Royal Wedding Accessories: Sep 23, 2011

Friday, September 23, 2011

The Perfect Japanese Dress For Your Wedding - Choosing a Traditional Dress

Every country has different traditions and customs that is why during the wedding ceremony the bride and the groom wear their traditional dresses. Weddings are celebrated with great enthusiasm and zeal in Japan. The close family members and friends of the bride and groom are invited to the wedding and the ceremony is mainly organized in a very simple manner. Most of the weddings in Japan are held in autumn and spring and organized in a Shinto temple. Before the wedding is planned an auspicious date is chosen so that it can bring luck for the bride and groom.

In this article, I would mainly like to tell you about the Traditional Japanese dress and the accessories that are worn by the Japanese bride.
1. The wedding dress
On the wedding day the Japanese bride looks extremely beautiful because their whole body is painted white. It is a belief in the Japanese culture that painting the bride white, would bring luck and prosperity in her married life. The wedding dress for a Japanese bride usually consists of a complete white kimono which is generally white in color. The kimono is known as shiro-maku. In order to get the perfect look for their wedding day, the brides also make different and elaborate hair styles that are done with the help of various hair accessories and comb.
2. Wedding accessories
Various different accessories are used for dressing up the Japanese bride. A hood is used for covering the head of the bride during the ceremony. This hood signifies that the bride would make a very patient and understanding wife. It is a tradition in Japan that the bride has to carry some additional accessories that are either borrowed or given to them by their elders. The accessories that they usually carry are the sheathed dagger which is known as the kaiken and a very delicate sack purse which is known as the hakoseko.
3. Simple and elegant
The Japanese bridal outfit is very simple and elegant. During the ceremony the bride also wears the tsuno-kakushiover which marks her eagerness to enter into this great institution. During the reception the bride has to change her clothes a number of times. The brides wear the uchikake during the reception and it is usually made of silk and dyed in red color.
I am sure this article would certainly be able to provide you all the information that you need about Japanese wedding dress.

A Glance at Wedding Cake Traditions Around the World

For a moment imagine all the distinctive forms weddings which are so intensively enjoyed across the globe. One wedding ceremony may be extensively formal as well as elegant with the presence of all the traditional elements. Whereas, another wedding may be more slipshod that will include flip-flops together with a beach locale. No matter what type of wedding is visualized, a beautiful wedding cake is a must-have for all types of wedding.
In fact, despite of the bride's wedding outfit, the wedding cake is the next item to receive much of the attention. The traditional wedding cakes usually come in tiers that are built systematically in the form of pillars in order to attain great height. All through out the history, wedding cake traditions around the world are used to signify, long and happy life, fertility and good fortune. With all numerous figures and shapes available for wedding cakes, till date they stay as the centerpieces in weddings across the globe.
Great Britain- As said, the wedding cake traditions around the world are diversified with different shapes, sizes, and colors. In Great Britain, an elaborate fruitcake welcomes the reception. Dates, prunes, and raisins are items used to fill the cake, and also the wedding cake is soaked with either cognac or brandy. Moreover, the cake is then coated with marzipan together with further decoration.
United States - Consisted of multi-layers with white frosting, the traditional wedding cakes in United States express the real celebration of the ceremony. Nevertheless, outside US there are numerous other wedding cake traditions that most American families are turning to in search of a better idea.
Japan - For Japanese, the wedding cakes are in fact a detailed show instead of just being a formal desert. Because Japanese families find multi-layered cakes expensive, they have switched to the alternative to create large wax or plastic cakes for the wedding reception. These fake cakes are characteristically centralized as the traditional cake when the bride together with the bride groom pretends to slice through the cake. However, the guests are not let to be disappointed as they are later offered much affordable sheet cakes.
Iceland - Though in Iceland, the traditional wedding cakes have adopted the same multi-layered cakes as in US, but their outlook is very much different. The ring cake is composed of consecutive ring-shaped layers, and the rings are almond-flavored and usually dressed with marzipan. Nevertheless, the hollow centre of the stack is the eye-catching portion, which is filled with chocolates, numerous candies or at times with a bottle of wine.

Asian Style Wedding and Wedding Guest Favors

When one says "Asian-themed wedding", it means in the most of cases Japanese or Chinese traditions that took roots far in the past. Spring and fall are popular seasons for nuptial ceremonies in Japan. The traditional Japanese matrimonial ceremonies are Shinto-style that is held at shrines (jinja). In a Shito-style wedding ceremony, the bride wears a traditional kimono for the event, and the groom wears montsuki haori hakama. Usually, only the family members and close relatives of the couple will attend the Shinto-style ceremony. This includes sake drinking rituals, exchanging wedding rings, and more on. There are neither bridesmaids nor a best man, and the older married couple called nakoudo (matchmaker) visits the ceremony.
Most of weddings in Japan are held at hotels or wedding halls. Chapels and shrines are conveniently located within the facilities, and couples can choose the style and favors for their ceremonies. A Japanese ceremony can be of Christian, Buddhist, Shinto, and non-religious styles. The style of the ceremony doesn't necessarily match with one religion; the Asian-themed style assumes the mix of traditions. Non-Christian couples often have their matrimonial ceremony at chapels.
After the wedding ceremony, the reception party is hosted. The style and scale of favors at receptions vary depending on the place. Typically, relatives, friends, co-workers, and neighbors attend the reception. When you receive an invitation card, you must return the enclosed card and inform immediately whether you can attend or not for accounting reasons.
If you are going to attend a Japanese wedding reception, you are expected to bring cash as the gift for the bride and groom. The amount depends on your relationship with the wedding couple and the scale of ranks, though the fixed amount may be indicated in the invitation card. The average is 30,000 yen for a friend's wedding. It must be said, that the cash is enclosed in a special envelope, and your name is written on the front. When you go to the party, you give this envelope to the person at the reception desk and sign your name in the guestbook. People usually are formal dressed to attend a Japanese wedding reception. Female guests could wear dresses, suits or kimono, while male guests wear only white shirts and black formal suits. With the above it is then necessary for the couple to give the invited guests favors to reciprocate for their gifts of money.
During the reception, the special couple sits on a stage taking delight of the guests' speeches and performances which form part of the events favors to the attending guests. The most amusing speech may be specially rewarded by extra favors. Sometimes people are asked to perform something at the reception. Many couples sing their favorite songs as gifts. The couple after cutting a large wedding cake, then walking around the room, greeting guests and lighting the candles a full course meal is often served at the table.
At the wedding reception, souvenirs favors called hikidemono are prepared in bags for guests to take. The common favors are tableware, sweets, interiors, and other useful things, especially candles, napkins and dishes, mostly in red and golden colors, are accepted at the Asian-themed matrimonial events. In recent years, special party favor catalogs from which couples can choose presents have become popular for selecting the favor gifts.

