Creating a wedding in a foreign country presents a host of unique challenges including travel concerns and language barrier issues. Luckily for couple Aleks and Alexa, they’ve been living in Fukuoka, Japan for several years. “We knew what to expect. We also had really great vendors because most of them were either our friends or businesses we already like,” Aleks shares when asked how they planned their day. Creating a unique Japanese/American wedding at the height of cherry blossom season seemingly fell into place for the couple, and created a day they truly enjoyed. Read on to enjoy the story leading up to their cosy local Fukuoka wedding.
Photo by: Steven Huth | Father of Bride Alexa
After spending his childhood flying back and forth from the U.S. to visit his grandparents in Fukuoka, Aleks made the move to Japan permanent 5 years ago. His love for Japanese cuisine and drive to learn more about becoming a chef led him to move to the heart of one of Japan’s most vibrant culinary communities. Alexa took a very pragmatic approach to her move to Japan. After deciding she wanted to learn about global communications challenges, she applied to jobs in different countries nightly on LinkedIn. A company in Japan made her the best offer, and she landed in Fukuoka months later with just two suitcases.
The date of their first meeting differs depending on which one of them you talk to, but they do agree on the location. They met at local expat bar C.C. Café and exchanged jabs about their mutual love of hockey and dislikes of each other’s hometown teams. Alexa remembers falling for Aleks instantly, and often sweetly chides him that it took a lot longer for him to catch on. “I really didn’t know how she felt for a long time,” he asserts.
Photo by: Steven Huth | Father of Bride Alexa
When you ask why they love each other, they smile instantly. The couple brings out a brightness in each other than makes their relationship very relaxed and calm. Aleks shared that he loves how considerate Alexa is, “She takes the time to really think about other people. She is great at brightening my day.” For Alexa, Aleks’ passion for his work is one of her favourite things about him. “He’ll sit there and consider ingredients, preparation, just the whole process of creating a meal. It makes everything he makes more special. Plus, I’m always eating delicious food at home!” Essentially, the couple says they’ve worked on a strong friendship so they can help cheer each other on in life.
For these two, getting married was sort of a running joke. “One night before I moved away, he proposed sort of jokingly. But he had work the next morning so he kept declaring, ‘9am! We’ll get married at 9am!’ and the joke sort of stuck. When he actually proposed, I had to make sure he was serious. Thankfully, this time he was.” They planned their wedding around spending time with those closest to them. As both of their families are located in the United States, years can go by in between visits. With both sets of parents plus Alexa’s sister who was her maid of honour making the journey to Japan, the couple wanted to have as much quality time as possible.
Photo by: Steven Huth | Father of Bride Alexa
Fate stepped in, and they found themselves living just a few streets away from each other. Not long after, the pair was nearly inseparable but Alexa had already decided to spend a few months travelling and potentially move. “I had the bright idea to spend a month in a few different countries and then choose a new place to live. I really didn’t expect to fall in love while I was leaving.” After deciding they’d “see what happened” after Alexa left, it became clear they were essentially a long-distance couple. Hours spent on the phone and countless texts flew between Japan and Thailand, then Cambodia, then Kuala Lumpur, and finally America. During that time, they decided it was silly to deny it any more, they wanted to be together. Just three months after leaving, Alexa packed her bags and moved in with Aleks.
In Japan, getting married requires a lot of paperwork and planning. Many Japanese weddings are very large affairs that require guests to pay in many cases tens of thousands of yen to attend the reception to offset the heavy costs the couple needs to incur. Aleks and Alexa opted to have a smaller event and their families covered the costs so that guests could focus on celebrating. After visiting his grandparents to get the family register, getting both of their birth certificates, and a trip to the U.S. embassy for Alexa, they finally gathered the paperwork necessary to make the marriage official. On the morning of March 27 2018, the couple dressed in their formal attire and went to the local government office to file the paperwork. The process was entirely in Japanese and Alexa was completely lost, “I knew it would take a while, but it ended so suddenly. One minute we were just told we were done. Suddenly, we’re married!”
Photo by: Steven Huth | Father of Bride Alexa
After exchanging rings at the grey ward office cubicle, the pair triumphantly collected their family members and left for a traditional 8-course kaiseki meal. The three-hour lunch gave the families a chance to reconnect with the couple in a serene private room overlooking a beautiful garden. Each course was expertly crafted to reflect the ingredients at their seasonal peak, and display some of the most delicious Japanese cuisines. As both families have spent time in Japan, the food was an appropriate way to welcome them back to the country and help set a celebratory tone for the rest of the day. The couple agrees that the meal was their favourite moment of the day because it was so restful. Spending three hours eating incredible food and talking with their families was exactly what they had wanted from their day, and the lunch didn’t disappoint.
Photos by: Steven Huth | Father of Bride Alexa
In what she admits was poor planning, Alexa had scheduled them to go for photos after lunch. “I didn’t want a photographer following us around all day. My father takes brilliant nature photos and I wanted him to document the day. I just didn’t count on being so full from lunch!” Still, as the day serendipitously fell on one of the peak days for sakura (cherry blossom) blooms, the photos were an integral part of the day. Aleks shares, “We were lucky, the weather made it so the trees bloomed at the perfect time. It’s easy to get the timing wrong if the season has been too cold or unexpectedly warm.” They visited a small traditional garden and a large park that was teeming with sakura trees. Large groups of people were picnicking under the trees in a tradition known as hanami. The festive atmosphere added to the beauty of their day, and gave them wedding photos that capture a special time for the city they both love so much.
Photos by: Steven Huth | Father of Bride Alexa
After photos, the bridal party descended on the couple’s apartment for cocktails and photos. Aleks and Alexa swapped their suit and gown for more casual outfits. She opted for a tea-length flared lace dress while he went for 1930s reproduction Levis and suspenders. The entire group then went to local barbecue joint Good Time Smokes for a big BBQ dinner. At the kid-friendly meal, the families got to meet the couple’s close friends. Alexa beams, “They’re the ones who really watched our relationship grow over the years. We met in Chuck’s bar, so having him and his wife and new son at the dinner was really special.”
Photos by: Sayho Photography | Wedding Photographer
Since they used to live in the same neighbourhood, the place for their reception was obvious to them. A cosy vintage-themed bar called Upsetters played host to the group of friends waiting to toast the new couple. With an oldies DJ spinning vintage vinyl and throwback movies projected on the wall, the couple got to revel in their new marriage alongside many of their close friends. “Since it was so far, we didn’t want our friends from other countries to feel the need to travel for our wedding. Instead, we’re planning to visit them and celebrate that way. It’s also a really good way to travel together as a couple. We’re planning on mini parties in Scotland, England, Finland, Korea, and on both coasts of the U.S. in the next few years,” Alexa says, “It’s a great way to keep the celebration going.”
They both agree the most important thing for couples planning to get married is to limit the stress you feel on your day. “Just don’t worry too much about anything,” Aleks states, “Spend your time enjoying the day and let the rest go.” Both agree with the fact that they didn’t have any expectations beyond spending time with the people they are closest to making the day easier. “We already had just what we wanted when our families arrive, the rest was just fun,” Alexa comments. After being warned by pretty much everyone that the day flies by and you forget to breathe, they think that their choice to have a low-key and relaxed day was the best one for them.
Photo by: Steven Huth | Father of Bride Alexa
Congratulations to this beautiful couple, Alexa and Aleks!
If you enjoy reading about this local Fukuoka wedding, we’re certain you’ll enjoy the rest of our Real Wedding features from around the globe too!
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