Hyelim and Taewook got married during the pandemic.
The Groom, Taewook, is a chef at a Michelin-starred French restaurant in Tokyo. Despite the pandemic and Japan’s border closure, he and Hyelim, the bride, who lived in Korea, managed to sustain their long-distance relationship.
When the border shut, Hyelim couldn’t enter Japan, and Taewook couldn’t risk leaving Japan if the restaurant opened and he couldn’t enter the country.
After a long wait and much anticipation, the border finally opened in 2021, and they eagerly decided to tie the knot. In most Asian countries, couples can get married by signing some paperwork rather than going through a marriage license and actual ceremony. So they married on paper but postponed their ceremony until everyone could travel freely. But time has passed, and they still haven’t done the ceremony.

When things settled down in the pandemic, and there was no travel risk, they started planning their long-awaited honeymoon. They chose Los Angeles. Due to Taewook’s restaurant schedule, he could only be away for ten days.

When they contacted me, they wanted a simple wedding ceremony in nature but wanted to stay in LA because they wanted to enjoy LA rather than go to other cities.

So I suggested a few places.
We ended up deciding on Malibu elopement because, well, it’s beautiful, they love the ocean, and it was closer than some other areas like Laguna Beach, Palm Springs, or even Yosemite (which was too far anyway)

I suggested they write a vow to each other.
Include things they wanted to say on their wedding day but didn’t or couldn’t.
Now that they have spent time together as a married couple and live together, what would they like to say about how they feel now, and what are their suggestions for the future?
And how this session would make them feel.
Lastly, no one else will hear their vow, so be free. They could make jokes and speak in ways they usually would.

They loved this idea.

On their big day,
I met them at their hotel at Four Seasons Beverly Hills.
We got detailed photos of their accessories and dresses and how they were getting ready.
Then we drove out together.
They wanted a perfect Malibu elopement right at sunset, so we photographed them first on the beach.
Then we went up to a spot where there weren’t many people and read vows to each other.
It was funny, heartfelt, emotional, and perfect.

The couple wrote a letter to me after they returned to their home in Tokyo, and this is a rough translation:

Thank you, Eugene
Initially, we planned a simple photo shoot in our wedding attire, but after hearing your suggestion, we loved the idea. You captured our day to perfection, not only what we wanted but also things we didn’t know we wanted. It almost felt like you knew us for a very long time. It almost felt like you were a very close friend who was also very talented in photography, which we didn’t know we had.
Thank you for making the most meaningful memory, the most extraordinary beginning of our marriage life, and becoming our best friend. Malibu has become a special place for us now, and maybe we will come back in ten years or even more to recreate our Malibu elopement.
Please let us know if you are ever in Tokyo; I would love to invite you to our restaurant. Thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts. We cannot wait to meet you again because we will recommend you to all our friends. Thank You.