TRADITIONAL WEDDING CEREMONIES IN JAPAN
A ceremony you can enter with understanding.
Perhaps a Japanese ceremony is part of your family story. Perhaps it grows from years of returning here, or from a tradition you’d like to understand more deeply. We’d love to know what draws you to it.
A Shinto wedding, like any religious ceremony, has its own form and meaning. We help you understand what taking part involves, working with the people responsible for the ceremony and considering how it belongs within your wedding. You should have room to ask questions before deciding that it’s right for you.
Taking part, together
For a shrine wedding, we speak with the shrine team about the ceremony, language, attire and the roles of everyone attending. We work through those details for your celebration, rather than assuming one shrine does things in the same way as another.
That preparation helps you and your guests feel part of the occasion. You’ll understand what you’re about to share, where everyone needs to be and whether there is a role for them in the ceremony.
Bring us the questions you haven’t found an answer to. We’ll discuss them with the people who can explain the ceremony you’re considering.
The wedding begins while you’re getting ready
When kimono is part of the day, dressing involves specialist skill and attention. We give it time within the plans, arranging the appropriate support and considering how preparation connects with the ceremony and photography.
There is pleasure in experiencing that care, rather than seeing it only as something to finish before the wedding begins. The people helping you prepare contribute to the way you remember the day, too.
Your own traditions have a place in the conversation
You may be bringing customs from more than one family, or want a personal exchange of vows alongside a traditional ceremony. We discuss what belongs within the institution’s form and what can have its own place elsewhere in the celebration.
The celebration can change pace afterwards. A formal ceremony might lead into dinner with a close group or an evening of music and dancing. We plan the setting, hospitality and flow so these different parts still feel like the same two people.
Photography begins with knowing the ceremony
Our planning and Creative Team confirm photography access, camera positions and equipment arrangements in advance. Knowing the ceremony helps us anticipate what matters while respecting its form and the people conducting it.
We also make time for portraits and the celebration around it, bringing your own visual references into the photographs while keeping a sense of the place.
Useful distinctions
Can international couples take part? It can be possible, depending on the institution. We explore the options and confirm the requirements for your ceremony, rather than assuming that another couple’s arrangements will also apply to you.
Will there be language support? We plan with you in English and discuss the ceremony language and available explanations directly with the institution.
What about legal registration? A ceremony and civil marriage registration are separate arrangements. If registration is part of your plans, the requirements and recognition need to be checked with the relevant authorities for your circumstances.
Tell us what draws you toward the ceremony and what you hope it will mean within your day. We’ll explore it with you from there.
Tell us about your ceremony