37 Frames

Journal

Saved stories

    Nothing saved yet. Tap Save on any story to keep it here.

    In black and white, the groom looks ahead as he holds the bride's hand in the green garden of Jinya Ryokan on their wedding day.

    No. 340 Real Weddings & Elopements 3 min read

    Rock, Romance & Red Louboutins | A Ryokan Wedding That Hit Every Note

    When we say this wedding rocked, we mean it literally.

    From the first beat of the playlist to the final chord of “Dancing with Myself,” the day was pure rhythm. The kind of energy that we live for.

    These two … our dark romance muse and her lead singer love from Pumpkin Bomb … finally made it official at Jinya Ryokan, one of Japan’s most beautiful hidden gems. We love planning weddings here. Each one different. Every one unique. Friends and family flew in from the UK and Hong Kong, bringing laughter, accents, and attitude. The entire day felt like a global love song. A perfect collision of stories, cultures, and sound.

    In black and white, the bride looks back over her shoulder as she and the groom walk hand in hand down a garden path at Jinya Ryokan.
    Nine details from the wedding day: a red umbrella, a small shrine, koi, a chain necklace, bamboo, earrings, raked gravel and maple leaves.
    Green maple leaves in the ryokan garden, and the bride's crystal drop earrings reflected on a dark surface.
    The bride's white Chanel platform shoes, and the bride in a silk robe reaching for a sheer curtain on her wedding morning.
    An iron lantern in the ryokan garden, and the bride having her makeup done, reflected in a mirror.
    Red Louboutin heels on a garden stone, and a red double happiness sign for the Chinese tea ceremony at the wedding.
    Autumn maple leaves turning red and green, and the two wedding bands resting on a dark reflective surface.
    The bride in a white robe has her makeup finished as a woman in a patterned robe looks on in the ryokan room.
    Raindrops cling to a green bud and leaves in the Japanese garden on the morning of a Jinya Ryokan wedding.
    A bottle of perfume beside the bride's red embroidered dress for the Chinese tea ceremony, a veil draped over it.
    In black and white, the groom straightens his black tie as he gets ready for his punk rock ryokan wedding in Japan.
    In black and white, a friend holds out the groom's jacket as he gets ready in a room at the ryokan.
    A friend smooths the groom's jacket in a dim room, and koi swim through the pond in the ryokan garden.
    The groom buttons his dark suit as a friend looks on, and a close view of his hands at the button.
    In black and white, the groom sits in his dark suit and tie, looking straight at the camera in a bright room.
    The groom ties his shoe in a bright ryokan room, his dark suit and loose tie ready for the wedding.
    In black and white, the groom stands on the covered walkway of the ryokan, the garden light falling behind him.
    The groom leans on the wooden terrace rail and looks down, the green ryokan garden soft behind him.
    In black and white, the groom rests on the terrace rail and looks out over the garden at Jinya Ryokan.
    The groom and a friend lean on the terrace rail together before the Jinya Ryokan wedding ceremony.
    A rock in a raked gravel zen garden, and the groom leaning on the veranda rail as he looks out over the maples.
    In black and white, the groom in profile by a window, and his silhouette framed in a round window at the ryokan.
    In black and white, the groom sips a coffee at a small table, seen through a round window, his jacket hanging nearby.
    A tray of matcha, sweets and a hand towel, and the bride's veil hanging on the veranda above the garden.
    In black and white, the bride stands at the shoji window of a tatami room as her veil is lifted into place.
    In black and white, the bride's hand rests against her satin gown, the edge of her veil falling beside it.
    In black and white, the bride stands at the tall windows of the ryokan holding the edge of her veil.
    The bride lifts the edge of her veil in a warm wooden room at Jinya Ryokan, her strapless satin gown catching the light.
    A close portrait of the bride under her sheer veil, looking down in her strapless satin wedding gown.
    The bride sprays perfume on her tattooed wrist, her satin gown and dark nail polish in view.
    The bride's painted nails against her satin gown, and the bride fastening her shoes in the ryokan room.
    The bride at the ryokan window with her reflection in the glass, and her bouquet of white and black flowers.
