Two years ago, I was again invited to witness a Japanese wedding. The first time I was 'informally' invited was 8 years ago but to which I was not able to go. My friend then, thought that her elder sister`s wedding could be a good opportunity for me to witness a Japanese wedding. My friend invited me first before asking her sister`s permission. Unluckily, her sister told her that all invitations have already been sent out and it's not possible to make changes. And, attendants are limited to only those with formal invitations. Although a Japanese herself, my dear friend, didn`t also know much about Japanese weddings.
Japanese weddings consist of two parts. First is the wedding ceremony where only relatives and very close friends are invited. This is usually done in the shrine or temple and the bride and bridegroom wear traditional costumes, usually pure white for the bride and black robe (like what Tom Cruise wear in "the Last Samurai" movie, he he) according to the Shinto tradition. The second part is the wedding party held in a hotel or restaurant. The wedded couple change their attires. The bride wears a western wedding dress in which she will change again into a silk kimono later. The bridegroom wears a formal suit.
The one I went to, however, was not very Japanese. Everything, ceremony and party were held in a cruise ship along Tokyo bay. It was cool, a great experience. It was cooler that I got to meet people from the past that I thought I would never have the chance of meeting again. Life is full of surprises huh? :-) Big thanks to the wedded couple for inviting me.
By the way, Japanese weddings are extremely expensive, it costs millions to billions of yen so the couple have to save for years, just for that one day ceremony.
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