Uniquely Land of the Rising Sun Weddings
What comes to your mind when you hear ‘Japanese Wedding’? Do you imagine the bride and groom in Kimono and Yukata? The Japanese have been following the traditional wedding culture for many years, but the young Japanese couples are in for a revamp! We shall let you in on some unique trending practices of Japanese weddings.
A mix of Cultures – Japanese Welcome Other Cultures!
Modern Japanese weddings are celebrated in a great variety of ways. As you can see in the previous blog post ‘How Do People Celebrate Christmas In Japan’, Japanese people love western culture and enjoy mixing it with traditional Japanese ones.
One Ceremony, Three Gowns
As wedding in Japan is typically a whole day affair, it is common for both bride and bridegroom to change outfits several times between the ceremony and the reception, ranging from kimonos to western style wedding gown. Isn’t it this a wonderful idea for indecisive couples? Because both kimono and western-style gowns are so attractive that most brides can’t make up their minds!
Hotels with Mini Shrine
In terms of a traditional Japanese wedding, which is called ‘Shinto wedding’ or ‘Shinzenshiki’. It will usually take place in a shrine, but it can also be held at a hotel. Some hotels will build a mini-size shrine to cater for traditional weddings, this is rather thoughtful and convenient for the couple! So Japanese couples who enjoy having a traditional wedding ceremony can conduct it without visiting a shrine.
Artificial Chapel Weddings In Japan
Speaking of a commonplace for western-style weddings all over the world is obviously the church. However, in Japan, most people usually do not hold weddings in a real church. Instead, most couples hold a wedding ceremony in artificial chapels! They are designed just for conducting wedding ceremonies in western style. The Chapels are built to look like real ones – Yes, there is absolutely no religious meaning to it!
What is more interesting is that some priests at such weddings maybe just an actor. Most of them are foreigners, who get hired temporarily by bridal agencies. This is because there are only a few Christians and real priests in Japan and they are not enough to cover a large number of chapel weddings.
Read the story of an English man who "Married 900 people as a fake priest in Japan".
So in the future, If you have an opportunity to experience a wedding in Japan, don’t miss it! Meanwhile, drop by The Bridal Shop for wedding decor inspiration.