    The bride walks a stone path through the Japanese garden at Jinya Ryokan, her veil trailing and bouquet in hand.
    A mossy tree arches over a garden path with the bride small beyond it, and her platform shoe on a stepping stone.
    The groom waits among bamboo and greenery in the ryokan garden, a white rose on his lapel, for the first look.
    In black and white, the bride walks away through a bamboo grove in the ryokan garden, her veil down her back.
    The bride walks through the tall bamboo grove at Jinya Ryokan on her way to the first look.
    The bride walks a stepping stone path through bamboo and ferns, her bouquet of white and black flowers in her hand.
    The groom waits as the bride walks up behind him through the garden, and the two of them meet for their first look.
    The bride hugs the groom from behind at their first look, and a wide view of the couple in the bamboo garden.
    The bride smiles at the camera as the groom looks down beside her in the lush garden of the ryokan.
    The couple seen softly through the leaves, and from above on a garden path at their Japanese garden wedding.
    In black and white, the bride and groom hold hands among the bamboo and trees of the ryokan garden.
    The bride and groom stand close in the garden, her bouquet of white roses and black flowers against his dark suit.
    The bride and groom stand together among ferns and trees at their Jinya Ryokan wedding in Japan.
    The bride and groom stand apart among the greenery and bamboo of the ryokan garden, framed by leaves.
    The bride looks down with her bouquet while the groom stands out of focus behind her in the garden.
    The bride stands under her sheer veil in the dark green garden, lifting her satin skirt with one hand.
    In black and white, the couple stand in the garden, and the bride rests her head on the groom's shoulder.
    The groom rests a hand on the bride's shoulder, and the couple walk through the garden beside the ryokan.
    The bride's satin gown and bouquet beside the groom, and the couple standing together in the ryokan garden.
    The bride stands with her veil over her face among dark foliage at her Japanese garden wedding at the ryokan.
    The bride stands still under her veil among ferns and maples in the garden at Jinya Ryokan.
    A closer view of the bride under her sheer veil, holding her bouquet of white and black flowers in the garden.
    The bride turns under her sheer veil in the ryokan garden, her hand resting on her shoulder.
    A wider view of the veiled bride standing among trees and ferns in the garden of the ryokan.
    In black and white, the bride stands under her veil in the garden, her bouquet held low at her side.
    In black and white, the bride and groom walk together through the garden, the leaves blurred around them.
    In black and white, the bride looks back over her shoulder in the garden, her veil drifting behind her.
    In black and white, the groom looks down in his dark suit, a white rose boutonniere on his lapel.
    In black and white, the groom pushes his hair back from his face in the garden before the ceremony.
    In black and white, the groom looks toward the camera in his dark suit and tie, the garden behind him.
    The bride stands in the green garden, framed by a round moon window in a dark room at Jinya Ryokan.
    The bride stands among large green leaves in the ryokan garden, holding her bouquet close.
    A close view of the bouquet of white roses, black blooms and dark berries against the bride's satin gown.
    The bride and groom in the garden, and the bride framed by the round moon window in the dark ryokan room.
    In black and white, the bride framed in the round window, and the groom standing in the garden beyond it.
    The bride among the foliage with her bouquet, and the couple framed together by the round window.
    In black and white, the bride small in the round window, and the groom looking up in the garden.
    The groom framed by the round window, and two cocktail glasses clinking in a tattooed hand.
    In black and white, the couple share a drink in the garden, and the bride looks toward the camera beside the groom.
    The bride looks past the groom in soft focus, and the couple reflected in a mirror inside the ryokan.
    In black and white, the bride and groom seen through a soft reflection in the ryokan glass.
    A double exposure of the groom smiling and the bride in her satin gown, the garden leaves layered over them.
