History Main / WeddingsInJapan

** ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasonsTrioOfTowns'' gives you three choices, but it's dependent on your spouse-to-be's hometown. Westown has a western style ceremony, Tsuyukusa has a traditional Japanese style, and Lulukoko a vaguely Pacific Islander.

* In the ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon[=/=]VideoGame/StoryOfSeasons'' series, most of the games feature your character getting married western style, complete with black tux and white dress. ''[[VideoGame/StoryOfSeasonsTrioOfTowns Trio of Towns]]'' gives you three choices, depending on your spouse-to-be's hometown: Westown has a western style ceremony, Tsuyukusa has a traditional Japanese style, and Lulukoko vaguely Pacific Islander.

* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'': In the credits for ''Anime/TheLastNarutoTheMovie'', [[spoiler:Naruto and Hinata]] are shown to don kimono for their wedding, which means they have a Shinto wedding. Justified, since [[spoiler:the Hyuga]] are an old school and very Japanese family (even if their abilities are rooted in Chinese martial arts). The wedding is elaborated upon in the final episode of ''Naruto Shippuden'', adapted from ''Literature/KonohaHidenThePerfectDayForAWedding''.

** Although it has not yet been animated, the manga ends with [[spoiler:Keitaro and Naru's]] Western-style wedding. Keitaro also fantasizes western-style weddings a couple of times -- in the first episode, with the unknown girl of the ChildhoodMarriagePromise, later with Naru [[spoiler: who turns out to be one of the ''two'' girls he made the promise to - the other is Mutsumi]].

** The Godais may be a bit traditional, one of Godai's (many) daydreams has him in a ''shotgun!'' Shinto wedding to Kozue, while Kyoko and Mitaka are seen in Western dress (Ironically, [[spoiler: Mitaka's actual wedding to Asuna]] was almost certainly Shinto).

* In ''Anime/CodeGeass'', [[spoiler: Ohgi and Viletta get ''both'' Shinto and Western wedding ceremonies. Kallen attended both ceremonies and has photos of both in her bedroom.]] Lampshaded in an official picture where the groom wears a wedding kimono and the bride wears a Western bridal gown, which makes sense, seeing as where the bride and groom are from; by that time they're probably rich enough to afford ''both'' types of weddings.

** Also invoked in the ''Suzaku Ibun'' DatingSim game. [[spoiler: If [[PlayerCharacter Madoka]] [[ExPy Ohtori]] succesfully romances [[HealingHands Mitsukake]], [[FixFic prevents his canon death]] '''and''' [[GuideDangIt unlocks a certain scene]], a [[MultipleEndings special ending]] in which Mitsukake is reincarnated on Earth (like Taka/Tamahome) will be unlocked. The CG is about his and Madoka's Western wedding, with the groom in a black tuxedo (again, like Taka/Tamahome) and the bride in a cute wedding gown.]]

** [[spoiler: And the cover art for the final chapter indicates that Mashiro and Miho opted for a Western-style one as well.]]

* While [[MagicalGirl Ureshiko]] in ''Anime/OkusamaWaMahouShoujo'' wanted a western-style wedding, she opted for a Japanese one. Reason being, [[spoiler: the western ceremony requires a kiss, and if she kisses someone, she'll lose her powers]].
* In ''Manga/KimagureOrangeRoad'', Madoka's older sister gets married in a Western style ceremony. In the anime, it also gives an excuse for a rather funny episode in which [[spoiler: Kyousuke sees Madoka in a Western wedding dress, thinks ''she'' is the one getting married, and tries to crash the ceremony - it turns out she's just replacing her big sis in a wedding rehearsal.]] Complete with ''Film/TheGraduate'' parody and all.

