Tired of loud, boisterous and festival-like weddings as vividly portrayed by Taiwan-born director Ang Lee in his film "Wedding Banquet," Keika Lin dreamed of a different ceremony that will make her once-in-a-lifetime event a timeless memory.
The idea of holding a solemn marriage in a traditional Shinto shrine came to her after she and her fiance, Greg Chan, canceled their costly plan to seek rites in a Mediterranean church on a white-sand beach in Greece.
"We began by sending out mail to a couple of shrines in Japan to inquire whether they are able to provide the same services for foreigners," Lin recalled. "To our excitement, a shrine in Kyoto replied very soon with its warm and sincere blessing."