Couple: Lily-Rose Palmer & Joi Fukuyama
Date & Location: 7 November 2025, Tokyo (after-party at The Legian Tokyo)
Guests: 85 (ceremony & lunch), approximately 90 (reception party)
A Garden Between Worlds
In central Tokyo, behind discreet gates and centuries-old trees, Lily-Rose Palmer and Joi Fukuyama gathered 85 guests for an autumn ceremony framed by a historic Japanese garden. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked maples and ginkgos at peak colour, deep red, amber, and gold, while a soft garden mist drifted across the grounds outside.
Inside, the atmosphere was intimate and expectant. Guests in kimonos sat beside friends in tailored suits, live musicians playing gently as silk sleeves brushed against the backs of chairs. Peach-toned floral arrangements, sourced by Lily’s mother from a small flower shop in Uehara, mirrored the warmth of the foliage beyond the glass. Family and friends had travelled from Melbourne and across Japan, filling the space with the quiet energy that comes when two worlds meet in one room.
Before the ceremony began, Lily and Joi shared a private first look. The moment they saw each other, both teared up, releasing nerves, distance, and anticipation all at once. The celebration had yet to formally start, but what would define it was already clear. This was a wedding built on intention, history, and a deep sense of home found in each other.
A Love Story Built on Doing Nothing Together
It started with a one-minute conversation and a Legend of Zelda T-shirt.
During their university orientation in Melbourne, students were paired for a speed-dating icebreaker, one minute per person, then move on. Joi sat across from Lily and felt an instant click. “She had beautiful eyes and gave off ‘nerdy vibes,” he says, “primarily based on the Legend of Zelda shirt she decided to wear on the first day of orientation.” Lily, meanwhile, had already noticed Joi moving into the dorms and promptly decided he was probably a player based on how he was dressed. Their first real conversation changed her mind. “He was really charismatic and funny. We had a lot in common and I just wanted to keep talking to him for the rest of the night.”
What followed was the kind of relationship they both describe as effortless. Not because it required no work, but because being together always made sense. Joi puts it simply: there were weekends when they’d choose doing absolutely nothing at home over any social event, and realise they wouldn’t have it any other way.
Over the years, they built their own rituals. Sunday pastry day: every week without fail, pastries and coffee from their favourite local bakery. Regular “staycations” at hotels around Melbourne, just for the fun of it. It was during one of these staycations that Joi booked a table at Eureka89, the restaurant where they’d celebrated their fifth anniversary, timed to catch the sunset from the highest restaurant in the Southern Hemisphere. Mid-course, he surprised Lily with flowers, got down on one knee, and proposed. “The only thing I had felt in the moment was nervousness,” he admits.
From Melbourne to Tokyo: Making a Fusion Vision Real
Both Joi and Lily knew early on that they wanted a wedding in Japan. As an Australian-English bride and a Japanese groom, the idea of bringing their two worlds together in Tokyo felt right, especially at a venue surrounded by nature and steeped in tradition.
They engaged Jenny Chiu of Jenny Chiu Weddings as their planner, MC, and celebrant in April 2024, about 18 months before the November 2025 wedding. Jenny was recommended by Joi’s colleague, specifically for her experience with international and multicultural celebrations. “If it’s in budget, I will always say hiring a wedding planner is 1000% worth it,” says Lily. “There were certain elements at our wedding that we were only able to have because she was able to coordinate it for us.”
Their Tokyo venue won them over with its garden, a space that felt both traditionally Japanese and completely removed from the city’s bustle. The garden regularly releases a soft mist, creating an almost otherworldly atmosphere. “Despite being in the middle of Tokyo, it was perfectly quiet,” the couple explains. With the wedding planned during autumn, they leaned into the season. ridesmaids’ dresses, tablecloths, and floral arrangements were all chosen to harmonise with the red and gold foliage outside.
Behind the scenes, the coordination was formidable. Jenny assembled a team spanning multiple countries, with a bilingual wedding planner from Australia who had formerly worked in-house at Japanese venues, a local bilingual coordinator, and prepared detailed bilingual run sheets for every vendor. Photography was handled by Wilson Foo of Multifolds, and videography by PJ of Substance Films, both introduced by Jenny. The venue’s in-house Shiseido team took care of hair and makeup. Even the wedding favours from Japanese brand SouSou, recommended by Jenny and chosen by the couple, reflected the care that went into every decision.
