A wedding party is not a subject that would normally find its way onto our blog, but this was no usual wedding party!
Held in the mountains of Chichibu in the corner of Japan's Saitama prefecture on the 6th of November. Masaya (of Green Glass Tokyo) celebrated his marriage to Hiromi (of Pinokoya) in style. Neither of them had a hand in the preparations as everything was a closely guarded secret. They only knew where they had to be and at what time.
We arrived on the Friday to get started on preparations. It was a party where all of their friends had a part to play ranging from DJ, chef, barman, master of ceremony, entertainers, florist, musicians and much more. The official photographer was none other than Hitoshi Machida of Planet Magic. My role was to be a religious sort to perform mock vows at the start of the day (pictured below).
The large hall was transformed by the efforts of many throughout the day. The head table positioned at the end of the virgin road was beautifully decorated with flowers (see photo below)
Masaya (of Nouga Glassworks) was the DJ, a role he has taken at many friends' weddings including my own. Masaya's main vocation is maker of fine glass pendants and accessories and whose work we hope to showcase within Sorazora's website in the near future.
Pictured below, Masaya checking that the sound system is up and running and supplied with enough power.
Makoto-san (purveyor of all things djembe at Cheerful Mark) led a parade with a sealed djembe containing sake. The happy couple had to break their way into it before the sake was shared by all.
This wedding party was an informal, but heartfelt affair as Masaya and Hiromi had officially tied the knot a week earlier with a traditional Shinto service. The fact that this party was organised by many friends made it quite special. The effort and ideas came from many corners to create a party unlike any other. Cottages surrounding the great hall were rented out to accomodate the guests until midday the next day.
We at Sorazora would like to thank Masaya and Hiromi for allowing us to be part of the celebrations and we wish them all the best for the future. My recent two week trip to Japan was great for catching up with everyone and also discussing glass pendants with Masaya. To view the full range of pendants on offer at Sorazora, please click on this link.
