Honestly, I had long given up hope of wearing a wedding kimono, due to the staggering expense. Sak's parents were kind enough to send us some beautiful yukata instead, which we wore for our engagement photos.
(And again on our 6th dating anniversary at the Fanime Convention this year!)
However, it didn't seem formal enough for a wedding, so I had resigned myself to being a 2-dress bride. Of course, that didn't stop me from whining about my lack of dream kimono every chance I got. I'm such an embarrassment.
But as destiny would have it, I actually received an e-mail from a church friend/wedding guest of ours. A friend-guest that wanted to loan me her furisode. A fancy, red kimono. I about died.
Friend in her kimono at a wedding in '74
My dream! So beautiful!
She brought it all over in a suitcase, and I must say - there's a lot of parts to it.
The kimono slip? I think it's called a juban.
Belts. Lots and lots of belts. And no clue as to what each one is for.
A beautiful golden obi!
And the brocade beauty herself, which Sak is trying desperately to hold up off the floor. It's long!
No wonder one of her conditions was that I must have someone to dress me in it. We'll need someone with fast hands, or else I might miss our entire reception trying to get dressed!
She also warned me that the furisode is technically meant for unmarried ladies, since the sleeves are long. I'm hoping none of Sak's family notices, though I wouldn't be surprised if they did. Some of them are quite traditional. Oh well. I'll only have been married a few hours, surely it can't be that bad?
Oh, and I can't forget the shoes (geta)! Are these not the cutest?!
I'm really excited about this dress change. I've been dabbling around in Japanese culture even before meeting Sak, so having the opportunity to wear a kimono at our wedding feels kind of like a cultural right-of-passage to me, if that makes any sense. And of course, I'm super grateful of our friend and her dress-generosity. I can't wait to wear it, and I hope Sak will love it too!
Now, should I ship it (insured, of course) to Hawaii, or should I leave room to take it with me on the flight? What's safer? And how do you say thank you for something like this?
Posts
Wow, it is gorgeous! But you're right, it looks even more difficult to put on than a sari :) If you have the room, I would carry it with you, though you will most likely also be carrying your gown, right? Maybe make Sak leave room in his suitcase for your gear!
ReplyDeleteOr, you could call the airline ahead of time and see if they have a first class closet for either your gown or kimono.
ReplyDeleteIts so beautiful! Wow! I definitely vote for taking it with you on the flight! I carried my dress in carry on cause I was too paranoid about checking it in or shipping it.
ReplyDeleteSo exquisite!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThat's beautiful! I have to bring my wedding dress on me on a flight, and I spoke to their customer service beforehand to ensure that there would be a closet that I could stash my dress in. If not, I would mail it with tracking (like Fed-Ex) but that may be crazy expensive.
ReplyDelete