Piedmont Community Hall Wedding Photography~ Hidemi & Michael!

If the first wedding of the season is a sign of what’s to come- we are in for an amazing wedding season!

Hidemi & Michael are amazing. I can’t think of a better word to describe them.  They are so full of life! They love fashion, they love to travel, they love music & great food- they even love going on motorcycle adventures!  They are living life to the fullest and with hearts full of love for each other, their families and friends!

Hidemi & Michael celebrated this great love of theirs at the incredible Piedmont Community Hall in Oakland!

Hidemi’s Vera Wang dress was a piece of art and looked stunning on her! She paired it with some sparkly Enzo Angiolini shoes and walked around in them all day better than I can walk in flip flops!

Hidemi smiled throughout getting ready- if she had any jitters you would have never known.  She laughed and enjoyed every second of preparing to see Michael for the first look.  Hidemi’s hair and make up were skillfully done by Murata Toshi of Image Studios. 

“The fabric pinned into my dress was a special gift from my Maid of Honor, Priti, for my “something blue”.  It is a section of our school uniform from boarding school where we met. Alumni often put their uniform in a shadow box or sometimes pull it out for reunions, so it was SHOCKING that she was willing to cut it up as a symbol of our friendship for almost 13 years.”-Hidemi

“The veil was a DIY project. I modified a veil I found at a boutique by adding a blusher and gems that matched the original veil. I then added a tortoise shell vintage art deco haircomb from the 1930s that my mother and I found together out here in California to add a true splash of my own personal style.”-Hidemi

 The guys got dressed at the hotel before they headed over to the hall so their getting ready was a little less complicated. Michael helped out one of his groomsmen with a specific knot, thanks to the help of an iphone and Google!Michael and his Best Man prep the rings.

 Michael’s view as he approached Hidemi for the first look, breathtaking!! Such sweet anticipation! These two were just beaming at each other! At a certain point I had to interrupt them because they were needing time to head off for portraits and to meet the bridal party! So much admiration!Hidemi is a woman that knows how to walk in heels! Even though her shoes were high and the terrain was not level,  she was able to move easily throughout these stunning paths!
 We met up with Hidemi & Michael’s bridal party, who were all so much fun, so sweet and as you can see even the men were very cooperative!!Look at this bouquet!!!!!  Hidemi asked to have Peruvian lilies in the bridal bouquet. They were special to Hidemi because they are her Grandmother’s favorite as they reminded her Grandmother of her mother who died in WWII when she was a young girl.

The scene was perfectly set in a serene little Redwood grove.
Michael enters  followed by his groomsmen. This little sweetie pie was an incredible flower girl!  She also perfectly looked up for the camera!I love this image captured by Greg of Hidemi and her Mom waiting with anticipation til it was their turn to walk down the aisle!Even though Michael and Hidemi had been taking pictures just 20 minutes prior- nothing can take away from the emotion of seeing the woman you love walking down the aisle to marry you!Those looks!!!!  Love the way a couple looks at each other in those first few ceremony moments!
It was now time for Michael and Hidemi to say their vows that they wrote themselves. Michael, you had 6 woman hanging on your EVERY word in this image and I’m sure every woman in the audience! Michael’s Mom!
Hidemi’s Grandmother and Mother. So adorable seeing Hidemi look back at her Mother!Exchanging of the rings. 
And kiss that beautiful bride!!!Married!!Cocktail hour was back up at the tea house.  What a lovely place for some delicious appetizers, drinks and enjoying some music! 

“The kimono I wore at the cocktail hour is SUPER special to me and truly the thing that Michael and I really wanted to ensure could happen here in the United States. We chose to showcase the Japanese tradition of wearing the bright colored furisode because it was handed down to me from my mother. She wore it on her wedding day as well. In our culture we wear this kimono when we come of age at 20 and are only allowed to wear it when we are single and unmarried. The wedding day is the last day I will wear that beautiful kimono as tradition allows – in Japan you generally change outfits several times in a wedding. From this point forward I can only wear a kimono with short sleeves rather than the sleeves that hang down the full length of my skirt (My mother and grandmother wore those types of kimonos at the wedding, black and then later the colorful type. Both adorn our family crest). The kimono I wore is a designer piece and features a belt that has gold & platinum foil thread patterns and the kimono is 100% hand-woven silk.”- Hidemi

“The cranes were folded by me and Michael, my mother, my grandmother, and my bridesmaid Brittany (she learned just to help me!). In Japan folding 1000 paper cranes is for good luck and each crane is supposed to be folded with an individual wish for the bride and groom’s future. The tradition has morphed over the years, but for us it was a way to share Japanese customs and symbols with our American friends and family. It ended up being more than that as it became quite a group project and pulled largely together by the teamwork of my family behind the scenes. I really wanted to hold on to my culture despite marrying in the American traditions.”-Hidemi

Down below the tables were elegantly set with lovely floral center pieces!  The gold colored chairs were the perfect accent to the scene!The pretty and yummy cake was created by Delicieuse Princesse Bakery.It was no surprise to me that Hidemi & Michael would also have very unique wedding bands. Their style is amazing- even down to their rings! Rings created by the talented Grace Lee out of LA.

 Such a beautiful venue for a wedding!
Hidemi & Michael, announced into their reception……to the sounds of bells ringing out that were on every table! Of course even the little ones had something special for them at their table- a wedding coloring book!  How sweet!It didn’t take long for the sun to dip down behind the trees. The mood was perfectly set by the lighting created by Love In the Mix.  After a wonderful dinner, everyone sat back and enjoyed listening to stories of Hidemi & Michael from their family friend as well as the Maid of Honor and Best Man. Michael’s sisters!
Cheers! There wasn’t a dry eye in sight!

Cake cutting and frosting smooshing… Michael’s lucky Hidemi played it nice!A band with great sound and style, The Cosmo Alleycats!
Surrounded by their family and friends Hidemi and Michael had their first dance as husband and wife!Look how much fun the Moms were having!!!!

With a nod to sweetness and San Francisco… one little guy was sure NOT to leave without his wedding favor!
Hidemi and Michael- we wish you so much love and happiness for your future together!  Thank you for kicking off our wedding season with great style and fun!!