In Japan, brides may wear a colorful silk kimono or a shiromuku, a formal gown passed down over the ages and still used today as traditional bridal dresses. Some Japanese brides choose to wear a modern wedding gown. In Japan, white symbolizes purity, elegance and “new beginning”. Only very traditional Japanese brides don white face makeup, painted red lips, and a wig with expensive combs and decorative ornaments.
In the picture below, the bride is wearing a ”Tsuno Kakushi” hood. This is worn to cover the brides “horns”, thus showing her obedience to her new husband. In the picture above you can also see the big “Kanzashi” ornaments in the bride’s hair.
The bride is wearing a gorgeous white “Uchikake” gown, the wedding kimono. These are also known as the “Shiromuku”.
After the wedding, Japanese bride will change into a more colorful kimono, irouchiakake, a beautiful silk kimono with red, gold, silver, and white colors. This kimono is usually red because red is a lucky color in Japan. It is always heavily embroidered with colorful scenes from nature and often features a crane, which symbolizes a long life. Near the end of the reception, the bride changes into the furisode, a richly patterned kimono with wide sleeves. The tradition symbolizes the last time she will wear the furisode, since only young, unmarried women are allowed to wear them. For this reason, the Japanese wedding dress is often rented rather than bought.
Unless you have Japanese heritage, or just a strong passion for the culture, most of us will never dare to wear a kimono for our wedding gown. So what’s the next best thing?
Bridal fusion, of course.
Something a little more on the traditional vein:
Anna Niponica custom designs beautiful dresses out of gorgeous silk kimonos — *sigh* They are based in Japan, however, they do accept orders from overseas via Paypal.
Something with a bit More Fusion:
Feast your eyes on these beauties from Culture Bridal Couture!
My personal favorite look . . .
· Obi
The Japanese Obi is known as the sash wrapped around a woman’s abdomen to keep her stomach in and flat. It functions almost the same as the traditional corset, but is more comfortable and less stiff. It thus becomes a good alternative in creating a well-fitted form of the bride’s body during her wedding, as it acts to be a part of her overall wedding gown. The obi can look more fabulous when printed with bright red patterns that show traditional Japanese designs. Other designers meanwhile incorporate red with other colors such as gold.
· Kimono
Another common Japanese outfit is the trademark kimono. Japanese women wear this outfit in almost every special occasion in the country, especially weddings. But the kimono evolution has also conquered wedding fashion as well, mainly because of their high-waist form and long, wide sleeves. There’s also a lot of room for fabulous designs for wedding kimonos, thus you can explore the areas where you can drop touches of red in the whole dress. Some wedding kimonos are also drawn with Japan’s traditional items such as cherry blossoms and other flower petals, nature’s elements and the like. Meanwhile, you can explore more creations for your wedding kimono; as long as it maintains its beauty not just as a wedding gown but as representation of Japan’s vast culture.
So what’s your favorite?
