First thing’s first — Toshi is the best. He’s patient, supportive, knowledgeable, and above all, a stellar photographer. My wife and I found Toshi through the Knot and contacted him and several other photographers to get quotes and find out mor...e about their respective styles. Toshi responded first (almost immediately!) with answers and set a great tone that continued throughout our time working with him. Because we were planning from Oregon, he made sure we chatted on the phone before booking to ensure our vision was something he could deliver. This was immensely helpful! As our first marriage, we had no idea what we were doing and his guidance was invaluable. Once we got to Hawaii, we met up for coffee to get to know him better, discuss the order of ceremony, the shot list, and other details. He thought of everything, showed up early, and was just generally always on top of things. As for the day of: a total dream. Toshi met us where we were getting ready, had an awesome eye for emotional moments we would never have thought of (both of our moms grinning proudly as we emerged in our finery), and helped keep everything running smoothly. Every single guest (!) at the wedding came up to me afterward to share how wonderful he was, and how unobtrusive he managed to be. He didn’t bat an eye about photographing a same sex couple, made no attempt to force us into preconceived gender roles for portraits, and never suggested we do any cheesy poses (which we never talked about, but were so glad to skip). Post-wedding, I’m convinced that Toshi is actually three people, because it seems impossible that he was able to get us hundreds of gorgeous photos in a week - but he did! They’re breathtaking, and while wedding planning is the biggest hassle, I cannot recommend anyone more highly than Toshi for making things easier and giving you beautiful memories.