Sophisticated and Modern Japanese Wedding Dresses

Have you been looking for modern Japanese wedding dresses but aren't able to find them because you don't know which sites to search for? It's true, most Japanese wedding resource sites are written in their native language so not even Google's handy translate feature can find them... unless you know where to look.

The Japanese bridal fashion industry is booming and it's a shame that the gorgeous dresses aren't easily visible to the Western world. This site then aims to point you towards the right direction.

Photo: Modern kimono bridal dress by Setsuki Wakatsuki

Traditional Japanese wedding customs or shinzen shiki is composed of an elaborate ceremony at a Shinto shrine. The Japanese bride may be painted pure white from head to toe as a declaration of her maiden status to the gods and her attire consists of an extravagant kimono, heavy make-up, a wig, and a head covering. Two choices of headgear exist: the wataboshi, a white hood; and a tsunokakushi which serves to hide the bride's "horns of jealousy" and symbolizes her intention to become a gentle and obedient wife.

In recent years, the Christian-style wedding (also called a "Western Style Wedding") has become the choice of most couples in Japan and a booming industry dedicated to providing couples with a ceremony modeled after church rituals has sprung up. These weddings are generally held in a chapel, either in a simple or elaborate ceremony and following Western tradition, a reception takes place right after the ceremony and is often held in a hotel.

Because of the popularity of contemporary weddings, modern gowns patterned after the Western style of wedding fashion have also emerged. Some brides who don't want to let go of their roots can also opt to have Western-style gowns using kimono fabric.

If you liked the Japanese wedding gowns I featured on here, please take a look at the Japan wedding dresses blog to stay in the know on upcoming designs by Japan's talented bridal fashion designers.