Christian Wedding ceremony and reception

I live in Indonesia, but I'm a descendant of Japanese. My grandpa is a japanese. Unfortunately, I lose any knowledge about Japan culture because my grandpa had lost nowhere before my mom was born.

I would like to know much about wedding ceremony and reception in Japan. Hopefully it's for my wedding day. My Question is:
1. How is the wedding ceremony at church with Christian style but in traditional Japanese dress and culture (no Shinto style)?

2. How to make the wedding dress of the bride and the groom? The material of the clothes? The way to wear it?

3.How is the christian wedding reception with Christian style and pure Japanese style there? the program of the occasion or the chronological order of the reception?

4. What about the food and beverage that are prepare for the wedding reception in Christian style and Japanese culture?

Your information I need so much.

Thank you for your kind attention.


Ellen Hanafi

I don't think you can get a pure Japanese shinto style wedding and a pure Christian style wedding together. I think a pure Christian wedding is before Jesus Christ as God. Japanese shinto style has their own God.

You could have a pure Christian style wedding uplifting the name of Jesus while have aspects of a Japanese wedding like the kimono or food and a Christian minister.

Ellen,

1. How is the wedding ceremony at church with Christian style but in traditional Japanese dress and culture (no Shinto style)?
When Japanese people hold their wedding ceremony at a church/chapel, they normally dress Western style - a white dress for the bride, and a tuxedo suit for the groom. Please note that in Japan, "legal" marriage is established through reporting a paper at a city hall, not by the blessing from the priest - be it Christian or Shinto.

2. How to make the wedding dress of the bride and the groom? The material of the clothes? The way to wear it?
Are you talking about the traditional Japanese "kimono" wedding garment? You cannot really make it yourself - many people would rent a set for the day, and get help from the wedding ceremony hall staff to dress (it is very elaborate). They are made from silk.

You seem to want a real Christian wedding. Make sure that the agency actually has real Christian pastors - most do not.Some estimate that 80% are fake.

In Japan, weddings held in real Christian churches/chapels, meaning the kind they actually hold Sunday service at, can give true religious weddings. If the couple is not baptised however, they may need to attend religous classes for a while. The "fake" chapels at wedding halls and some hotels don't even give religous service even at Christmas, but welcome anyone who can pay for the ceremony.

UCO is right. And of course Christian doesn't really mean anything unless you specify Catholic or Protestant. Each of these religions--especially the Protestants--have many denominations. Some crucial points of the dogma and the liturgy (celebration of masses etc.) are different from one denomination to the other. My family is European Protestant Calvinist on one side and Roman Catholic on the other. We have all attended many religious services in both churches but none of the various marriages in the family could take place in a church as the brides and grooms had different religions.