37 Frames

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Real Weddings & Elopements 4 min read

A Tokyo Love Story at The Upper | When Friends, Family, and Fate Collide

In black and white, the bride and groom walk arm in arm through the city, smiling, her bouquet of white roses in hand.

There’s something special about photographing or planning a wedding in the city you call home. You know the light, the rhythm, the shortcuts, and the skyline. But when the couple are also your friends … and half the guest list is filled with people you love … it hits differently. It feels like you’re celebrating from behind the lens and dancing through the timeline at the same time.

That was this day. A Tokyo rooftop kind of day.

Equal parts heartfelt and hilarious. Utterly iconic.

In black and white, the bride and groom walk arm in arm across a zebra crossing among Tokyo office towers before their rooftop wedding.

A Long-Awaited Day (Four Years and a Whole Lot of Life Later)

Our bride … Australian, effortlessly stylish, radiant in her Australian designer gown … and our groom … Japanese, kind, and perfectly calm even as the Tokyo breeze picked up … had originally planned to marry back in the days just as the world closed down.

The universe pressed pause.

Plans were postponed.

And life, as it does, took its own beautiful turn.

Because in the space between the original wedding and this one… came their greatest creation. Their gorgeous little one, now four years old, stealing hearts and snacks in equal measure.

So, this wasn’t just a wedding. It was a celebration of three. Of timing. Of patience. Of everything coming together exactly when it was meant to.

The couple stand with their young son among potted plants on the rooftop at The Upper, the boy holding the white rose bouquet.
In black and white, their young son leans close to the bride, and the groom laughs as the boy wraps an arm around his neck.

The Streets of Tokyo Were Their Aisle

Before the ceremony, we wandered the city streets … camera in hand, laughter echoing down laneways, taxis zipping past as they paused mid-crosswalk to take it all in.

The groom in a brown suit and the bride in a sculptural white gown stand in low sun on a Tokyo crosswalk.
In black and white, the couple walk hand in hand with their son past a dark ribbed wall on a Tokyo street.
The bride and groom rest their faces close together, and stand on a zebra crossing in cool shade in Tokyo.
The couple stand small on a crosswalk at the bottom of a canyon of Tokyo towers, light falling across the street.
In black and white, the couple laugh as they cross a Tokyo street, and the bride holds the groom's face close to hers.
Their young son laughs as he lifts the bride's train in front of a dark ribbed wall on a Tokyo street.

Tokyo was alive that day.

The kind of clear, cinematic afternoon where the skyline looks painted on.

People stopped to clap, to cheer, to wish them congratulations in Japanese and English and every language in between. Because love … especially the real, grounded kind … doesn’t need translation.

The bride laughs as she steps up behind the groom on the rooftop at The Upper, her white rose bouquet in hand.

The Upper | A Tokyo Rooftop with Heart

The ceremony took place on the rooftop of The Upper … a venue that always manages to feel simultaneously urban and intimate. With its skyline views and breeze that carries the hum of the city below, it’s pure Tokyo magic.

The illuminated sign of The Upper in Tokyo, and the bride in silhouette behind red slatted screens.
In black and white, an older man in a checked suit walks the veiled bride down the aisle, her bouquet of white roses held low.

Our amazing mutual friend officiated, weaving together stories that had the crowd in tears, laughter, and back again. This one was so special.

The officiant speaks into a microphone between the groom and the veiled bride at their Tokyo rooftop wedding ceremony.
In black and white, the groom smiles at the bride through the edge of her veil during the ceremony.
The bride smiles beneath her sheer veil during the rooftop ceremony, a bouquet of white roses at her side.
In black and white, the couple kiss at the end of the ceremony, and the groom punches the air as they walk back up the aisle.

When your community is this intertwined … when work, friendship, and storytelling all blur into one … you can feel it. You can feel it in the speeches that make everyone sob. You can feel it when friends who’ve weathered years together toast through laughter. You can feel it in the way the couple’s little one danced between tables, absolutely convinced he owned the place.

In black and white, a camera monitor frames the groom hugging an older man, and their son laughs with two older guests.

The Reception That Turned Into a Reunion

The reception that followed was everything you’d hope a Tokyo wedding would be … refined yet completely unfiltered. A celebration that belonged to the couple but was shared by everyone in the room.

There were toasts that made the crowd laugh until they cried, and stories that only old friends could tell. The speeches went long (the best ones always do), but nobody minded. Because every word felt earned.

