My visit to Tokyo for a Japanese Wedding

A few years ago I was lucky enough to be invited to attend a Japanese wedding👰🏼🤵 in Tokyo🇯🇵 by my friend Megumi, who I met while working at sushi 🍣 train restaurant as a sushi chef 👩‍🍳 during my university years. I didn’t think long and decided to go! The experience of a traditional ceremony and the unbelievable hospitality of my friends and her husband created lifetime memories that I will treasure forever.

I decided to invite my childhood girlfriend Anna from Moscow to be my plus one as I know she loves Japanese culture 🎎🏮🎏and has dreamed to visit Japan for many years.

Megumi and her partner Takahiro have taken the time out of their wedding preparations to take me and Anna around Tokyo and on a day trip to Yokohama Bay and an attractions park 🎢🎡at the foot of Mt Fuji 🗻, as well as visiting several traditional Japanese restaurants where we sat on floor mats 🍱🍜🍵. No, it was not comfortable at all haha!

On the day of the wedding we were invited to a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ hotel where the ceremony was held. We were given instructions and a map with directions on how to get there. On arrival we were allocated one of the guests to explain and translate the procedures to us. The bride and the groom as well as their immediate family were allocated a separate waiting room before the ceremony. The ceremony was very well organized. We had to lineup into two lines for bride and groom before entering the ceremony room in the order of immediate family being first, followed by other family members, closest friends, colleagues and acquaintances. The traditional shinto ceremony consisted of rituals including speeches by the marriage counselor, musical instrument performances, a lot of bowing and sake drinking. (The ceremony started at 11 AM, we had to get up eatly to get dressed, so sake was my breakfast on the day haha).

The bride and groom have already taken professional photographs several days before the wedding so we didn’t have to wait before the reception began. I thought that was a very clever idea.💡

On the way to reception we were given sitting allocation maps. The tables were grouped by family, friends and colleagues of bride and groom at either side of the function room. We set with other Megumi’s colleagues. On our way in, we got to sign the daruma doll for good luck to the newlyweds and to leave our presents. In Japan it is a custom to gift money 💴to the newlyweds instead of presents. Money is gifted in beautiful envelopes 💌that have to be put together in a very particular way. We purchased our special envelope for weddings at a news agency and the sales assistant helped us to put the money in. The money notes have to be brand new with no creases or tears to represent a new life together. There are special ATMs that give out brand new notes for these purposes. The number of notes has to be an odd number so that the newlyweds cannot split the money between them to prevent a split in their marriage. The notes also have to face a specific way inside the envelope, so we were glad to get assistance!

At the reception we were given a nine course menu 🍴🍴🍴consisting of French and Japanese fusion cousine. The food was absolutely amazing! The newlyweds made several entrances wearing different costumes every time. The bride had a professionally trained dress assistant who helped her get changed, sit down and stand up, fixing her outfits each time. First outfit for the bride was a white wedding kimono worn at the ceremony, followed by a festive red kimono 👘with gold threading and cranes worn to enter reception, then a white western style wedding dress, finishing with a yellow after party dress👗. I didn’t take too much notice of the groom’s outfits, although I remember he wore a very nice tye 👔😅

During reception, parents of the bride and groom walked around the tables pouring guests drinks🍻🥂🍷🥃. Me and Anna were the only non-Japanese guests there and everyone wanted to take a picture with us📸. Megumi said we got more pictures than her 😂 By the end of the night all of Megumi’s family were inviting me to come back to Japan and stay at their house, which was really nice ❤️

After reception we went to a different venue for the after party with the younger guests and played games and quizzes and sang karaoke. Next morning was our flight🛫 back home, so we had to leave early, Megumi and Takahiro came to the airport to wish us farewell 👋🏻. I couldn’t believe that they managed to get out of bed the day after their wedding! 😴 If you ever get invited to a Japanese wedding, I suggest that you go without any hesitation as it will be one of the best experiences in your life time! 😁