** There's an episode known as the "June Bride case" which surrounds the Western-themed wedding of Shinichi, Ran and Sonoko's former teacher Sayuri [[spoiler: and how she's poisoned to almost death by the vengeful groom, Toshihiko.]] It's also the episode where the audience meets Megure's boss and recurrent character Kiyonaga Matsumoto, who is Sayuri's dad [[spoiler: and the actual target of Toshihiko's RevengeByProxy, as he accidentally caused the death of Toshihiko's beloved mother.]]
** In a much later case, a couple that's about to marry in the Western style goes to the police after they get threatened by a SerialKiller. They stage a fake wedding to get the killer caught, with Takagi and Yumi Matsumoto acting as the couple's {{Body Double}}s... and it's a good thing since one of the wedding guests is found ''burned to death''. [[spoiler: Again, the culprit is the groom, who was planning to ''marry and then kill his bride'' for FinancialAbuse reasons. Too bad the girl he tries to stab is a [[MasterOfDisguise disguised Sato]], whose dress has [[PocketProtector a rather thick corset]]...]]
** In a {{filler}} case, Sonoko ropes Ran and Conan into going with her to a family friend's luxurious wedding... and this time '''both''' the groom and the bride are killed off, one almost immediately after the other, right after the reception. [[spoiler: The culprit was the bride's younger brother, who did it because he was in ''severe'' debt and, as her closest relative and only prospect heir, wanted the money that would come from her and her very rich husband's inheritance.]]

* In ''Manga/CaptainTsubasa'', [[spoiler: Tsubasa and Sanae]] got married in Western style at the end of ''World Youth Cup''. A two-page picture features almost everyone in the whole cast attending the ceremony, with rather... [[{{Narm}} hilarious]] levels of OffModel involved.

** In the last episode [[spoiler: [[TeacherStudentRomance Meiko and Namura]] get married in a Western ceremony attended by Miki, Yuu and their friends. The wedding itself isn't seen, only the reception party; neither Namura nor Meiko are seen in their wedding clothes, but in a pastel-colored suit (Namura) and a [[LadyInRed dark red two-piece outfit]] (Meiko).]]
** The ultra-last sequence implies that [[spoiler: when they actually get married, [[FlirtyStepsiblings Yuu and Miki]] will play the trope completely straight.]]
* In one of the ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' novels, ''[[Literature/BleachWeDoKnotAlwaysLoveYou We Do Knot Always Love You]]'', [[http://ichinoue.tumblr.com/post/154359357585 it's stated]] [[http://tumblrhalix.tumblr.com/post/155016918893/i-really-like-that-kubo-chose-to-draw-renji-in and shown]] that [[spoiler: Renji Abarai and Rukia Kuchiki]] got married in ''very'' traditional Shinto style. Considering who the bride and groom are and where the wedding takes place, it's completely justified.
* In the ''Manga/GeGeGeNoKitaro'' TV series from 1996, a young woman from the countryside is about to marry in the traditional Japanese style and is even seen trying on her wedding kimono. But then she's attacked by a FaceStealer ''youkai'' and the marriage ceremony must is suspended, so her little brother writes to Kitaro so he and his friends can help his big sister. [[spoiler: They exorcise the demon, the bride recovers her lost face, and the wedding soon takes place.]]

* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'': In the credits for ''Anime/TheLastNarutoTheMovie'', [[spoiler:Naruto and Hinata]] are shown to don kimono for their wedding, which means they have a Shinto wedding. Justified, since [[spoiler:the Hyuga]] are an old school and very Japanese family (even if their abilities are rooted in Chinese martial arts). The wedding is elaborated upon in the final episode of the series, adapted from one of the post-series light novels.

[[folder:ComicBooks]]

[[folder:Live-Action Television]]

* There's a wedding in the GrandFinale of ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack''.[[spoiler: After falling in love and finally arriving back in Jack's original time period, he and Ashi intend to get married in a traditional Japanese-style wedding--[[WidowedAtTheWedding part of one anyways]]. Unfortunately for Jack, due to the fact that his bride was the biological daughter of Aku and him vanquishing before he could conceive Ashi and her sisters, Ashi suffers from a DelayedRippleEffect [[CessationOfExistence and ultimately ceases to exist.]]]]

There's also the fact that in Japan, the civil or religious ceremony of a wedding has no legal status. A couple is officially married the moment they file the paperwork with the government; anything else is just an occasion for a party. Western-style weddings, like many things American/Western, are considered "[[RuleOfCool cool]]" in Japan, and in this case [[RuleOfRomantic romantic]] and [[RuleOfGlamorous elegant]] as well. Combine with the relative simplicity and substantially lower cost of a Western wedding (and that's saying something) compared to a traditional Shinto or Buddhist one, it's become a common enough choice that it's not even considered outré or "foreign" anymore. Correspondingly, because of their "cool"/"romantic" factor, Western weddings are the way to go for most characters in Japanese media. And they're just more fun for the artist to draw, too.

