One unique project the couple took on was creating a signature perfume for their wedding day. “Since I own a fragrance brand, we started working with a Japanese perfumer and Brandon’s mother (who is also a perfumer) to create one unisex scent that we both could wear on the day,” Dhika shares. They named the perfume Ceremony 29 as a nod to their wedding date. “Our main note was hinoki, a Japanese woody scent that represented Kyoto’s wooden homes or machiya.” All guests received the fragrance as a favor, and Dhika ended up releasing the scent with her brand after the wedding.
When deciding on her wedding attire, the bride collaborated exclusively with designer Sebastian Gunawan. “This was the easiest part of the whole wedding process,” she shares. “He’s been dressing me since I was eight! I felt like he knew me best. I had blindfolds on and completely trusted him.” For their wedding in Jakarta, Gunawan designed Dhika two looks that served as representations of both her Indonesian and Chinese heritage. “In Kyoto, he highlighted my Japanese heritage by designing a Japanese obi-inspired back with florals on my ceremonial two-piece bridal couture,” she describes. For jewelry, she kept her hair knotted with a Japanese hairpin and wore tennis bracelets gifted by Brandon’s mother. “I wanted my neckline to be clear of any jewelry to highlight the shape of the gown,” the bride adds. One additional look in her wardrobe? “During our welcome dinner, I chose to wear my mother’s Sebastian Gunawan vintage dress from 20 years ago that he designed for her.” Brandon also chose to wear a suit designed by a longtime family favorite, Lim’s Tailor.
The couple also had their wedding party outfitted for the day. Dhika asked her bridesmaids to choose mismatched dresses in hues of butter yellow and sage green. “I wanted each bridesmaid to have their own style,” she says. They pulled pieces from Reformation and had custom styles created by Indonesian seamstresses for the party. The groomsmen wore suits with matching loafers and ties.
The celebrations kicked off with a welcome party at The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto, where the guests all stayed for the weekend. “Afterwards, we went bar hopping in Kyoto’s famous Pontocho Alley,” adds the bride. The next day, the couple and their guests gathered on the deck of Shogunzuka Seiryuden Temple for the ceremony. “We wanted to have a 360 view of all our guests, so we had the layout circle around the center platform,” says Dhika. Florals were placed around the space in reflective water vessels crafted by This Humid House. A musical ensemble set the tone with instrumentals by Joe Hisaishi, Ghibli’s composer and music director, before Dhika made her entrance to “First Love” by Utada Hikaru.
The couple describes the ceremony as very intimate. Brandon’s father, actor Ferry Salim, served as officiant for the proceedings and “gave a little dad speech to us,” says the bride. The couple then recited their own vows before sealing their marriage with a kiss. The deck transformed for cocktail hour, where the newlyweds and their guests took in the last light of the day. “We enjoyed blue hour together on the deck, with cocktails, wine, and delicious local snacks, while taking in sweeping views of Kyoto,” shares Dhika. “As the sun set, we watched the city slowly light up below us, which felt incredibly magical and peaceful—the perfect way to transition from the ceremony into the evening celebrations.”
Before entering the temple for the reception, the newlyweds took a moment to watch their guests mingle. “It was truly magical to see what we had planned for a year come to life,” describes Dhika. “Our closest family and friends came all the way to Japan for us! Some even flew 18 hours just to spend the weekend. That was the most important part.” Food was a highlight of the reception, with bento boxes, sashimi, Japanese beef, and unagi chirashi bowls from The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto on the menu. “I thought I’d be too nervous or occupied to eat, but I ended up finishing all the courses,” shares the bride.
The party moved underground to the oldest club in Japan, Club Metro. The after-party had a rock ‘n’ roll theme, and all the guests swapped their attire to party into the night. “We also invited Brandon’s favorite Japanese indie rock band, Galileo Galilei, to perform! Brandon gave a surprise performance with them, too,” adds Dhika.
Reflecting on the Kyoto festivities, the couple notes that they are simply filled with gratitude: “When I see the photos, I could feel the warmth of that day all over again.”
