Traditional Japanese Wedding at Shinjuku Kumano Shrine

This wonderful couple chose the historical Shinjuku Kumano Shrine for their traditional Japanese wedding ceremony.

It's known as a famous cherry blossom viewing spot in spring, but this was a wedding on the first day of December and the autumn leaves in Tokyo were still all aglow.

The Shinjuku Kumano Shrine was founded in the Muromachi period, about 600 years ago, and it exudes culture and beauty from the minute you enter the grounds under the beautiful torii gate.

Our groom was Australian, so the amazing Japanese experience for both him and his entire family was nothing short of mesmerizing. A shrine wedding for foreigners is fast becoming one our most requested wedding collections. And we couldn't be more excited about planning these kinds of once in a lifetime experiences for our couples.

Our bride was Japanese and guided her groom beautifully through the rituals of a traditional shrine wedding. To top everything off, during the iconic ceremonial procession, Junko, the 37 Frames photographer telling this couple's story that day, used the stunning naturally occurring spotlights of sun perfectly and professionally to create this timeless family image.

Breathe deep. Shrine weddings are spiritual experiences and the depth of feeling encountered is difficult to describe. Weddings at Shinjuku Kumano Shrine, even more so as it's the perfect merging of Tokyo's specialty, the juxtaposition of old and traditional surrounded by the new and fast paced. Old architecture and history surrounded by glass, structural lines and skyscrapers. There's nowhere else like it in the world.

Location: Shinjukujunisha Kumano Shrine, 2 Chome-11-2 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0023.

Keywords: ceremony (3), Japan (27), shrine, tokyo wedding (32), traditional (2).