* In ''Anime/CodeGeass'', [[spoiler: Ohgi and Viletta get ''both'' Shinto and Western wedding ceremonies. Kallen attended both ceremonies and has photos of both in her bedroom.]] Lampshaded in an official picture where the groom wears a wedding kimono and the bride wears a Western bridal gown, which makes sense, seeing as the where the bride and groom are from; by that time they're probably rich enough to afford ''both'' types of weddings.

Most weddings in anime and other Japanese media are Western-style--that is, Christian or Christian-influenced--with white {{Fairytale Wedding Dress}}es, tuxedos, rings, and so on. Even though less than 2% of the country identifies as Christian, most modern Japanese do little more than pay lipservice to religion for most of their lives, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that they generally don't feel obligated to hold a Shinto or Buddhist ceremony when they marry. Hence the saying "Born Shinto, marry Christian, die Buddhist."

Western weddings started to become popular in TheEighties, and there were [[TropeCodifier two events that codified the trope itself]]. One was the televised marriage of actors Momoe Yamaguchi and Tomokazu Miura in 1980, and the other was the famous wedding of [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfWindsor Prince Charles and Princess Diana]] in 1981.

This isn't a {{Japanese Media Trope|s}} so much as a Japanese cultural trope, although the outfits are often informed by media depictions. People in other East Asian countries may also prefer a Western wedding instead of their local traditions for all the reasons listed here.

Most weddings in anime and other Japanese media are Western-style--that is, Christian or Christian-influenced--with white {{Fairytale Wedding Dress}}es, tuxedos, rings, and so on. Even though less than 2% of the country identifies as Christian, most modern Japanese do little more than pay lipservice to religion for most of their lives, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that they generally don't feel obligated to hold a Shinto or Buddhist ceremony when they marry.

** There's an episode known as the "June Bride case" which surrounds the Western-themed wedding of Shinichi, Ran and Sonoko's former teacher Sayuri [[spoiler: and how she's poisoned to almost death by the vengeful groom, Toshihiko.]] It's also the episode where the audience meets Megure's boss and recurrent character Kiyonaga Matsumoto, who is Sayuri's OverprotectiveDad [[spoiler: and the actual target of Toshihiko's RevengeByProxy, as he accidentally caused the death of Toshihiko's beloved mother.]]

There's also the fact that in Japan, the civil or religious ceremony of a wedding has no legal status. A couple is officially married the moment they file the paperwork with the government; anything else is just a reason to throw a party. Western-style weddings, like many things American/Western, are considered "[[RuleOfCool cool]]" in Japan, and in this case [[RuleOfRomantic romantic]] and [[RuleOfGlamorous elegant]] as well. Combine with the relative simplicity and substantially lower cost of a Western wedding (and that's saying something) compared to a traditional Shinto or Buddhist one, it's become a common enough choice that it's not even considered outré or "foreign" anymore. Correspondingly, because of their "cool"/"romantic" factor, Western weddings are the way to go for most characters in Japanese media. And they're just more fun for the artist to draw, too.

This isn't a {{Japanese Media Trope|s}} so much as a Japanese cultural trope, although the outfits are often informed by media depictions. Other East Asian countries may also prefer a Western wedding instead of their respective traditions for all the reasons listed here.

Most weddings in anime and other Japanese media are Western-style--that is, Christian or Christian-influenced--with white {{Fairytale Wedding Dress}}es, tuxedos, rings, and so on.

In Japan, the civil or religious ceremony of a wedding has no legal status. A couple is officially married the moment they file the paperwork with the government; anything else is just a reason to throw a party. Even though less than 2% of the country identifies as Christian, most modern Japanese do little more than pay lip service to religion for most of their lives, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that they generally don't feel obligated to hold a Shinto or Buddhist ceremony when they marry.