In black and white, the couple and their son smile at the head table, and guests raise their glasses in a toast at the reception.
A guest holds a microphone for their son to speak at the reception, and the bride dabs her eyes with a white napkin.
In black and white, an older guest in glasses gives a speech into a microphone at the Tokyo wedding reception.
In black and white, the groom and their son speak into microphones as the bride listens, the low back of her gown in view.

Then the dance floor opened … and it was wild. The kind of night where heels came off, ties were undone, and nobody wanted it to end.

The bride's holographic platform heel on a green table top, and guests reach up to high five a DJ in headphones.
In black and white, the couple throw their arms up on the dance floor with their son, and the bride laughs with a flute of sparkling wine.
The groom twirls an older woman in a purple dress on the dance floor, and guests of every age dance at the reception.

So, naturally, it didn’t.

In black and white, guests wave white sticks overhead as the couple dance through the crowd, their son at the bride's side.

Nijikai Forever (Because of Course There Was an Afterparty)

In true Tokyo style, the night rolled straight into nijikai … the afterparty.

And not just any afterparty… an 80’s bar in Shibuya. Disco ball. Neon lights. Retro tunes. Drinks flowing. Nostalgia high.

If you know, you know.

Friends laugh and toast under a disco ball at the nijikai afterparty in Shibuya, and a couple share a kiss beneath the lights.

It was one of those nights where you look around the room … at the mix of Aussies, Japanese, expats, friends, and family … and realize how lucky we all are to be part of something that feels so global, so local, and so perfectly Tokyo.

A Celebration That Felt Like Home

This wedding reminded us why we love what we do. Because it’s never just about timelines or photos or films. It’s about connection. About showing up for our friends. About capturing love in the city where we’ve built our lives.

For us, this was more than a wedding. It was a reunion, a reflection, and a Tokyo love letter all at once. To our couple … thank you for letting us be part of your story, from both sides of the camera.

To our friends who celebrated with us … thank you for reminding us what community really means.

And to this city … our forever muse … thank you for always showing up, no matter how many times we fall in love with you.

