It’s Not an Interview. It’s a Conversation.
There’s a moment in every initial conversation when nerves settle, laughter breaks through, and something shifts. Last week, we experienced one of those moments, though not quite in the way we expected.
A couple joined our Zoom call, visibly nervous, and within the first few minutes confessed they’d read somewhere on Reddit that we “interview our couples.” They’d spent the entire week worrying about making a good impression and about saying the right things.
First reaction: surprise. Second reaction: Reddit?! Third reaction: a pause.
Because clearly, something had been misunderstood. And if a few people are feeling this way, it’s worth explaining properly.
So let’s talk about this: honestly, openly, and from the heart.
The Reality of Running a Small, Dedicated Team
Here’s the truth: we receive somewhere around ten wedding inquiries every single day. That translates to roughly 300 conversations every month from couples dreaming of celebrating in Japan. We’re deeply grateful for every single one.
But we’re also a small team. We’re not a corporation with unlimited resources. We’re two people, alongside our talented team and our wedding collaborators, who pour everything we have into the couples we work with. And “everything” is not an exaggeration.
We do try to reply to everyone. That’s important to us. Even when we’re on the road, in airports, between weddings, or working across time zones. But we can’t schedule a Zoom call with every inquiry, there simply aren’t enough hours. And of course, not every enquiry is meant to turn into a working relationship.
So yes, we look for certain things: couples who’ve taken time to know our work, have taken time to write personally, and are genuinely curious about creating something meaningful together. We look for those who understand what we do and are drawn to it specifically. Not because we’re gatekeeping, but because genuine connection starts there.
Then… we’ll do our best to meet them face-to-face – even if that face-to-face is a late-night Zoom from Tokyo. Not because they need to “pass” anything. But because weddings are deeply human work.
And all humans deserve to meet before they commit.
What Those Conversations Are Really About
When we do get on a call, we’re not interviewing anyone. We’re not mentally ticking boxes. We’re trying to discover something far more important: whether there’s a spark of connection, a shared creative vision, an alignment of values.
Can we talk openly? Do we laugh in the same places? Do we feel a shared respect for the work, the process, and the people involved?
Because planning weddings is not a transactional service. It’s months – sometimes a year – of collaboration. Long days. Early mornings. Late nights. Travel. Decision-making under pressure. Creative problem-solving. Emotional labour.
It asks a lot of us. And it asks a lot of our team.
So yes, connection matters.
Here’s what a wedding with us actually looks like behind the scenes:
We work around the clock. Sometimes midnight Zoom calls to sync with your timezone. Weekends researching the perfect ceremonial elements for your story. Late nights finessing timelines and early mornings coordinating with venues. We miss dinners with our families. We postpone personal plans. Our lives, for the months we’re together, revolve entirely around creating something extraordinary for you.
We ask the same of our team: our photographers and filmmakers, our coordinators, our trusted partners. They sacrifice too. They care too. They invest their considerable talent and energy into your celebration.
To do that sustainably, to do it well, and to do it with genuine joy rather than burnout, we need to truly care about and fully connect with the people we’re working with.
The Kind of Partnership We’re Looking For
We’re looking for couples who see us as creative collaborators, not service providers to be managed. People who value experience and trust our knowledge, who understand that the best work comes from mutual respect and genuine collaboration.
We love working with people who are curious. Thoughtful. Collaborative. Who value experience and trust it. Who want to build something together, not micro-manage every detail.
Those are the couples who we want to go the extra mile for. Those are the couples who make the late nights feel worth it. Those are the couples we think about long after the files are backed up.
This isn’t about exclusivity. It’s about sustainability.
To last in this industry – and to do the work at the level we care about – we have to protect the energy of the team and the integrity of the experience. And the reality is, our work is joyful when our clients are people whose love story we become genuinely invested in, whose happiness matters to us on a human level, not just a professional one.
Yes… when we love our couples, when we’re genuinely connected to who they are and what they’re creating together, the magic we can make together is limitless.
It Goes Both Ways
That couple who was nervous about being interviewed? By the end of our conversation, we were all laughing. The pressure had dissolved. We’d connected over shared aesthetics, similar values about what makes a celebration meaningful, and a mutual excitement about the possibilities.
But we’d also given them space to ask us anything. To understand how we work, what we prioritize, whether our approach resonated with them.
Because chemistry isn’t one-directional. You need to feel it too.
You should walk away from our conversation feeling energized, understood, and confident that we get your vision. You should feel like you’ve found your people, not like you’ve passed some arbitrary test.
If you don’t feel that connection, that’s valuable information. Not every planner is right for every couple, and that’s perfectly okay. We’d rather you find someone who lights you up the way your partner does.
Why We Care So Much
Our lives are shaped around this work.
We miss weekends. We miss birthdays. We miss time with family. We take calls across time zones. We build our days around other people’s milestones. And we do it so willingly – because when it’s right, it’s incredibly meaningful.
But that only works if there’s trust. And warmth. And shared intention.
So no, we’re not interviewing couples. We’re listening. We’re connecting.
We’re making sure that if we say yes to each other, it’s something we’re all excited to show up for – fully.
An Invitation, Not an Audition
So if you’re reading this and feeling nervous about reaching out, please don’t be.
When you contact us, tell us your story. Share what drew you to Japan, what you love about our work, what kind of celebration you’re dreaming of. Be yourself: your authentic, excited, possibly-slightly-overwhelmed-by-planning self.
We’re not looking for perfection. We’re looking for connection.
We’re looking for couples who are as excited to work with us as we are to work with them. Who see this not as a transaction but as a collaboration. Who understand that creating something truly beautiful requires trust, openness, and a willingness to dream together.
If that sounds like you, we’d genuinely love to talk.
Not to interview you. But to discover whether this could be the beginning of something wonderful for all of us.
Because the best weddings – the ones that stay with us forever – always start the same way.
With a good conversation.
At the end of the day, the weddings we remember most aren’t just the ones with the most beautiful light or the most stunning locations. They’re the ones where we fell a little bit in love with our couples too.
