With this large contractual obligation, I thee wed...
You see, weddings are big, big business in Japan. Most of them are sold as package deals that take place in marriage chapels in hotels, rather than in actual churches (Christian churches being somewhat few and far-flung in Japan). The result is a sort of Las Vegas Strip wedding run amok. The package prices are based on lots of things, including how many people you are inviting to the reception, what they will be eating, what presents you will give them (we'll get to that), what the bride will be wearing and how many times she will be changing clothes (we'll get to that, too!).
No matter what you decide to do, the prices are extraordinary. To rent a Western-style wedding gown is about $1500; to bring your own, $700 (service fee, don'tcha know). To hire a band is about $2000, to supply your own, again, $500-700 (and don't expect help getting them set up and connected to power). If you go the kimono route, you are looking at $2000 to rent the white one for a day, and from $4000-6000 for the colored one she changes into after the ceremony. The groom's clothes are a little -- but only a little -- less expensive. So, it's easy to see why most package deals start at about $12,000 and go up.
No rice, please, just throw money...
How can the new couple possibly afford to saddle themselves with a bill like that right out of the chute? Well, the truth is, they'll only be paying, on average, about half of the price. The rest comes from the guests themselves in the form of monetary gifts, given in gorgeous, traditional money envelopes. Most guests give from $100-$300 depending on their relationship to the bride or groom. Obviously, bosses and family members tend toward the higher end of the scale. In return, the couple gives the guests small presents (usually silverware or dishes) at the end of the reception -- quite the reverse of the standard European wedding.
Bride or groom? Credentials, please...
Of course, when you consider the expense, it's clear that only an exclusive group can be invited to the actual reception. So, a much less formal "second party" (phonetically
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