Before Becoming a Bride: 4 Things to Consider While Dreaming About Your Wedding ♡

2021.03.01 published

What Kind of Wedding Will I Have?

When you start to feel like, "Maybe it's time to get married...?" or "I want to get married," it's natural to start daydreaming about your wedding.

Even if you have attended several friends' weddings, planning your own is an unknown territory.

Wedding preparations can be tough, so it seems wise to think about them in advance, but…

Even if you have a vague image of "I want a wedding like this," it can be hard to understand how to turn those daydreams into something concrete and realistic.

@shi0riri

Let's Start Thinking About Weddings Here ♡

When you begin to think about abstract concepts like "ideal wedding" and "preferred wedding atmosphere," everything starts to feel wonderful, and it can become quite scattered.

Therefore, in this article, we will introduce items that can help you outline your ideal wedding.

☑ I don't know where to start thinking about my wedding

☑ It's still too early to start visiting venues

☑ I want to have concrete daydreams about my wedding ♡

If you identify with these pre-brides and future brides, keep reading and let your imagination flourish ♩

Let’s find your ideal wedding image within yourself ♡

@nagisa_marry

Expand Your Daydreams ♡ What to Consider About Weddings ① Who to Invite as Guests

The first thing to daydream about is who to invite as guests.

Guests can largely be divided into three categories: family, friends, and work associates.

If you only invite family, it's called a small wedding or family wedding, fostering warm ties between both families.

For friends, you need to consider whether you'll invite just your closest friends with whom you often interact or a wider group of friends you've been close with over the years.

For work associates, you need to think about how far up the hierarchy you'll invite supervisors or if you'll only invite colleagues you feel comfortable with... there are many considerations.

Ultimately, you'll decide based on a mix of factors such as budget and venue capacity, but first, let's daydream about an ideal guest member list without any constraints ♡

@mochan_40

How many people came to mind as you counted?

The average number of wedding guests in Japan is said to be around 65.

Since this number includes both the groom's and bride's sides, if the ratio is about half and half, you would have just over 30 guests on your side.

Is this more or less than the ideal guest member list you imagined?

@wedding____25

If you consider a gift from each guest to be around 30,000 yen, it gives you a rough idea of the budget for your wedding.

Let's think about how much more you could afford to cover yourself, in addition to the gifts.

If you have a high percentage of relatives or work associates in your guest list, there might be more gift money than expected!

Once you start thinking about money, the wedding starts to feel more real.

@yuih_wd

Expand Your Daydreams ♡ What to Consider About Weddings ② The Style of the Ceremony

Next, let's daydream about the style of the ceremony.

In Japan, common ceremony styles include:

☑ Christian style

☑ Humanist style

☑ Shinto style

☑ Buddhist style

Christian style typically takes place in a chapel with the bride in a dress, while Shinto style is held in a shrine with the bride in a kimono, offering two very different atmospheres.

The humanist ceremony is flexible in terms of location and attire, allowing you to set your own vows and structure without religious constraints.

@bride20_

While the focus is often on the challenges of planning the reception, the main event is actually the ceremony.

Consider where, what words, and in what way you want to pledge your lifelong love in front of witnesses.

Let your imagination soar ♡

Expand Your Daydreams ♡ What to Consider About Weddings ③ Wedding Venue

Next, let’s daydream about the venue where the wedding will take place.

While the soft aspects like performance and BGM can change according to your choices, the hard aspect, which is the venue, cannot.

This is why it’s crucial to think this through.

Broadly, the options can be divided as follows:

☑ Guest house

☑ Restaurant

☑ International hotel

☑ Domestic hotel

Additionally, some couples hold unique weddings at places like campgrounds or beaches.

You might feel like visiting many venues to make your decision ♡, but most couples end up deciding after visiting less than five venues.

Approaching venue visits without a plan can be time-consuming and exhausting, so it’s necessary to solidify your vision and narrow down your choices before you begin to visit.

(Even daydreaming requires focus!)

Here’s a quick overview of each type of venue.

A guest house is a type of venue that has been built specifically for weddings.

Many venues have a European or California-style theme, which allows you to truly feel like you’re at a wedding.

Restaurants are recommended for those who are particular about food.

Many couples are impressed by the high quality of food even at the same course price as other venues.

The capacity is also smaller compared to other venues, creating a more homey atmosphere for the wedding.

Hotel weddings are recommended for brides who value tradition and elegance.

The high-ceilinged banquet halls and picturesque spiral staircases unique to hotels are a big draw.

A formal wedding can be held, making it popular with couples who have many relatives and work associates or those with a higher age demographic.

Costs tend to be higher compared to guest houses and restaurants.

@little.h___

Expand Your Daydreams ♡ What to Consider About Weddings ④ Outfits

Finally, let's daydream about the outfits ♡

Of course, deciding on specific outfits is something far down the line.

What you want to think about is what types of bridal attire you want to wear in what scenarios.

Bridal attire can be broadly divided into:

☑ Wedding dress

☑ Colored dress

☑ Shiro-muku (white ceremonial kimono)

☑ Iro-uchikake (colored ceremonial kimono)

The occasions to wear these outfits could include:

☑ Pre-wedding photos

☑ Actual wedding day (ceremony and reception)

☑ After-party

☑ Post-wedding/honeymoon photos

How many different outfits you want to wear will influence decisions such as whether to have a dress change at the reception or whether to take pre-wedding and post-wedding photos.

@nao_0111_0422

A common approach is to wear traditional attire (Shiro-muku/Iro-uchikake) for pre-wedding photos, followed by a wedding dress and colored dress on the actual wedding day.

Many brides also prepare a casual wedding dress for after-parties or honeymoon photos ♡

It’s exciting to envision being able to wear so many different bridal outfits.

You will also need to consider hairstyles, accessories, and bouquets to match each outfit, so the daydreaming gets busy ♡

@tiffany_co_

Let’s Dream About Weddings a Lot ♡

We have introduced four areas to consider that can help you outline your ideal wedding:

☑ Guest list

☑ Style of the ceremony

☑ Type of venue

☑ Outfits

Think through each of these aspects.

Your images will become clearer and your vague daydreams will start to approach reality.

It’s free to daydream. So let's indulge in joyful thoughts and be excited ♡

During this pre-bride period, let’s expand our dreams and daydreams about weddings! ♩

@s.a.wed.pre