Christmas Day 2022 will forever be one of my favourite Christmas Day’s ever. Let me tell you the story of how I ended up being gifted this beautiful Bridal Uchikake by our Japanese friends, and how, after two years of planning, this bridal boudoir shoot is finally ready to share…

It was Christmas Eve 2022, and James and I were in Kanazawa visiting friends Moe and Chikako, who run the brilliant Cooking Studio Kanazawa Salon. We’d met them whilst taking one of their cooking classes during our honeymoon a few years previously, and had such a good time cooking, chatting and drinking sake with them into the late evening hours, that we were so excited to be returning.

It’s tradition in Japan to always bring a small gift with you when visiting friends, and although we were officially booked on a paid experience, they’d both been so generous with their time (and Shochu collection) last time – plus we’d stayed in touch since – that we wanted to bring a small present from the UK with us. Chikako had mentioned previously that she loved Scottish whisky but hadn’t had the opportunity to drink any for many years (and Moe had never tried it before), so we’d packed a bottle of Aberfeldy 12 in the suitcase as a surprise and headed over to the Cooking Salon.

Moe and Chikako loved the gift, and asked if they could share the bottle with us before we left Kanazawa . We only had one day left in the city before heading on to Kyoto, so a last minute plan was formed for us to join them for lunch the next day, Christmas Day, at the machiya Moe and her husband were renovating in the geisha district, not too far from the salon.

Christmas isn’t a nationally celebrated holiday in Japan, but James and I had been carrying around our little festive pop up paper tree, so we brought that with us, as well as our Fuji Instax printer so we could capture some memories and print them out on the day. Enjoying the warmth on our legs from the kotatsu heated table in this gorgeous traditional wooden townhouse that had been skilfully renovated to preserve the old with touches of modern convenience, and enjoying the warmth of the whiskey, we hand made pan fried dumplings, whilst Chikako tested me on my Japanese storytelling skills!

After we’d devoured the delicious food and gone for a walk around the local temple to help digest some of our dinner, we were offered a tour of the newly renovated house – and my interior design loving heart jumped at the chance! After admiring all of the beautifully painted doors and the ornate wood carvings – some of which were antique, some had been handmade by Moe’s carpenter husband – we were led upstairs into this beautiful tatami mat room, with a beautiful red and gold formal kimono hanging up on display.

I audibly gasped at how stunning this Bridal Uchikake was, and asked if it would be ok to take some photos of it on my phone. After complimenting them on how beautiful it was, they asked if I’d like to try it on – whilst giving James my phone and telling him to take some photos of me so I would be able to see how pretty it was!

That moment was so special for me – a beautiful shared moment of womanhood and a chance to experience another incredible cultural experience – and as I was taking it off to hang it back on the special hangar, I told them as much. It turns out, my reaction was exactly as they had hoped, for this beautiful, highly formal kimono was, in fact, a gift. They knew I was a photographer, having followed me on socials and seeing my boudoir work, and wanted me to bring this Bridal Uchikake back, where they knew it would be loved and celebrated and photographed, rather than sitting in their cupboard. Teaching me how to fold it into it’s protective soft case, they dropped us back at our hotel for the evening because it was too heavy to walk home with, ready to pack it into our suitcase for our next Japanese adventure.

Well.. I say pack… It did in fact take up most of our suitcase with little space for anything else. So at 10pm on Christmas Day, we were heading out in a taxi to the nearest Mega Don Quixote to buy an extra suitcase, having forgotten our wifi device so were without the powers of the internet, and hoping with all our willpower that our Japanese taxi driver had understood my Japanese and was still waiting for us in the car park whilst we made our purchase (thankfully, we were all good!)

(Note to anyone travelling to Japan soon: they do not sell cheap suitcases!)

Fast forward a few weeks and the Bridal Uchikake, James and I were all safely back in the UK, where it was time to start planning a photoshoot with this beautiful garment. But there was something holding me back. I knew it had been gifted to me for the purposes of a photoshoot, with the gifters being fully aware of my empowering boudoir aesthetic… but how to do so tastefully and respectfully.

So, I sat on it for a while, 6 months in fact, until I met Celine Loh. Founder of LOH, a Pan-Asian collection of alternative accessories, products & fashion; her work is a personal reflection of being part of the Asian diaspora. Celine is also an honorary member of The Bitten Peach, the UK’S first Queer Pan-Asian cabaret production company, telling Asian stories, creating safe spaces, diversifying Asian representation, providing platforms, and educating on racial issues. I knew Celine would be the one to help me bring this project to life.

I finally plucked up the courage to ask Loh to be a part of this project a year later, during the summer of 2024, and she was all in from the start, which made for such an incredible photoshoot experience. Shooting in the art deco boudoir, Celine brought a range of props with her including vintage fans, as well as some Samurai swords borrowed from her stunt performer friend (that were used in a separate section of the shoot). We opted mostly for demure back shots, showing off Celine’s incredible toned back muscles alongside the beautiful red and gold fabric, making the Bridal Uchikake the true star of the show.

It is such an incredible honour to have been gifted this Bridal Uchikake and to preserve it in these beautiful photos. It really is one of the most beautiful things I feel privileged to own, and to have photographed and I’m so grateful to Celine for being my muse and bringing this dream photoshoot to life.

Inspired by these bridal boudoir photos? If you’ve got a wedding coming up and would liked to experience the confidence boost that comes from an empowering boudoir photoshoot with me, whilst documenting your bridal trousseau or traditional wedding attire in all it’s glory, please do get in touch. I’d love to hear from you.