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May Shiromuku be ‚—orn in a Western ceremony? 2018/11/11 01:56
Are Shiromuku, Uchikake, etc. ever worn during western style ceremonies? In Western eyes, I think Shiromuku would be appropriate because it is white and wataboshi would serve as a veil equivalent. Say a japanese woman was marrying a western man and wanted to have a Christian ceremony but still keep in touch with her traditional culture, would Shiromuku be inappropriate attire from the Japanese perspective? Is Shiromuku worn exclusively for Shinto weddings? I am very curious.

If it would not be done, what sort of kimono would japanese consider appropriate attire in a western ceremony?
by bridgetyong  

Re: May Shiromuku be ‚—orn in a Western ceremony? 2018/11/11 13:39
Not usually done - "shiromuku" would be worn at either Shinto, Buddhist, or "witnessed" ceremony (you simply vow in front of the attending guests/friends), but have never heard of it at an obviously western/Christian ceremony.

If you are going to do it, a few things to consider: What is the groom going to wear? Matching men's kimono (of a very good grade)? Would you have all the appropriate accessories to go with it, and someone to help you get dressed? Later if you are going to a less formal party/banquet, would you have another dress to change into, and the room/someone to help with that?

by ... (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: May Shiromuku be ‚—orn in a Western ceremony? 2018/11/11 20:34
If you're asking if bride and groom wear kimono at a Christian church, the answer is "not commonly". But there are no rules to forbid that, so why not.
by Uco rate this post as useful

Re: May Shiromuku be ‚—orn in a Western ceremony? 2018/11/11 21:09
After attending several weddings of friends and having one of my own, my observations about weddings in Japan are this: there is a time and a place for different forms of attire, and brides and grooms generally stick to the script. That means that if you want to wear shiromuku, you'd do it at a small, intimate shrine wedding. If you want to wear a white western-style wedding dress, you'd have the ceremony at a "church" (note that many of those "churches" only look like them, but are attached to a wedding place and even feature a fake "priest" to give the vows). And some brides go for both the shrine and "church" wedding, especially if part of a multi-cultural couple. The shrine part of the wedding would be close family and intimate friends only, the "church" wedding and reception for a much larger group of family and friends, and the after party for everyone else who didn't attend either.

The reception, usually after the "church" wedding, is a free-for-all. Many brides choose to change once, or even multiple times, into colored uchikake/kimono, or a big ball gown, or both. Don't forget the short after party dress for all the friends and acquaintances you didn't invite to the reception!

None of the weddings I've been to (including my own) were part of the 1% of Japanese people who are actually Christian, so I'm not sure how that kind of wedding would be handled. But I would imagine that if a bride wanted to be married in a Western-style ceremony in a church in the first place, she'd probably go for the white western wedding dress in the first place, and pay homage to her culture in other ways.
by Murny (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: May Shiromuku be ‚—orn in a Western ceremony? 2018/11/11 21:59
I've been to church weddings in Japan where the Japanese bride was actually a baptized Christian, and my answer is still the same as what I posted earlier.

Actually though, wearing the formal type of kimono moreover a shiromuku is physically very difficult. Especially, shiromuku/uchikake was never something that the bride could wear all by herself, even back in the Edo era. So it's usually more like, the bride would get away with a Western style dress if it is appropriate enough, while she would have to bother to hire people so that she could wear a shiromuku or uchikake if the wedding was in shinto style (including the kind they have at "shrines" inside hotels).
by Uco rate this post as useful

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