Getting married in Japan

[Jack]

I am getting married to a J-girl in summer of 2003. We are going to hold the ceremony in Tokyo. Can anyone give me pointers like pitfalls to watch for and things to do or not to do? If anyone has gone through this in Japan is there any advice for a poor gaijin embarking on an unknown journey. How much does an average wedding cost in Japan?

Thank you in advance.

[Taro Toporific]

How much does an average wedding cost in Japan?

As mentioned before in the "other" thread, one million yen is a bargan wedding in Japan...spilt 50/50 between the bride and groom's family.

If it's a tacky "Nagoya wedding" you're doomed.

[Taro Toporific]

[canman]

Jack,
From what I can understand, a lot of it matters where you are getting married. I got married five years ago to a Japanese women, and our romanitic, but small wedding cost about a million yen. I chose to have guests pay as little as possible. So we set the invitation fee at 13 000 yen, and then my wife and I picked up the rest. Now if you are going to have much larger wedding, I recommend charging more so that you don' t have to pay a lot to cover the extra expenses. If I were you, I would keep the invitation list down. That way you can more easily control the cost.

[Jack]

Thank you Taro Toporific and Canman1. It looks like we are going to invite about 75 people.

[GomiGirl]

Thank you Taro Toporific and Canman1. It looks like we are going to invite about 75 people.

Congratulations Jack!!

I have been to a few Japanese weddings and they have been fun. Certainly the Nagoya ones are alot different to Tokyo - ie alot more extravagent and choreographed. A few times I have been the "token gaijin" and have made speeches in Japanese and English - much to the amusement of the other guests.

But remember that it is still your (plural) wedding and you should have just what you want as well as keeping families happpy - a very fine line. Most of all - have fun!!

How about a FG ni-jikai???

[gomichild]

My hubby & I eloped. It costs nothing to register a marriage at your local ward office - the biggest expense was getting the "we can't be sure but we think she's ok" piece of paper from the Oz embassy.

We spent our money on recording equipment instead. It was much more fun!

Still I hope that yours goes off well! omedetou!