PhotoTokyo · Tokyo Metropolis

Wedding photography in Tokyo

In short

Wedding photography in Tokyo is $1,900 for 30 minutes and 15 edited photos, with 5 previews in 48 hours and the full gallery within 3 weeks. The base covers the hotel or chapel ceremony itself; preparation, portraits and the reception are added with extra hours at $150 each. We confirm the venue’s rules — including any outside-vendor fee — in writing before you book us.

Starting from: $1,900
Duration: 30 min
Edited photos: 15

Why here

Why choose Wedding photography in Tokyo?

A wedding in Tokyo usually means a hotel: a chapel on an upper floor, a ballroom for the reception, and an in-house photography team the hotel expects you to use. Bringing your own photographer is often possible but rarely free, and sometimes refused. So the first job is not shooting but reading your contract with you. The second is knowing what the day is legally — in Japan the ceremony itself does not marry you; registration at a ward office does.

How the shoot is planned

How a session in Tokyo is planned

The route

The base 30 minutes is the ceremony in the chapel, shot from the positions the venue allows, usually the back and one side aisle, and the first moments as you walk out. A full hotel day is built with extra hours: preparation in the bridal suite and details — rings, shoes, invitations — beforehand, then a portrait window between ceremony and reception; from Marunouchi hotels that means the Tokyo Station plaza and Gyoko-dori, from Ginza or Shiodome the Hamarikyu or palace-moat frames, both with the venue’s car or a short walk. The reception runs to the last toast and the send-off.

The timing

Hotel chapels run several ceremonies a day, so the time slot is fixed by the venue months in advance; we fit around it. Spring (April–May) and autumn (October–November) are the most requested months, while June is popular despite the rainy season because ceremonies are indoors. Plan the outdoor portrait window for late afternoon in winter, when sunset is around 4:30, and for the cooler end of the day from July to September.

What’s included

What Wedding photography in Tokyo includes

In the package

15 edited photos
5 preview photos within 48 hours
Venue photography rules confirmed in writing beforehand
Full private online gallery within 3 weeks

Fees and permits on the route

Hamarikyu Gardens: ¥300 entry; tripods and commercial shoots need prior application to the garden office

Book online

Inspiration

Wedding photography: ideas for your shoot

Frames by photographers on Unsplash, credited below — the mood to plan your own shoot against, not our portfolio.

Photos: Kouji Tsuru, Cinematic Imagery, Tesmond Sia, Charles Postiaux, Jakob Owens on Unsplash

Before you book

FAQ — Wedding photography in Tokyo

Is a hotel chapel wedding in Tokyo legally binding?

No. In Japan a marriage is made legal by submitting a marriage registration at a city or ward office, not by any ceremony. Foreign couples usually need passports, a certificate of legal capacity to marry from their embassy and translations, then register the marriage at home. Many couples marry legally at home and hold the ceremony in Tokyo.

Will our hotel let you photograph the wedding?

Many Tokyo hotels allow outside photographers for a bring-in fee (mochikomi-ryo), some only for the ceremony, and a few not at all. Send us the venue name before signing with either of us; we ask the hotel what it allows and pass you the answer in writing.

Could we photograph the ward-office registration too?

The filing itself happens at a counter and is not a ceremony; staff may not want photos there. Some ward offices have a photo panel or backdrop in the lobby for couples. We can add a short session outside the office as an extra hour at $150.

What does $1,900 include, and what is extra?

30 minutes of ceremony coverage, venue liaison, 5 previews within 48 hours and 15 edited photos within 3 weeks. Not included: the hotel’s bring-in fee, hair and make-up, a wedding film ($2,000, separate crew) and extra hours for preparation, portraits or the reception at $150 each.

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