"I Got Married! Reflections on Our Private Ceremony in Okinawa: What Went Well and What I Learned"

2016.12.15 published

I Got Married ♡

Hello, I'm Haruno Tsuzaki, the editor-in-chief of marry＊

I got married last month! My husband is a former colleague from my company. Although we have different professions, completely opposite personalities, and different hobbies, that actually makes it comfortable and I always feel happy when I am with him＊

We Had a Wedding Ceremony in Okinawa, Just the Two of Us ♡

After registering our marriage, we went to Okinawa two weeks later and held a ceremony just for the two of us＊

As the editor-in-chief of marry, I love researching and seeing wedding ceremonies, but when it came to my own, I felt a bit hesitant...

I thought my father and mother probably wouldn't be able to take time off work,

and my friends from school have scattered across the country due to jobs and marriages, plus some are in foreign countries, making it difficult to coordinate timing...

More than anything, both my husband and I are shy and not good at standing in front of people and speaking, so with few relatives, we concluded, "Maybe we don't need a wedding reception... let's just have a ceremony together!"

[Reflecting on It] Weddings Are the Best ♡

In the end, having a ceremony just for the two of us made me realize, “Weddings are the best!”

The moment we pledged eternal love was truly a special and wonderful time. It became a treasure for a lifetime...!

This may be a somewhat special case, but I want to share the good and bad things I thought about “having a ceremony just the two of us on a southern island”＊

Good Point 1 of Having a Ceremony Just for Us: We Focused Only on Our Vows Without Worrying About Anything

We didn't invite anyone to the ceremony. We went to Okinawa together, went to the wedding venue together, monopolized the chapel, pastor, choir, sea, and sky, walked down the aisle, and pledged our eternal love.

Before it started, I naturally thought it would be emotional if my parents were there... or that I wanted to have them see the veil down... or that I wanted to walk down the aisle with my father...

But once the ceremony began, all of that blew away and I completely forgot about it!

Anyway, when I thought about the interactions I’ve had with my husband next to me, and what the future holds for us, I couldn't think of anything else, and I was so overwhelmed with emotions that I started to cry.

Having a warm ceremony watched over by guests and family, with various memories and expressions, is also wonderful, but the ceremony for just the two of us became a very sacred time focused solely on "vowing love to each other" and "walking together for a lifetime." It was an experience I have never had before, so it felt very valuable＊

My husband, who wasn’t particularly motivated about marriage or the wedding ceremony, also said he was “moved,” which, for me, personally and as the editor-in-chief of marry, was the happiest thing to hear.

Good Point 2 of Having a Ceremony Just for Us: We Could Do It Without Pressure!

In preparing for the ceremony in Okinawa, all I did was create instructions and have bridal nails and eyelash extensions＊

When inviting many guests, you have to be mindful not to offend anyone... which can make preparations quite demanding, but since it was just the two of us, we didn’t feel pressured at all. We just needed to prepare our hearts and go to the location as we were＊

Since there wasn’t much to prepare, not being busy with preparations gave us both emotional leeway, which was great.

Good Point 3 of Having a Ceremony Just for Us: I Realized the Greatness of Professionals!

We didn’t prepare anything. On the day, we did send an image of the bouquet we wanted via email and sent instructions for the photos we wanted during the photo tour, but everything else was entirely left to the wedding venue professionals.

I thought, “Surely it will be fine, because the staff at the wedding venue are much more experienced and have been holding weddings every day for years and know everything!” but experiencing it, they exceeded my expectations in every aspect and it was moving!

I stayed at "Ainess Villa Nozze Okinawa" in Nago City, Okinawa, where we held the ceremony. We scheduled the photo tour separately with "Little Martha," but.

They truly served us far better than I imagined♡ I was more shocked than happy with the hospitality and treatment we received.

The bouquet came out just as I had imagined, and the photographer really grasped the vague instructions I sent about wanting a certain atmosphere.

Until now, I preferred "to capture memories as I want with my iPhone rather than relying on the photographer," but I first learned that the photographer’s photos are truly beautiful and wonderful!

They beautifully captured the sky and sea, which I couldn’t manage to photograph myself, and even brightened up cloudy skies, making me realize, “Professionals are amazing; I’ll just stay silent. That way, I can preserve the best memories!”

Thank you so much to the planner at Ainess Villa Nozze and the photographer from Little Martha♡

➡ Here is the HP of Ainess Villa Nozze Okinawa＊

➡ Here is the HP of Little Martha＊

Good Point 4 of Having a Ceremony Just for Us: My Husband Asked if We Should Do a Wedding Again

When we returned from Okinawa and were showing the photos to our family, my husband said,

“I wish my parents could see you as a bride. Should we do another wedding with the whole family?”

My husband is the type of person, like many men, who isn’t particularly interested in weddings and would rather not have one, so this statement surprised me.

Men often have less imagination than women; women excel at imagining and fantasizing about the future and happy things, and they love doing it, whereas men often do not.

Often, they only realize the importance and significance of things after experiencing them...

My husband said he originally wasn’t interested in marriage, but after the ceremony, he seemed to think, “Weddings are incredibly moving,” “Marriage is wonderful,” and “The wedding ceremony is important.”

It made me very happy when he said, “Let’s do it again and show my parents.”

< Reflections on Having a Ceremony Just for Us >

Thus, one of my regrets is, “Not being able to have a wedding with my mother and father.” The ceremony just for us was relaxed, romantic, and moving, but marriage is something that involves family.

Not being able to have the “family ceremony” with the parents who raised me and my in-laws who welcomed me as family is a little bit of a regret.

We held the ceremony just the two of us for reasons like health conditions and busy work, but surely both our parents and relatives would have wanted to see their "daughter's bride look" or "son’s wedding ceremony."

I realized the importance of having a wedding to report and thank those who have helped us by saying, “I’ve caused a lot of trouble, but I’ve grown this big and become happy. I’ve found a life partner.”

Having had a ceremony just the two of us this time, we’re now discussing how nice it would be to hold a wedding-like reception together with our family as a way to give back.

[Conclusion] Weddings Are Wonderful ♡

Simply participating in the ceremony made me think about so many things!

I am very happy to become a couple with my beloved husband ♡ The sea and sky of Okinawa were truly blue and wonderful, and I was able to connect our lives to the endlessly extending horizon, thinking, “I feel like the future will be filled with happiness forever ♡”

Despite the short preparation time, I came to really love Ainess Villa Nozze Okinawa for creating the best moments, and it feels like we now have a "place to return to."

Moreover, having a wedding just for the two of us helped me realize the beauty of weddings, and my husband saying, “Let’s have another wedding together with everyone!” made me super happy ♡

Weddings are truly special times, a ceremony that not only binds the vows of love but also helps us notice various things, which is really wonderful ♡

I’m genuinely glad to have met a wonderful husband and to have had a lovely ceremony!

I will report on the ceremony and the photo tour photos on Instagram and marry articles, so I would be delighted if you could check them out! ♡

➡ Here is my Instagram＊＊

May every bride's wedding be absolutely adorable ♡ Thank you for reading!