Tips on What to wear to a Japanese wedding
Congratulations! You got invited to the wedding of the year! Now this could be your very first invitation to a Japanese wedding so you're kinda nervous and wondering what to wear. Don't worry! You're in the right place. Let me help you out.
THE GUYS
If you're male and you stumbled to this page somehow, here's an easy answer for you. A long sleeved shirt (most japanese guys will wear white because they don't have any other shirts they are allowed to wear for work), a suit, vest is optional, matching pants, office shoes, and either a tie or bow tie. Make sure your hair is styled and eyebrows are trimmed neatly.
Got it? Don't forget a handkerchief to wipe your sweat with. Great. You're good to go.
Okay if you're female you're in the right place, because it gets soo tricky I actually have to devote a whole blogpost to you. Let's begin!
THE LADIES
All ladies get checked out by the guys present there (and there are a lot!) so be sure to dress up! Which brings me to number 1.
1. Wear stockings, even if it's summer
2. Bring pressed/loose powder to touch up
Lip gloss is a given so I didn't mention it. Okay I just mentioned it. Don't forget your lip gloss!
3. Get your hair done
Yes that means book a salon. Yes, if the church wedding is at 10am and you DON'T live in the same prefecture/city, that means you probably have to wake up at 5am, travel for 2 hours, get your hair done, then head to the place. This is completely normal. The bride will have her own hair stylist do her hair for her, and since I was close to the bride, she told me that the hairstylist was charging something like 6,000 yen, which is almost S$70? Insane!
Thankfully my other japanese friend found a salon near my hotel and booked an 8am appointment for the both of us. Yes 8am. And it was only about 3,400 yen, which is about S$40. Don't expect to be able to walk in! To save time, try to go for your appointment armed with a picture of the hairstyle you want. Japanese stylists can amazingly recreate anything.
Anyway, the weather was so crazy hot in summer I decided to wear my hair up. Would strongly recommend the ladies to consider that too so you would have no regrets.
4. Choose a fancy dress
Here's the trickiest part. Japanese are conservative by nature, and do not show their shoulders. There are a few Japanese ladies that do not observe this unspoken rule, but usually the elders will frown at them. If you noticed the lady in the middle of the group picture at the top of this post has her shoulders exposed, there is only one reason for it - she isn't Japanese. Your dress should not be anything shorter than 4 fingers above your knees. Get it now? Foreigners are easy to spot.
Oh, and here is a BIG TIP.
DO NOT WEAR WHITE.
You will be seen as 'stealing' the limelight from the bride. Try not to wear all black because that makes you look like you're attending a funeral.
5. Complete your look with heels
Nobody wears flats seriously. Everyone has a tiny heel AT LEAST. If possible, try to wear covered shoes to add to the formality. I didn't want to bring another pair of heels on my trip to Japan, so I re-used the pair that I went shopping in, which are wedges. I am a foreigner so I can get away with this.
Mika looking super stunning in a kimono!!
If you're female and you own a kimono, just throw option 4 and 5 out of the window and wear that. Though you'll probably be the only one apart from the bride's family to wear it, but hey! You're there to stand out, right?
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And that's it! If you have other tips please do share them in the comments below. Can't see the comments button? Please click on the subject of this post to view the individual post!
Will post more about my Japan trip soon!! :)
