Pre-wedding photoshoot

What it is. A pre-wedding photoshoot — the 婚纱照 many Chinese couples plan months ahead — is a styled session in wedding clothes, taken before or apart from the wedding itself. The base 30 minutes covers one setting in one outfit, usually gown and suit. Most couples add extra hours at $150 each for a second outfit, often kimono or a lighter dress, and a second place; we plan where you change, file the venue applications that need filing, and fit the day around the light.

Mt Fuji. A Fuji pre-wedding is a weather problem before it is a styling one: the summit can be clear at 6:30 and gone by nine, so the first frames go to the lake while the mountain is there. The north shore of Lake Kawaguchi is flat enough for a long dress; the Chureito Pagoda view needs a climb of about 400 steps. Fuji is clearest on early mornings from October to February, and the first highway buses from Shinjuku, about two hours, arrive after sunrise, so couples stay overnight. In midwinter lakeside temperatures often fall below −5 °C: thermal layers under the suit and heat packs for the gown are part of the plan. Lake Motosu, 30 minutes west, is the quieter second shore.

Kyoto. Kyoto suits couples who want old streets and bridal kimono. Gion fits pagoda, stone steps, canal and shrine into one walkable square kilometre, and Ninenzaka and the Yasaka Pagoda are quiet only before about 7:30 am. Yasaka Shrine needs an application, and the private lanes have banned photography since 2024 with a ¥10,000 fine posted, so we work on public streets such as the Shirakawa canal.

Tokyo. Tokyo gives two very different looks. Asakusa is the traditional one: rental studios there dress couples in shiromuku and montsuki and hold the gown and suit while you change, and because Senso-ji is empty only at dawn, hair and make-up begin at about 4:30 am. Ginza is the city in evening dress — the 1932 Wako clock tower, the curved gables of Kabukiza and, fifteen minutes on foot, the red-brick Tokyo Station lit at dusk — for a gown and dark suit rather than a costume.

Further afield. Miyajima’s Otorii can be shot with the gown on the sand at low tide and a second outfit from the shore as the water returns; the shrine needs an application for wedding photography, filed weeks ahead. Hokkaido is two products six months apart: lavender at Farm Tomita in early to mid-July, before the coaches at ten, or a white gown against snow in January and February. Okinawa offers turquoise shallows at Kouri Island at midday and a sunset over the sea at Sesoko, in April to early May or October to November.

A typical two-outfit day. Hair and make-up start before dawn, at the studio or your hotel. The first outfit goes to the main setting while the light is low and the place is empty. A change takes around 40 minutes with the stylist, at a studio, a rental shop that opens early by arrangement, or your hotel. The second outfit is shot a short walk or drive away as the crowds arrive. Choose a train you can lift — shrine approaches are gravel and Kyoto lanes are stone steps — and in Okinawa a lighter dress copes better with sand and wind.

Permits. Temples and shrines are the part that needs paperwork. Many require a prior application and a fee for pre-wedding photography, some forbid it entirely, almost all forbid shooting inside halls, and a white gown can be refused where kimono would be welcome. We confirm each venue’s rules and fees when you book; venue fees are not included in the price.

When to book. Late March to early April and mid-November to early December are the most requested weeks; book four to six months ahead for them, and reserve bridal kimono soon after. December to February gives the clearest Fuji. June is quieter and greener but wet, so we hold a rain plan.

What is included. You receive 15 edited photos, 5 of them with detailed retouching, in a private online gallery within 7 days. The price covers the shoot, editing and travel within the place booked; transport to Mt Fuji and gown or bridal kimono rental are separate. Hair and makeup is $100, a Mandarin-speaking assistant $70, and a drone add-on ($235) is possible only on private land where flying is allowed.