Namiko & Jeffery | 6 Years After I Do

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Anna Wu Photography is celebrating 10 years in business! In honor of the anniversary, we’re catching up with past clients to see where they are now in our “After I Do” series.

Today, we catch up with Namiko and Jeffery, who were wed at Rio Lindo Academy on July 3, 2011. They had such a wonderful multicultural wedding incorporating their Japanese and Rwandan backgrounds.

So… How has life has changed in the last four years?

We got married in July 2011 and we’ll be celebrating our 6th anniversary next month. Time flies… Since the wedding day, a lot of things have happened, as you can imagine. We had our first daughter in 2013 and the second daughter in 2014! Yes, we’ve been busy and they changed our world completely. Meanwhile, Nami changed her position a few times within the same university in Arkansas, and we made a big decision to move to Washington from Arkansas in 2015 for both family and job reasons. So, imagine a road trip for 5 days with little ones! Luckily our best friends helped us to drive all the way to Washington! :)

What is an unexpected lesson or a challenge you’ve had to overcome in the last 2 years?

It’s obvious, but the lesson is, “We need to stay together no matter what.” We experienced a loss of a family member (Imagine thag struggles are happening back home, thousands of miles away, but you cannot be always there to support – it’s tough…) and small and big ups & downs for various reasons, but as we promised each other on the wedding day, in order for us to overcome any challenging situations, we need to remind ourselves that are committed to staying strong and together.

Do you ever look back at your wedding photos? Do you have any favorite images from your wedding day?

Yes! Here are a couple of our favorites.

Looking back on your wedding day, is there anything you wish you had known or done differently?

Sleep well a night before! I remember I ended up staying awake till 2 or 3am… my sister was like “I’ve never seen a bride being up like this late. Good night,” and she fell asleep first. I was too nervous that all cultures (oh, being on time can be different concepts for different cultures!), families and friends were getting together, which turned out all wonderful and memorable after all :)

Any advice for couples who are about to get married?

Relax. Enjoy the special time with your families & friends. Even if something goes wrong or any surprises happen, many cases, people wouldn’t know :)


Top three hopes or things you are looking forward to in your future?

1. Watching our girls grow up – We definitely want them to keep their cultures. At the moment, both can understand 3 languages and Jeffery is ambitious to add one more!
2. Letting them do a homestay in Japan or some other places in the world – Jeffery grew up in different places while being away from his parents. We hope we can let them explore the world.
3. This is a big dream – We want to go visit Rwanda all together when the girls are a bit older.

Anna Wu is a wedding and portrait photographer based in San Francisco. She creates beautiful, soft, and timeless imagery while capturing the most fleeting of moments. View her work at annawu.com, follow her daily adventures on instagram, and contact her to book your own session today.


After I Do

Related posts:

Serena & Cliff | 2 Years After I Do Raquel & Andy | 6 Years After I Do Catherine & Joe | 6 Years After I Do Namiko & Jeffery | Rio Lindo Academy | Japanese Rwandan Multicultural Wedding Photography