Kariya Park
Most of my 2020 weddings ended up rescheduling to 2021 due to COVID-19. The hope, was that by 2021, this whole pandemic would be over. And while I do see a white light at the end of the tunnel, we’re still very much in the thick of it. Arlita & Simon had already rescheduled once. So instead of postponing again, they took this opportunity as a way of having the low key wedding they really wanted. And COVID restrictions as the perfect excuse to go small. With outdoor gatherings limited to 25, they were able to invite some close friends and have an intimate ceremony at the Kariya Park.
Ceremony
Their civil ceremony was outdoors in a private garden setup at Kariya Park. The park itself is inspired by Japanese gardens and is home for some of the best cherry blossom trees in the city. Granted, these blossoms were done for the season, but the remaining garden was still at its peak for this summer wedding. It was an overcast day with a chance of showers. So the ceremony itself was in the covered entrance of the park. For everything else, we just worked around the light rain and used an umbrella when needed.
Once the ceremony was complete, we did a few rounds of photos with their family around Kariya Park. Afterward, it was just the couple and us exploring the grounds surrounded by all the beautiful flowers. They were so cute together. Arlita had a full Cinderella themed look with her wedding dress complete with glass slippers.
Every crazy idea we came up with, they said ok to. It’s very rare during a normal full day wedding that I would have so much freedom when it comes to the formal portraits. General there are restrictions with the dress, issues of getting the couple dirty, or even a simple lack of time. But aside from the ceremony and their portrait session, there was nothing else planned for the day. In fact, we spent over two hours just playing around with all the poses and inspirational photos these two had in mind. Even some unique ones we could have never predicted.