Western-style weddings, like many things American/Western, are considered "[[RuleOfCool cool]]" in Japan, and in this case [[RuleOfRomantic romantic]] and [[RuleOfGlamorous elegant]] as well. Combine with the relative simplicity and substantially lower cost of a Western wedding (and that's saying something) compared to a traditional Shinto or Buddhist one, it's become a common enough choice that it's not even considered outré or "foreign" anymore. Correspondingly, because of their "cool"/"romantic" factor, Western weddings are the way to go for most characters in Japanese media. And they're just more fun for the artist to draw, too.

* An early ''Anime/SailorMoon'' Episode involved a monster targeting a Bridal Fashion show (and using Usagi's former ChristmasCake, now about-to-be-married home economics teacher as the actual victim), and Usagi constantly fantasizes about a Western Wedding (with a bunny stained-glass window). The end of the episode features the teacher's actual wedding.

Most weddings in anime and other Japanese media are Western-style--that is, Christian or Christian-influenced--with white {{Fairytale Wedding Dress}}es, tuxedos, rings, and so on, even though less than 2% of the country identifies as Christian.

In Japan, the civil or religious ceremony of a wedding has no legal status. A couple is officially married the moment they file the paperwork with the government; anything else is just a reason to throw a party. Given that most Japanese do little more than pay lip service to religion for most of their lives, it shouldn't come as a surprise that they generally don't feel obligated to hold a Shinto or Buddhist ceremony when they marry.

* In one of the ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' novels, ''[[LightNovel/BleachWeDoKnotAlwaysLoveYou We Do Knot Always Love You]]'', [[http://ichinoue.tumblr.com/post/154359357585 it's stated]] [[http://tumblrhalix.tumblr.com/post/155016918893/i-really-like-that-kubo-chose-to-draw-renji-in and shown]] that [[spoiler: Renji Abarai and Rukia Kuchiki]] got married in ''very'' traditional Shinto style. Considering who the bride and groom are and where the wedding takes place, it's completely justified.

* One episode of ''LightNovel/SisterPrincess'' is centered around the sisters making wedding dresses out of bedsheets so they can all pretend to be [[BrotherSisterIncest their brother's bride]].
* In ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'', [[spoiler:Martina and Zangulus]] have a western-style wedding at the end of Slayers Next. However, Slayers itself takes place in a Western European setting, so a western-style wedding is only logical.

Most weddings in anime are Western-style (i.e. Christian or Christian-influenced) ceremonies, with {{Fairytale Wedding Dress}}es, tuxedos, and rings.

In Japan, the civil or religious ceremony of a wedding has no legal status. The actual marriage is enacted by filing the proper paperwork with the government and is all that is needed; anything else is simply an occasion for a party. Given that most Japanese do little more than give lip service to religion for most of their lives, it should not come as a surprise that they generally don't feel obligated to have Shinto or Buddhist ceremonies. In fact, for many Asian cultures (including Japan), traditional weddings tend to be long, complicated, and, even when compared to the most extravagant Western weddings, very expensive.

Western-style weddings, like many things American/Western, are considered "[[RuleOfCool cool]]" in Japan, and in this case [[RuleOfRomantic romantic]] and [[RuleOfGlamorous elegant]] as well. Combine with the substantially lower cost of a Western-style wedding (and that's saying something), and it's not surprising that it's a common enough choice that it's not even considered outré or "foreign" anymore.

Correspondingly, because of their "cool"/"romantic" factor, Western weddings are the way to go for most characters in Japanese media. And they're just more fun for the artist to draw, too.

Japanese brides frequently have [[UnlimitedWardrobe multiple]] [[FairytaleWeddingDress wedding dresses]], and change between them at various points on their wedding day. Changing wedding dresses is known as ''oiro-naoshi'', and having many expensive wedding dresses to change between is a way in which Japanese brides and their families can [[ConspicuousConsumption conspicuously flaunt their wealth]]. The ''oiro-naoshi'' is also a way to let the bride have a Shinto wedding (in traditional white ''kimono'') followed by a Western-style reception.

The grooms, for whatever reasons, generally favor a style of tux [[OutdatedOutfit not seen unironically in the Western world since about 1980]]. Ruffled shirts, tailed jackets, pastels and white-on-white seem to be the order of the day.

