About japanese weddings
It's interesting:"Tradition decrees that the best man responds to the toast to the bridesmaids and I am happy to be asked to do so. Like everything else about this wedding they were perfection itself."
Japanese wedding ceremonies can be steeped in spiritual meaning or be based more on the interests of the couple getting married. They may include traditional items such as kimonos and sake, or may instead be built around white Western-style dresses and a glamorous honeymoon. However they are performed, Japanese wedding ceremonies can be interesting and beautiful events.
Types
Japanese weddings can be traditional in the ancient Shinto style and held at a shrine, or they can be celebrated in a more modern fashion where Western elements are integrated into the ceremony alongside the Japanese traditions. These modern ceremonies may be Buddhist, Shinto (Japan's native religion), Christian, or even nonreligious, with the spiritual elements not always matching the couple's religion.
Features
Spring and fall are the most popular times of year for weddings in Japan. In traditional Shinto wedding ceremonies, the couple getting married wears kimonos, with the bride in a special white kimono called a shiromuku. They go through a purification rite, drink sake and then the groom reads words of commitment. They also make offerings at the end of the ceremony to the kami (Shinto gods). Usually only family members and close relatives will attend a traditional ceremony.
In the more modern style, brides wear white Western-style dresses. The ceremony may be done in a Christian style and in a Christian church. It will include exchanging of rings, and afterward a cake cutting during the reception and a honeymoon. Receptions after the ceremony are popular for both styles of wedding in Japan. A number of guests, even as many as several hundred, including family, friends and co-workers, will begin with an introduction of the couple and be followed by a large meal. Guests will make speeches and sing songs, and then the couple gives a speech and thanks everyone for attending.
Guests are expected to bring cash gifts for the married couple, which are placed in special envelopes called shugi-bukuro. The amount of money for the gift depends on how close the relationship is with the couple. Wedding receptions are formal occasions, with participants wearing dresses, suits and kimonos. The bride and groom will change clothes several times during the reception, wearing kimonos, dresses and tuxedos. At the end of the reception, the guests will be given souvenirs called hikidemono, which may contain items as varied as candy or even tableware.
Geography
Many Japanese weddings are held at hotels or in wedding halls. Chapels and shrines are located within such facilities specifically for this purpose. Some Japanese couples choose to have their weddings in countries outside of Japan, so that they can combine their honeymoon with the ceremony and also cut back on the number of guests they can invite (and have to pay expenses for).
Size
Shinto wedding ceremonies are small, with only a few close family members attending. But the wedding reception is usually quite large, with up to 200 people invited, including friends, family and co-workers.
Considerations
Guests invited to a Japanese wedding reception are expected to RSVP as soon as possible with their intentions to attend. Then they are expected to bring cash as a gift (not a toaster or set of wine glasses like in Western weddings).
Source: www.ehow.com
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