The groom in a brown suit and the bride in a sculptural white gown stand in low sun on a Tokyo crosswalk.
In black and white, the bride stands in profile by a window, holding a bouquet of white roses at her waist.
The bride looks down at her bouquet of white roses, the sculpted neckline of her wedding dress in soft window light.
The groom ready in his brown suit and bow tie, standing at a tall window above a Tokyo street before the wedding.
The bride by a tall window with the city below, and a close view of the structured bodice of her wedding dress.
The illuminated sign of The Upper, and the wedding rings stacked together in the low light of the venue.
Two perfume bottles side by side on a dark surface, part of the getting ready details before the Tokyo wedding.
The bride's holographic platform heels resting on her veil by a window, and a red jewellery box beneath soft tulle.
The wedding dress and veil hang on a rail beside the groom's brown jacket and white rose buttonhole.
The bride smiles as she sips sparkling wine beside a doorway, framed by a deep blue wall.
In black and white, the couple stand at a tall window above the Tokyo office towers, the bride's train spread on the floor.
A close view of the folded, sculptural shoulder of the bride's white gown, her bouquet just in frame.
The illuminated sign of The Upper in Tokyo, and the bride in silhouette behind red slatted screens.
The couple hold hands against a striped stone wall dappled with leaf shadows, the groom in a brown suit and bow tie.
The bride smiles over her shoulder in front of the groom, both lit by a slice of sun against a dark wall.
The bride's white rose bouquet held at her side, and the couple reflected in a curved chrome surface as they face each other.
In black and white, the bride and groom walk arm in arm across a zebra crossing among Tokyo office towers before their rooftop wedding.
In black and white, the bride smiles beside the groom on a Tokyo crosswalk, her bouquet held low against her gown.
The groom and the bride pose on a sunlit crosswalk among Tokyo towers and street trees, her bouquet in hand.
In black and white, the couple stand arm in arm on a wide zebra crossing, looking off down the street.
The couple stand small on a crosswalk at the bottom of a canyon of Tokyo towers, light falling across the street.
The couple walk arm in arm off a crosswalk past a raised planter of trees beneath Tokyo office buildings.
The groom touches the bride's hair as they stand on a crosswalk, the long zip of her gown and her bouquet in view.
The bride rests a hand on the groom's shoulder and looks back, the zip down the back of her gown in soft light.
The groom and the bride look up into low sun against a dark background, his white rose buttonhole and her sculpted sleeves lit.
The bride and groom rest their faces close together, and stand on a zebra crossing in cool shade in Tokyo.
In black and white, the groom looks down the street as the bride smiles, bouquet in hand, on a Tokyo crosswalk.
The couple stand in shadow framed by dark reflections, and a close view of the bride's bouquet of white roses.
In black and white, the veiled bride holds her bouquet against a dark wall, and the couple stand small on a crosswalk between towers.
The bride's bouquet at her side beside the groom's brown suit, and the pair close together in dappled shade.
In black and white, the couple laugh as they cross a Tokyo street, and the bride holds the groom's face close to hers.
The groom leans his face to the bride's in dappled shade, her eyes closed as she smiles.
In black and white, the couple walk hand in hand with their son past a dark ribbed wall on a Tokyo street.
Their young son laughs as he lifts the bride's train in front of a dark ribbed wall on a Tokyo street.
The bride stands in sunlight against a dark ribbed wall, her mermaid wedding dress and white bouquet catching the light.
The groom looks down in a brown suit, patterned bow tie and white rose buttonhole against a dark ribbed wall.
The couple walk hand in hand down a tree lined Tokyo pavement, the bride smiling up at the groom.
The groom's patterned bow tie and white rose buttonhole beside the bride's earring, and the couple walking a tree lined path.
A bouquet of white roses and pale green leaves held low against the bride's gown beneath the edge of her veil.
The bride and groom walk hand in hand across the rooftop terrace at The Upper, potted plants and office towers around them.
The bride takes the groom's hand from behind on the rooftop, the low back and zip of her gown in view.
The bride laughs as she steps up behind the groom on the rooftop at The Upper, her white rose bouquet in hand.
The couple stand with their young son among potted plants on the rooftop at The Upper, the boy holding the white rose bouquet.
The couple and their son with family on the rooftop at The Upper, and the bride arm in arm with an older man in a navy suit.
In black and white, their young son leans close to the bride, and the groom laughs as the boy wraps an arm around his neck.
The bride laughs on a bar stool, one holographic platform heel stretched out, as the groom stands beside her in front of a wall of bottles.
In black and white, a camera monitor frames the groom hugging an older man, and their son laughs with two older guests.
An older man in a navy suit walks the veiled bride down the aisle past the bar at The Upper, her white rose bouquet in hand.
The officiant speaks into a microphone between the groom and the veiled bride at their Tokyo rooftop wedding ceremony.
In black and white, the groom smiles at the bride through the edge of her veil during the ceremony.
The bride smiles through her sheer veil in the soft late light of the ceremony, white roses at her waist.
In black and white, the couple kiss at the end of the ceremony, and the groom punches the air as they walk back up the aisle.
The couple kiss after their vows on the rooftop at dusk, and dance back down the aisle past seated guests at The Upper.
The reception lounge set with white flowers, table florals of roses and hydrangea, and a seating chart that reads please find your seat.
A white ridged wedding cake topped with berries and white flowers on a clear stand, with florals soft behind it at the reception.
A guest holds a microphone for their son to speak at the reception, and the bride dabs her eyes with a white napkin.
In black and white, the couple and their son smile at the head table, and guests raise their glasses in a toast at the reception.
In black and white, an older guest in glasses gives a speech into a microphone at the Tokyo wedding reception.
In black and white, the groom and their son speak into microphones as the bride listens, the low back of her gown in view.
The groom raises a fist mid speech as the bride laughs into her microphone, and the couple give their speech beneath a tree at the reception.
The couple and their son laugh at the head table, and the groom sings into a microphone as the bride laughs among guests.
In black and white, the couple throw their arms up on the dance floor with their son, and the bride laughs with a flute of sparkling wine.
The groom twirls an older woman in a purple dress on the dance floor, and guests of every age dance at the reception.
In black and white, the couple kiss on the rooftop terrace at night, backlit among potted plants with lit office windows behind.
In black and white, guests wave white sticks overhead as the couple dance through the crowd, their son at the bride's side.
The couple dance through guests waving white sticks, and two friends laugh together under a disco ball at the nijikai afterparty.
The bride's holographic platform heel on a green table top, and guests reach up to high five a DJ in headphones.
Friends laugh and toast under a disco ball at the nijikai afterparty in Shibuya, and a couple share a kiss beneath the lights.

By @37frames

📍 The Upper, Tokyo

🎉 With love, laughter, and a little Tokyo chaos (the good kind).

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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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