    The bride looks toward the camera through a soft layer of reflected leaves in her strapless satin gown.
    In black and white, the bride and groom stand side by side along the bright windows of the ryokan corridor.
    In black and white, the bride touches the edge of her veil, her tattooed arm and bouquet in view.
    The bride in a red satin corset gown and the groom in a grey suit with a red shirt, ready for the tea ceremony.
    Tea poured from a red teapot into red cups, and family gathered in a tatami room for the Chinese tea ceremony.
    A relative sips tea during the Chinese tea ceremony, and the bride in red kneels to serve tea in the tatami room.
    A red envelope passes between hands, and the couple kneel on red cloth in the tatami room, her red Louboutins in view.
    The couple under autumn maples by red torii gates, and the bride's red heels climbing mossy stone steps.
    The bride in a red satin gown and the groom walk down stone steps beneath a row of red torii gates.
    The groom raises a fist as he and the bride stand under the red torii gates at the top of the stone steps.
    The couple at the top of the red torii steps, and the garden ceremony seating waiting on the deck beneath the trees.
    The bride and groom silhouetted in the light at the end of a long, dark ryokan corridor.
    The couple small at the end of the dark corridor, and in black and white the bride looks back with the groom behind her.
    White and black flowers rise from tall white plinths at the garden wedding ceremony at Jinya Ryokan.
    The bride walks down a warm wooden staircase at the ryokan with her bouquet, on her way to the ceremony.
    White ceremony flowers, and the groom walking into the garden with an older woman on his arm.
    Guests talk in the garden before the ceremony, and the groom stands with an older woman beneath the trees.
    In black and white, the groom walks an older woman into the ceremony, and guests wait in their seats.
    The bride walks down the garden steps with a woman in black beside her as guests raise their phones.
    An older woman in a white jacket smiles as a guest in black puts an arm around her in the garden.
    The groom listens as the bride reads her vows in the garden, the tattoo on her back and her veil in view.
    The couple stand with two friends at the flower-lined altar, and guests watch from their seats in the garden.
    In black and white, the groom reads his vows into a microphone from a small booklet at the garden ceremony.
    The groom reads his vows with the microphone, and guests listen from the benches in the ryokan garden.
    The couple at the altar with their friends, and guests in the front rows wiping away tears.
    The groom wipes his eyes as he listens to the vows at his Jinya Ryokan garden wedding.
    A friend speaks into a microphone as the bride sips from a red cup, and a red sake cup passes between hands.
    The bride sips sake from a red cup during the ceremony, and the couple kiss at the flower-lined altar.
    The couple at the altar with a friend, and a wide view of the covered deck ceremony among the trees.
    In black and white, petals fly as the newlyweds walk back up the aisle past guests holding up their phones.
    Petals rain over the newlyweds as guests cheer, and the couple smile at the altar framed by white flowers.
    Petals fall as the couple walk through the crowd, and the groom and bride greet guests after the ceremony.
    In black and white, the newlyweds walk a garden path under the trees, her long veil flowing behind her.
    The bride looks back over her tattooed shoulder as she and the groom hold hands in the golden garden.
    The bride and groom walk hand in hand down a garden path at Jinya Ryokan, her veil down her back.
    In black and white, the groom looks up at the trees as the bride stands beside him with her bouquet.
    In black and white, the bride rests her head on the groom's chest, petals scattered on the path around them.
    The couple walk down stone garden stairs, and an aerial view of the ryokan roof among autumn trees.
    A chef turns skewers over glowing charcoal at the cocktail hour of the ryokan wedding in the garden.
    The bride and groom stand together by the pond in the ryokan garden, framed by rocks and greenery.
    Maple leaves in silhouette against a soft pink dusk sky over the garden at Jinya Ryokan.
    Chicken skewers sizzle over bright charcoal at the festival-style food station of a Japan destination wedding.
