mmm, spaghetti. the aroma from another of eileen’s culinary masterpieces is floating down our hallway and into the office. how am i gonna focus on work now? it’s the kind of aroma that could turn a common restaurant into a five-star dining experience. so you can imagine what it’s doing to my empty stomach. she calls them “experiments,” but they’re always works of art. (well, except that once — with the sole. but, hey, if one fishy dish is the worst setback among a hundred breakthroughs, i’ll happily eat the losses.) but spaghetti? this is new. italian just isn’t part of eileen’s usual repertoire. still, the aroma seems so familiar to me — a comforting sensation. one that makes the house feel more like a home. i think it’s one of those associations with my childhood. my mom’s spaghetti is legendary. made from scratch. warm, rich sauce on steaming pasta. side of salad and soft, buttery garlic bread. (hold the ragu, thank you very much!) you can bet i came runnin’ when mom called us to dinner on spaghetti nights.

funny thing, that’s how sachiyo and kai’s wedding felt to me: like spaghetti night! (yeah, i know — but follow me here!) you see, every wedding we attended this year was a masterpiece in its own right. no two were the same. every detail, every tender moment — delectable! sachiyo and kai’s wedding was particularly unique: a small buddhist ceremony, under the warm sky at the lovely cator-woolford gardens. very unlike eileen’s and my jumbo-sized, filipino-american wedding in the cold of january! so why did sachiyo and kai’s wedding seem so warmly familiar? for one, it felt timeless — a truly perfect summer day. i have to believe that every guest, even those traveling from across the sea, who celebrated with sachiyo and kai into the moonlit, cricket-serenaded evening, came to understand a little bit of how it feels to be a kid in the georgia south. magical.

and what could kindle my sentiments more than a georgia summer wedding? how about a japanese-georgia summer wedding?! since eileen and i met in tokyo, we’ve shared a craving for japanese culture, language and attitude that we rarely get to satiate here in the states. between kai’s and sachiyo’s families, we were surrounded by the best that japanese culture has to offer:  so much order, artistry, generosity, peace, and welcoming. we immediately felt like part of the family. and we really jumped at the chance to listen to (and attempt to speak) the language again. what a treat!

of all the reasons this wedding felt so wonderfully familiar, sachiyo and kai are the most important. neither is overly talkative. (according to his family, kai can even be a little “stoic.”) yet they felt like good friends right away. always honest and kind — and humorous, too. and i could always tell how they felt when they looked at each other:  a look of deep, sincere caring. i personally have a lot of respect for men who are responsible, organized, self-controlled, and who value family — just stuff i aspire to, i guess. kai is all of those things. sachiyo embodies a strong spirit and a love for life that’s enchanting. as their families and friends described them several times, they’re both “pure spirits.”

congratulations, sachiyo and kai. enjoy every blessing! we hope these images make you feel at least as happy as they make us. we look forward to seeing you again! if you’re ever in athens, drop us a line; we’d love to treat you to some japanese cuisine (as if you don’t get enough already)! until then, i think i’ll go enjoy a big helping of homemade spaghetti.  😉

for us guys, the day began at the king keith bed and breakfast — one of the most charming b&b’s i’ve ever explored. i found kai eating mexican takeout and finishing the writing of his vows, among other last-minute preparations. but he was soon finished. then the new wedding shoes came out, and we were ready to party! kai’s brothers were his groomsmen. and what a great group of guys! i had a blast shooting with them, and just observing their closeness as brothers.

eileen met sachiyo and the other ladies at the cator-woolford gardens for their preparations. the gardens were amazing. even though much of spring’s color had turned to green in the gardens, they couldn’t have been more pristine. a great venue for the wedding! we especially loved all the bamboo and other asian elements.

these two buddies were a hoot! just wait till we post the wedding slideshow — then count how many times you can find these guys hamming it up for the camera. you may lose count. 🙂

during the prayer ceremony, we had to be very careful not to photograph a sacred scroll that was displayed in an open box in front of the bride and groom. but sachiyo and kai especially requested some images that would bring them seemingly closer together during the recitation. so i went to work on that until the box was again closed, and we could photograph from all angles. the prayer beads that many of the guests brought out made for great detail shots, too — rich with texture.

i especially enjoyed the tea ceremony. then sachiyo and kai read their vows to each other. that didn’t leave many dry eyes in the crowd — or straight faces for that matter. i was laughing too much to shoot straight when they both included vows to use the term “we” when referring to each other’s opposing football teams. well, with compromise like that, these two are sure to do well.

below, note how the male of the species demonstrates his devotion to his female counterpart through ceremonial dance. (and i can guarantee you that kai isn’t the type to “bust a move” in front of a crowd unless it’s for love!) and, boy, did he and sachiyo ever put on a show! they shocked everyone with a long, elaborately choreographed first dance that left us all in stitches…

…then returned to sweet slow dancing as quickly as they had busted into break dancing.

again, not a dry eye in the room during the toasts. how could there be, with all the good things there are to be said about these two? i was especially moved when sachiyo’s father got choked up while giving a toast. japanese men are typically very practiced at suppressing their emotions. but the love and joy sachiyo’s father has for her couldn’t be hidden in his face.

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