The Traditional Japanese Wedding Attire
- Image via Wikipedia
Japanese wedding ceremonies are beautiful occasions guided by customs and traditions as old as the culture itself. The bride and groom are done up from head to foot to prepare them for this special day in their lives.
The traditional groom’s attire, while simpler than the bride’s clothes, still comes in many pieces. He wears a formal montsuki kimono tied with an obi sash. These full-length kimonos are usually worn for special occasions and ceremonies and they bear the family crest at the front and back. The groom can opt to wear an underkimono underneath this more formal one. The montsuki kimono is tucked into the loose hakama pants and topped with a matching haori overcoat. The groom’s attire is typically in black with white crests but other colors like purple, brown, dark blue, etc. are also being used these days.
The bride, on the other hand, begins her beautification with the painting of her entire body in white to symbolize purity. Her hair is arranged in a traditional style called bunkin-takashimada and embellished with beautiful combs and accessories of gold called kanzashi. During the wedding ceremony, the bride’s head is covered with a white hood that’s meant to conceal the two golden horns or tsuno that accessorize her hair. This practice of covering the horns symbolizes the bride’s obedience to her husband.
Two different kimonos make up the bride’s wedding garb. The traditional white kimono called shiro-maku (shiro meaning white; maku meaning pure) is worn for the wedding ceremony. For the reception, an elaborately-adorned silk brocade kimono called uchikake is worn over the white kimono. This more intricate kimono is usually embroidered with flowers, cranes, flower carts and other nature motifs. The uchikake is usually red because it is considered to be an auspicious color in Japan. The embroidered kimono with its flowing sleeves, which is worn more like a coat over the shiro-maku, is very long that the bride has to be helped by her attendants so that the kimono will not touch the ground. After her wedding, the bride won’t be able to wear a kimono with these sleeves or this richly-decorated anymore since these are only worn by young, unmarried women.
Most brides usually just rent a uchikake since it’s only worn once. If a bride chooses to have one made for the occasion, she typically hands it down to her daughter or younger sister and it becomes a family heirloom. Other brides choose to convert it into futon bedding so that they have an everyday item to remind them of their wedding.
Like in many other cultures, the Japanese bride carries with her some accessories such as a small, sack-like purse (hakoseko) and a delicate dagger (kaiken) that bring with them good luck. The bride also wears a partially opened fan in her obi sash to imply happiness and bring the newlyweds a happy future.
Each aspect of a traditional Japanese wedding carries with it certain meaning and significance. While the layers of clothes may sometimes be a bit uncomfortable for the modern bride and groom, traditions are still best followed to ensure that all the blessings and good fortune come to the newlyweds.
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March 26th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
[...] Image via Wikipedia Japanese wedding ceremonies are beautiful occasions guided by customs and traditions as old as the culture itself. The bride and groom are done up from head to foot to prepare them for this special day in their lives. The traditional groom’s attire, while simpler than the bride’s clothes, still comes in many pieces. He wears a formal montsuki kimono tied with an obi sash. These full-length kimonos are usually worn for special occasions and ceremonies and they bear Source: http://sgweddingfavors.com/blog/168/traditional-japanese-wedding-attire/ [...]
April 20th, 2009 at 6:03 am
Thanks for your blog; I love all those pictures in your blog especially the Traditional Japanese Wedding Attire, I agree with most of what you’re saying. I just posted a blog about wedding favors.
Here’s part of what I said…
The question of whether or not you have to give wedding favors to your guests is a very common one. Nevertheless, there is no easy answer to this question. Although it is true that you technically are not required to give your guests any type of wedding favor at your wedding, it is also true that your guests will likely be expecting to receive a favor. This is what makes the matter more difficult. You may not be obligated to give out wedding favors but your guests may be offended if you decide not to do so. This article will take a look at the question of whether or not you have to give wedding favors to your guests and will provide some tips for giving out wedding favors on even the tightest budget.
If you want to check out the full context and leave a comment you can check out the full post here…
http://www.lionel1.com/newblog/relationships/wedding-favors/
Talk to you later,
Lionel.
October 13th, 2009 at 9:35 am
I like theme based wedding and one of those is Japanese Themed Wedding..I have attended one of my friend’s wedding in Hawaii..It was really a beautiful wedding.I liked everything there whether it is wedding accessories,Brides and Grooms dress,or decorations etc.There I got some beautiful favors also which are different and very beautiful also..
But I think now a days trend is changing and people are opting for Theme based Weddings rather than a normal or casual wedding,and in theme based wedding we get some different and more beautiful wedding accessories.
Well it’s a long topic to discuss..In the end I want to say that you have given a good info. on Japanese Wedding.I was searching this kind of info from a long time.
Thanks !!