfast was served: fresh, local and seasonal, and in no hurry. Then came the getting ready, the first look, and the first quiet tears.

    A black and white portrait of the groom in his tuxedo and glasses, looking down in soft window light at a private villa in Nara.
    The wedding dress hangs in the doorway of the thatched villa above a raked gravel garden, the bride beside it, and grey clouds fill the sky.
    The bride holds white calla lilies against her long satin sleeves, then touches her earring as she gets ready for her Nara elopement.

    They chose an intimate ceremony in the garden, among old trees, with a mountain spring running nearby.

    A black and white portrait of the bride by a round window, one long sleeve outstretched, her calla lily bouquet in her other hand.
    The bride from behind in an open-back gown with a long train, facing a round window across the tatami floor of Sasayuri Ann.
    The villa's tiled garden wall, her calla lily bouquet, the bride at a round window and a stone lantern in the garden at Sasayuri Ann.

    A Ceremony Within a Ceremony

    After their vows came a traditional Japanese tea ceremony: an act of hospitality, a few minutes of stillness, and a way into the culture of the place where they had just married.

    The groom waits in the villa garden as the bride walks up behind him, then she crosses the raked gravel garden with mountains beyond.
    Face to face in the villa garden, the bride listens to the groom, then covers her smile with her hand during their intimate ceremony.
    In black and white, the bride wipes her eyes as the groom stands before her, his back to the camera, at their intimate elopement ceremony.
    The groom holds his vow card among the garden pines, then the couple kiss, both in black and white, at their Nara elopement ceremony.

    Time for Two

    There was just enough time, before the rain began, to wander through the mossy garden paths. They laughed, held hands and let the afternoon unfold, which is when the best portraits happen.

    The couple kiss beneath a sculpted pine, her calla lily bouquet at her side, in black and white in the garden of a private villa in Nara.
    Four frames of the newlyweds among the garden pines: a kiss, a walk, arms raised in celebration and a stroll toward the mountains.

    The mountain mist came back late in the afternoon, and then night fell.

    The couple hold hands as a ribbon trails from her calla lily bouquet, and an iron kettle steams on the tatami before a Japanese tea ceremony.
    The groom and then the bride sip matcha from their bowls during a Japanese tea ceremony at the villa, both still in their wedding clothes.

    A Private Dinner to End the Day

    Inside, there was candlelight and the faint scent of hinoki wood. A Michelin-starred meal was waiting: seasonal kaiseki, served course by course.

    In black and white, their hands and wedding rings on the tatami, a shared sip of matcha and the tea bowls of their Japanese tea ceremony.
    The bride kneels on tatami beside the tea host in indigo, then lifts a bamboo scoop over a black bowl during a Japanese tea ceremony.
    His black shoes and her heels on moss beside the bouquet, and the couple kneeling with palms together in a tatami tea room at the villa.

    There were no guests and no schedule to keep. Just the two of them, in a place that has been sacred for a very long time.

    The bride and groom sit together under a small wooden garden shelter, framed by leaves, at Sasayuri Ann in Nara.
    His arms around her with both rings showing, a kiss seen through a round window, and a tight embrace with her bouquet at a private villa in Nara.
    In black and white, the couple stand at an open window over a raked gravel garden and the mountains, then he holds her from behind.

    What to Know About Eloping in Nara

    • Where it is. Uda sits in the mountains of north-east Nara, on the border with Mie.
    • Mornings. The valleys can fill with a sea of clouds at dawn. Our couple woke to one.
    • The villa. Sasayuri-Ann is taken whole by one couple, and the family who own it host personally.
    • Sacred ground. To the south, Yoshino and Koyasan are part of the Kii mountains’ sacred sites and pilgrimage routes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004.
    • Nearby. Akame 48 Falls, for a blessing at the water at sunrise.

    Why Choose Nara for Your Elopement?

    Nara and the Kii Peninsula remain one of Japan’s most authentic and untouched regions. The birthplace of Japan’s cultural and religious roots. It is wild, winding, and deeply spiritual. It’s also secluded and quiet, which suits couples looking for privacy and time to themselves.

    The bride's ribbon lifts in the wind by the garden pond and stone lantern, and the couple kiss beneath a pine at their Nara elopement.
    The couple kiss on a stone bridge in the villa garden, her ribbon lifting in the wind, the tiled wall behind them, on their elopement day.
    The groom and the bride stand close on a stone bridge beneath a pine, her head on his shoulder, in the garden at Sasayuri Ann in Nara.

    This is not where the crowds go. It’s where the soul leads.

    Her bouquet and ribbon beside his tuxedo by the tiled garden wall, and the couple face to face at night as rain falls behind them.
    The couple stand forehead to forehead under a lit wooden garden gate at night, in black and white, at the close of their Nara elopement.

    Ready to elope in Japan?
    Let us plan it with you: a day that can begin at sunrise, carry on through the rain and end under the stars.

    Contact us to begin planning

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    37 Frames

    37 Frames is a wedding planning, photography and film studio in Tokyo, founded by Tracey Taylor and Dee Green. The studio plans weddings and elopements across Japan and around the world. Its weddings have appeared in Vogue and The New York Times.

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