This isn't a {{Japanese Media Trope|s}} so much as a Japanese cultural trope (although the tuxes may be informed by media depictions). Other East Asian countries also prefer a western wedding instead of their respective tradition.

In Japan, the civil or religious ceremony of a wedding has no legal status -- the actual marriage is enacted by filing the proper paperwork with the government and is all that is needed; anything else is simply an occasion for a party. Given that most Japanese do little more than give lip service to religion for most of their lives, it should not come as a surprise that they generally don't feel obligated to have Shinto or Buddhist ceremonies. In fact, for many Asian cultures (including Japan), traditional weddings tend to be long, complicated, and, even when compared to the most extravagant Western weddings, very expensive.

Western-style weddings, like many things Western/American, are considered "[[RuleOfCool cool]]" in Japan, and in this case [[RuleOfRomantic romantic]] and [[RuleOfGlamorous elegant]] as well. Combine that with the substantially lower cost of a Western-style wedding (which is saying something), and it's not surprising that it's a common enough choice that it's not even considered outré or "foreign" anymore.

Western-style weddings, like many things Western/American, are considered "[[RuleOfCool cool]]," and in this case [[RuleOfRomantic romantic]] and [[RuleOfGlamorous elegant]] as well. Combine that with the substantially lower cost of a Western-style wedding (as previously mentioned, Eastern-style are generally a lot more expensive), and it's not surprising that it's a common enough choice that it's not even considered outré or "foreign" anymore.

In Japan, the civil or religious ceremony of a wedding has no legal status -- the actual marriage is enacted by filing the proper paperwork with the government and is all that is needed; anything else is simply an occasion for a party. Given that most Japanese do little more than give lip service to religion for most of their lives, it should not come as a surprise that they do not feel any particular need to have Shinto or Buddhist ceremonies. In fact, for many Asian cultures (including Japanese), the traditional weddings tend to be long, elaborate, and, even when compared to the most extravagant Western weddings, very expensive.

The grooms, for whatever reasons, generally favor a style of tux [[OutdatedOutfit not seen unironically in the Western world since about 1980]] (see above picture). Ruffled shirts, tailed jackets, pastels and white-on-white seem to be the order of the day.

* Pictured above: An early ''Anime/SailorMoon'' Episode involved a monster targeting a Bridal Fashion show (and using Usagi's former ChristmasCake, now about-to-be-married home economics teacher as the actual victim), and Usagi constantly fantasizes about a Western Wedding (with a bunny stained-glass window). The end of the episode features the teacher's actual wedding.

In Japan, the civil or religious ceremony of a wedding has no legal status -- the actual marriage is enacted by filing the proper paperwork with the government and is all that is needed; anything else is simply an occasion for a party. Given that most Japanese do little more than give lip service to religion for most of their lives, it should not come as a surprise that they do not feel any particular need to have Shinto or Buddhist ceremonies. In fact, for many Asian cultures (including Japanese), the "traditional" weddings are typically very long/elaborate and, even when compared to the most extravagant American weddings, very expensive.

* ''Manga/DetectiveConan'' features some Western weddings:

In Japan, the civil or religious ceremony of a wedding has no legal status -- the actual marriage is enacted by filing the proper paperwork with the government and is all that is needed; anything else is simply an occasion for a party. Given that most Japanese do little more than give lip service to religion for most of their lives, it should not come as a surprise that they do not feel any particular need to have Shinto or Buddhist ceremonies. In fact, in many Asian cultures (including Japanese culture), traditional weddings are very long, very elaborate and (even compared to the most excessive American weddings) very expensive.

* There's a wedding in the GrandFinale of ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack''.[[spoiler: After falling in love and ultimately arriving back in Jack's original time period, he and Ashi have a traditional Japanese-style wedding--[[WidowedAtTheWedding part of one anyways]]. Due to Ashi technically being the biological daughter of Aku and Jack vanquishing Aku before he could have any kind of influence on the world (and before he could conceive Ashi and her sisters), Ashi suffers from a DelayedRippleEffect and ultimately [[CessationOfExistence ceases to exist.]]]]