    The couple stand on a small garden bridge, and an aerial view of the ryokan garden with its autumn colors.
    Canapes lined up on spoons, and guests gathering at the entrance of the ryokan for the reception.
    Chefs cook at food stations in the reception hall, and a menu and white flowers on a guest table.
    A live artist sketches guest portraits at a table, and a close view of a pen drawing a caricature.
    Long reception tables dressed with white flowers and place settings in the hall at Jinya Ryokan.
    In black and white, the groom hugs a guest, and the couple enter the reception as the bride waves her bouquet.
    The groom gives a speech into the microphone as the bride laughs beside him at the flower-filled table.
    The bride and groom break open the lid of the sake barrel together for kagami biraki at their ryokan wedding reception.
    The bride wipes away tears at the head table as the groom sits beside her among the white flowers.
    The bride wipes her eyes during the speeches, and the bride hugs a guest in the reception hall.
    A friend reads a speech from her phone into a microphone as the bride wipes her eyes and the groom listens.
    In black and white, the back of the bride's bold patterned corset top as she walks through the reception.
    In black and white, the bride laughs at the table, and guests laugh together at their tables during the speeches.
    In black and white, guests look up during the speeches, and a guest laughs as she films on her phone.
    The groom in a happi coat swings the wooden mallet over the usu as the bride cheers during mochi pounding.
    A guest in a happi coat raises the mochi mallet high as another guest cheers beside the wooden usu.
    In black and white, the bride and groom hold each other close in a burst of backlight during their first dance.
    The couple dance on the wooden floor in the dark reception hall, and a close view of her hand on his shoulder.
    In black and white, the groom holds the bride close on the dance floor, her patterned top catching the light.
    A wide view of the first dance in the spotlight, and the couple kissing beside a glittering disco ball.
    In black and white, the bride's arms wrap around the groom's neck as they dance at the reception.
    The couple dance in the backlit reception hall, and the bride smiles in the groom's arms.
    In black and white, the couple sway together on the dance floor, the groom's head bowed toward the bride.
    The bride and groom dance close as the disco ball scatters stars of light across the wall of the reception hall.
    In black and white, the bride hugs the groom on the dance floor, and the bride smiles in a spotlight.
    In black and white, the groom holds the bride as dots of disco ball light cover the wall behind them.
    A wide view of the couple on the warm lit dance floor, and her hands resting on the groom's back.
    The bride dances with her hands raised as disco ball light sparkles across the reception hall at the ryokan.
    In black and white, the bride and groom dance in a blur of movement under the disco lights.
    The couple on the dance floor under the lights, and guests raising their glasses around the flower-filled tables.
    In black and white, the groom smiles as he takes the hands of an older guest at her table.
    In black and white, guests smile at the reception, and two guests look up from their table with the menu.
    Guests laugh and throw rock and roll hand signs on the dance floor at the punk rock ryokan wedding.
    Guests throw horns hand signs at their table, and a guest drinks from a bottle at the rock and roll wedding reception.
    In black and white, the bride and groom walk a garden path lit by small lanterns at night, their shadows long behind them.
    In black and white, the couple stand as silhouettes in a bright light at the end of the garden path at night.
    In black and white, the couple walk toward a bright light down the lantern-lined garden path at Jinya Ryokan.
    In black and white, the couple walk hand in hand along the lit path through the ryokan garden at night.
    In black and white, the couple kiss as silhouettes against a bright light in the garden at night.
    In black and white, the bride and groom walk the lantern path through the garden at the end of their wedding night.
    In black and white, the couple stand among the lanterns in the garden at night, and walk on through the trees.
    In black and white, the couple walk into the light, and the groom carries the bride in his arms at the ryokan.

