Japanese Wedding Dresses

-- Japanese Wedding Dresses --

Just like American weddings, Japanese weddings are rich in their own traditions.

But while a Japanese wedding is elegant and serene, it can also be very expensive..

Traditional Wedding Dress

The traditional Japanese wedding dress is a “wedding kimono” or a shiro maku. “Shiro” meaning white and “maku” meaning make pure.

On her special day, a Japanese bride will change kimonos up to five times. She will wear the white wedding kimono for the wedding ceremony and a rich, patterned, silk brocade kimono called a uchikake, is worn over the white wedding kimono at the reception.

The uchikake is made of silk and silk brocade with long and flowing sleeves. Originally only worn by court nobles, only young, unmarried Japanese women are allowed to wear these embroidered kimonos. The most popular color of the uchikake is red, but a wide variety of colors is available. The kimono is embroidered with patterns of scenes of flowers, cranes, pines, flower carts or natural motifs.

The white silk kimono used for the wedding ceremony is very expensive – costing up to $25,000. Because of this, some Japanese brides choose to rent their wedding attire for roughly $5,000. If the family chooses to purchase the gown, it sometimes is handed down through the generations or perhaps made into futon bedding.

If you are planning to have a Japanese-themed wedding but don’t want the price tag that comes with an authentic wedding kimono, you can always hire a seamstress to create the white silk kimono for you.

Another part of the Japanese wedding dress is the white wedding hood, or the tsuno kakushi. The hood is mean to hide the bride’s “tsuno” or horns during the ceremony. It symbolizes obedience, that the bride will be a serene and patient wife.

Other Traditions

There are many other traditions that are part of the Japanese wedding. Because of the country’s climate, spring and fall are popular for Japanese weddings. During the ceremony, the bride paints herself from head to toe. This curious tradition is used to symbolize purity.

Although not required, some Japanese brides wear wigs heavily decorated with artificial flowers, gold combs and pearls.

The Japanese bride carries a small sack purse called a hakoseko and a small encased sword called a kaiken. A fan Is worn in the obi belt for tradition. The gradual widening of the fan implies happiness and brings a happy future.

Other common accessories for Japanese weddings are:

• White fans

• Bonsai trees

• Decorated parasols for the flower girl/girls

• Bowls of bamboo

The wedding party wears kimonos in a color chosen by the bride.Although a Japanese wedding is one of the more expensive types of themed weddings, it also one of the more beautiful.