The Japanese Wedding Culture

Until recently Japan was considered a land of mystery. American movies, unfortunately, did not depict the delicate and intricate workings of the Japanese society. Today, some Japanese couples have western-style ceremonies, just like American couples, but in former years this would have been considered unacceptable. Older pictures show beautiful, slim women in kimonos, their black hair in a bun on top of their head, walking on wooden clogs. The farm women were shown in black, padded pants and tops. Mainly, what the Americans knew about these people they read in books.

In Japan there is an ancient myth that all things, including Japan itself, were created by the marriage of male and female gods, similar to Zeus and Hera. Although, today, many Japanese weddings are conducted in a Western-style, in previous year's marriage was conducted in a strict Shinto ceremony.

Once a boy or girl attain the age of marriage a search for a suitable partner began. Often times marriages were arranged between overlords who wished to strengthen their power. In these cases often the couple had not seen each other until their wedding day.

Sometimes there was a Mi-Ai interview whereby the future groom managed to obtain an invitation to the house of someone he was interested in. At that time he would leave a token, such as a fan to indicate his interest in the woman. If the woman was impressed she was seen using the fan. This was just an indication that they were interested in getting to know each other, not necessarily an invitation to marriage.

The bride always wore an all-white wedding kimono which symbolized a new beginning as it was believed the bride 'died' as a member of her family and was 'reborn' into her husband's family. Her face was painted a creamy white. The bride changed her clothing several times during the wedding; one of the kimonos indicated that she was a young, unmarried woman. This was the last time she could wear this outfit. The groom wore a black kimono with the family crest in white and wore white sandals. He carried a white, folded fan.

The wedding ceremony was strictly, Shinto, in that it honored the natural world spirits. After a purification ceremony, the priest called on the gods to bless the couple. The ceremony ended with the sharing of sake from three flat cups stacked on top of one another. This was usually done according the family's custom; the groom takes three sips from a cup, followed by the bride taking three sips, then passing it to the family for the same routine. The first sip represented three couples (the bride and groom and their parents), the second sip represented human flaws, and the third sip represented deliverance from the human flaws.

The Japanese wedding banquet food was very special, representing happiness, prosperity, many children, and happiness. The food was served in special ways to represent these attributes. For example, clams were served with the shells together representing the couple's solid union; fish was formed in a circle to represent solidarity; etc.

Incorporating Japanese traditions into a traditional wedding ceremony can provide a unique twist while honoring your heritage. Many more traditions exist providing a traditional ceremony with beauty, romance, and culture that will be long remembered by those in attendance after the event is over.

Add Appeal to Your Personality With the Japanese Wedding Dresses

As soon as we think of the weddings, the first thing that strikes our mind is the image of a beautiful bride in a flowing white gown which is well enhanced with eye catching laces. Well, I would like to tell you that every country possesses various traditions and customs related to wedding ceremonies. In Japan, wedding ceremonies are mainly celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm and anxiety. Though the wedding ceremonies are celebrated in a very simple manner in Japan but they are very much unique and different from other wedding ceremonies.
In Japan, wedding ceremonies are mainly held during the spring season. Japanese wedding ceremonies are not very much popular but the traditional Japanese wedding dresses are very famous in most of the parts of the world. If you are also wishing to enhance your self with the charming looks through the elegant Japanese wedding dresses and accessories, then you must read this article. In this article, I will mainly focus on the outstanding features of the elegant Japanese wedding dresses and wedding accessories.
1. Japanese wedding dress
Japanese marriage dresses are really very attractive and popular in different parts of the world. You can easily notice the beautiful Japanese bride because they are painted in white color from top to bottom. In Japan, it is believed that the white marriage gown can easily bring prosperity and luck in the married life of the bride. The Japanese ceremony dresses are well enhanced with the Kimono which is generally white in color. It is also known as Shiro Maku. These dresses are mainly made up of excellent fabrics that can simply provide a shiny and charming look to the wedding gown.
2. Wedding accessories
Marriage dresses are well enhanced with numerous wedding accessories. You can also take the help of these outstanding wedding accessories if you want to look more beautiful and gorgeous. Hoods are the most popular wedding accessories that are mainly used for covering the head of the bride. They also signify that the bride is quite patient and understanding. I would like to tell you that it is the tradition of Japanese wedding ceremonies that the bride should carry some additional accessories which are being offered to her by her elders. Kaiken is a kind of a sheathed dagger and it is also the most popular wedding accessory.