    Jinya Ryokan | Where Punk Meets Poetry

    If you’ve never been, Jinya Ryokan is the kind of place where time slows down. Lanterns glow through old pines, tatami mats whisper underfoot, and koi glide like slow jazz in the ponds. But on this day, the stillness met its match … with Doc Martens, an incredible set list, and laughter echoing through the gardens.

    The mix of punk-rock styling and Japanese elegance was chef’s kiss. Chanel Mary Janes under the wedding gown. Red Louboutins for the tea ceremony. Ink-black eyeliner, perfect chaos hair. A suit cut sharp enough to start a revolution.

    And the soundtrack? From INXS to Nick Cave, with Mark Lanegan’s Deepest Shade as the first dance that brought everyone … including us … to tears.

    A mossy tree arches over a garden path with the bride small beyond it, and her platform shoe on a stepping stone.
    A friend smooths the groom's jacket in a dim room, and koi swim in the ryokan pond on the wedding morning.
    The bride looks down in her strapless satin gown while the groom stands softly out of focus behind her.
    In black and white, the groom runs a hand through his hair in the garden, a white rose on his lapel.
    The bride stands with her veil over her face among dark leaves and ferns at the Jinya Ryokan wedding.

    A Ceremony That Sang Its Own Song

    Before the main ceremony, there was a Chinese tea ceremony … deeply emotional, richly traditional, and impossibly elegant. The bride moved through the rituals like she’d been born to it, each gesture threaded with grace.

    A red envelope passes between hands, and the couple kneel on red cloth for the Chinese tea ceremony in a tatami room.

    Then came the ceremony… and those vows.

    A guest in black puts an arm around a smiling older woman in a white jacket in the ryokan garden.
    The bride walks down the garden steps beside a woman in black, and guests film her arrival on their phones.

    And to be honest … they were better than most song lyrics we’ve ever heard. Raw. Honest. Funny. Full of the kind of poetry you can’t fake.

    When they finally said “I do,” the room erupted … Iggy Pop, tears, champagne, everything all at once.

    Walking down the garden steps to her ceremony, the bride is escorted by a woman in black as guests look on.
    The groom listens with his hands clasped as the bride reads her vows beside the white ceremony flowers.
    In black and white, guests throw petals as the newlyweds walk back up the aisle through the garden.

    Mochi, Sake & the Sound of Celebration

    Japan has a way of turning every moment into art, and this celebration was no exception.

    The mochi pounding had everyone shouting and laughing … a perfect metaphor for marriage: rhythm, teamwork, and a little bit of chaos. Then came the kagami biraki, that dramatic barrel-breaking sake toast that opened with a splash (literally).

    Every clink of a cup felt like an encore.

    The newlyweds break the lid of a sake barrel together for kagami biraki, a Japanese wedding tradition.
    A guest in a happi coat lifts the heavy wooden mallet over the usu as a friend cheers at the mochi pounding.

    A Dance Floor for the Ages

    When we talk about the “best parties,” this one is already legendary. The disco ball threw stars across the room. Retro rock filled the air … Bowie, The Pixies, The Cure, Pearl Jam, Nick Cave and everything in between.

    In black and white, the bride and groom embrace on the dance floor, lit from behind by a single bright light.
    In black and white, the couple dance on the wide dance floor, and the bride smiles with her arms around the groom.
    In black and white, guests throw rock hand signs at their table, and a guest drinks from a bottle on the dance floor.

    There was sweat, joy, and absolute abandon. It was punk. It was cinematic. It was everything.

    And when the night ended with “Dancing With Myself,” it couldn’t have been more perfect. A reminder that even the fiercest souls dance better together.

    The Magic of Connection

    We’ve been doing this long enough to know that not every wedding feels the same. Some days are beautiful. And some days are transcendent. This was one of those days.

    It was a concert of hearts, a reminder that love is rebellion, that music heals, and that two people can build something louder than the world around them.

    We’ll be talking about this one forever. And honestly? We just want to hang out with these two forever, too.

    In black and white, the bride and groom walk hand in hand along the garden path at night, lit from ahead.

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

    Same Day Edit Film | Jinya Ryokan, Japan

    Keywords: Japan destination wedding, Jinya Ryokan wedding, rock and roll wedding Japan, Japanese wedding planner, Japan wedding photographer, international wedding Japan, Chinese tea ceremony Japan, San San Kudo, Kagami Biraki, Tokyo wedding team, Fuji Five Lakes pre-wedding, destination wedding Japan, luxury wedding Japan, Jinya Ryokan, punk rock wedding Japan, Japan wedding planner, Chinese tea ceremony Japan, san san kudo, kagami biraki, Japanese garden wedding, Tokyo wedding photography, 37 Frames wedding, modern Japan wedding, music-inspired wedding Japan, Japan rock wedding, luxury ryokan wedding, international wedding Japan

    Total
    0
    Shares
    Share 0
    Tweet 0
    Pin it 0
    Share 0

    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.

    Keep reading