In Japan, fall and spring are recognized to the best wedding seasons. Although the established Japanese wedding traditions dictated arranged or fixed marriages in the past, the modern society is now open to marriage unions done purely for love. However, most of the ancient Japanese wedding traditions are still prevalently observed such as the popular practice of the Mi-Ai or the interview conducted by parents of both parties soft the engaged couples along with a third party that acts as a go between. This provides the couples a chance to get to know each other in a much deeper plane and social backgrounds and other key factors are openly discussed to gain more insight on their specific views on marriage and family life. Still, a Mi-Ai is not generally regarded a promise of marriage and the final decision still largely depend on the couple.

Yui-no, which literally means to apply, is often known as some sort of a betrothal party, where families of the couples come together and celebrate the imminent union of the family through marriage. Gifts are also given from the bride to the groom and vice versa and among the popular gifts presented to the future bride is often an “obi” that is said to represent the female virtue and the groom usually receives a “hakama” shirt that reportedly expresses fidelity.

Years ago, Japanese weddings are only done in Shinto temples, presided by a priest and the main part of the Japanese wedding ceremony requires the couple to offer some twigs of the Sakaki tree, considered to be scared. Japanese brides are to be painted in pure white that visibly declares her personal maiden status to their gods. Wearing a white kimono complemented with an elaborate headpiece, the Japanese wedding dress of the bride easily becomes a sight to behold in the most important day of her life. A white hood is also attached to the bride’s kimono that will serve as her veil believed to protect her from the horns of jealousy. On the other hand, the grooms opt to wear black kimonos to symbolize his personal transition of becoming the head of the family.

Another interesting practice of the Japanese wedding traditions requires both families to face each other rather than pay attention to the couple. The Japanese wine called ‘sake’ also plays an integral part in the Japanese wedding traditions and the couple is required to drink nine cups of sake in order to be fully united. The guests and family members are also invited to partake in the drinking of the Japanese wine, which would symbolize the bond of the newlyweds as well as the union of the two families.

The usual reception soon follows the wedding ceremony and the bride will change into a red kimono and later into a western-style gown. Surprisingly enough according to Japanese wedding traditions, those who are not family members don’t generally attend the ceremony but can proceed directly to the reception. Naturally sumptuous food and flowing drink are served along with some games with karaoke become the main source of entertainment. All guests will be expected to offer goshugi or money to the couple, before or after the ceremony and is usually given in festive envelopes. So if you are to attend a Japanese wedding, it is imperative to bring some cash along. If you are wondering what would be the appropriate amount to give, this would largely depend on your relationship to the couple, unless of course if a fixed cash amount is indicated in the invitation, which is not at all unusual. The average cash would be around 30,000 yen or roughly around $250 if the couple is a close friend.

These are a lot of intricacies of the traditional Japanese wedding that may continue to be quite baffling to some individuals. However, knowing the significance behind the practices would greatly help you develop a better appreciation of the Japanese culture as a whole.