Moments That Made the Day
Ninja vows and a lucky draw. Joi and Lily incorporated “ninja vows”, also known as reverse vows, where each partner secretly writes the other person’s vows, and they only hear what they’re promising when reading aloud at the ceremony. The surprise of it brought genuine laughter and set a warm, playful tone. They also held a lucky draw among their guests to choose the witnesses for the certificate signing, turning a formal moment into something joyful and spontaneous.
A Hakama, a wedding dress, and two cultures in one frame. Joi wore a traditional Japanese hakama bearing his family crest for both the ceremony and reception, while Lily wore a Western wedding gown. It’s rare to see this particular combination typically; both partners would wear either Western or Japanese attire, but the couple wanted to honour both backgrounds without overthinking the rules. Looking back at the photos, they feel the fusion worked exactly as they’d hoped.
The first dance and then the band kicked in. Their first dance to Green Day’s “Last Night on Earth” carried a decade of shared history. It was the song they’d sing together in their university dorm rooms when they first met. Even more personal: the first time Joi heard the song was when he watched his groomsman Atsuhiro perform it on guitar fourteen years ago. Having that same friend sing it live at the wedding, backed by a full-band arrangement by musician Rie Oguchi, was what Lily calls “the most incredible, electric moment” of the celebration. After that, Joi and his groomsmen took to the stage for a performance that had every guest singing and dancing.
From after-party to karaoke. The evening continued at The Legian Tokyo with live saxophone, a Western-style after-party with dancing, and a mix of Japanese and Western music. And in what the couple describes as a perfectly Japanese way to end the night, everyone piled into a karaoke bar after the last song.
The Details That Made It Theirs
The couple’s approach to personalisation ran deeper than aesthetics. Customised desserts and champagne bottles bearing their names. Video messages from friends and family who couldn’t attend were woven into the program. A surprise photoshoot at Shibuya Crossing that Lily and Joi hadn’t planned for at all.
Lily’s mother arranged the wedding and bridal party bouquets and buttonholes herself, sourcing flowers from Ex. Flower Shop & Laboratory in Uehara, a personal touch that meant the bride carried something made with family love, not just florist skill. All jewellery worn was borrowed or inherited from family, with the exception of the wedding and engagement rings, crafted by the Australian Diamond Company in Melbourne.
The reception included a kanpai, a traditional formal toast, alongside Western speeches, including a particularly emotional one from Joi’s mother that both the bride and groom count among their most memorable moments of the day. Several Japanese guests attended in kimonos, adding to the natural blend of traditions that flowed through the entire celebration without any of it feeling forced or staged.
Looking Back
When asked what the day taught them, Joi reflects on how it felt like confirmation: “All of these people from various points in our lives who have cared and supported us were all present in one place. Not only did we feel so much love for each other, there were so many people who also felt that we were meant for each other.”
Lily’s advice for couples still planning? “Reflect on the elements that are genuinely meaningful to you and your partner. You will always have to make compromises, but if something is especially meaningful to you, then don’t compromise on it. We faced challenges on some things that meant a lot to both of us, but we pushed and persevered to make sure they still happened, and we are both so glad we did.”
As for what comes next, they’re looking forward to building new traditions together. Preferably, ones that involve adopting a lot of cats.
Vendor Credits
Wedding Planner, MC & Celebrant: Jenny Chiu (@jennychiuweddings)
Photography: Multifolds (Wilson Foo) (@multifolds | multifolds.com.sg)
Videography: Substance Films (PJ) (@substancefilms)
Wedding Gown: Eva Lendel (@evalendel) & Teuta Matoshi (@teutamatoshi)
Groom’s Attire: Takami Bridal (@takamibridal_costume) & InStitchu (@institchu)
Hair & Makeup: In-house Shiseido team
Florals (bouquets & buttonholes): Flowers sourced from Ex. Flower Shop & Laboratory (Uehara), arranged by the bride’s mother
Table Flowers & Stationery: In-house
Wedding Cake: In-house kitchen
Live Music: Rie Oguchi (@rieoguchi)
Wedding Favours: SouSou
Jewellery: Family heirloom and borrowed pieces; wedding & engagement rings by Australian Diamond Company (Melbourne)