I've been working closely with the bride Rie for over 5 years as part of the executive team and we were constantly traveling for business due to the nature of the global business we were involved in.

Richard used to tag along with Rie for some of these trips and I had the opportunity to spend time with the couple in New York, Los Angeles, Shanghai, and Tokyo. They make such a great couple, and when I heard about their engagement along with the excitement came my curiosity of wondering where they are going to have their wedding. The answer was, Italy.

Before their wedding, I've never been to Italy but always had a deep love towards Italian food and wine. There was no better opportunity for me to visit and I was very much looking forward to the trip to attend their wedding party.

After a direct flight from Tokyo to Milan, I got on the car Richard and Rie arranged for us and traveled up north to arrive at the beautiful lakeside town. The actual wedding party was for a day and a pre-party the night before, but I was so glad I took a longer time off to spend more time in the area.

Their wedding was full of surprises and it felt like the whole town was the stage of their wedding. All guests were dressed up to impress which matched the setting perfectly and added to the excitement of the whole day.

Needless to say how beautiful the location and set up was of the wedding ceremony, but for me personally the most memorable part of the day was the reception party. The view, hospitality, meal, and wine. Everything was absolutely perfect. While so many guests traveled from afar, we could really feel the whole party was thought through by the couple and the day just flew by, I really can't remember how much wine I had that day - the wine was that fabulous - I had such an amazing time socializing with the couple's family and friends. Especially coming from Japan, it's rare to experience a wedding party where you can enjoy for the whole entire day. I would love to attend their wedding party again, if there ever is one!

Even the day after the wedding, the couple organized us a wine tasting event and was able to have dinner together with the guests which gave us the time to spend together and bask in the warm exciting feel. I can't say enough thank you's to Richard and Rie for inviting me to such a fantastic party.

Tokyo