Sewn Together: Kirei Kimono

Tucked away in the dressing room, kimono dresser H, me, and a troupe of Polynesian dancers began the changing process. Yes, I was really worried about the dancer's next-door party at first, but either we were louder or the sound-proofing was good, because I couldn't even tell they were there.

I shuffled out of my wedding dress, and fifteen minutes later was wrapped up in a gorgeous (and super-heavy) kimono.

Time to go back to the party!

I walked out, and twirled around a bit to the sound of Sak's family applauding.

That surprised me, but I guess they were just really happy that Sak's new wifu was on-board with his culture. Sak, on the other hand, was chided for not having found a matching hakama (men's kimono) to wear. Silly husband.

In any case, I tottered over to thank my friend for letting me borrow the beautiful silk garment.

Pocket obi?

(Photo by family)

And then we took some table pictures.

Our lovely helpers! They did a fabulous job with set-up!

I'm really glad we took the time to do table group pictures. It's nice to have a way to remember who was there, and for someone still learning who's-who amongst her in-laws, they serve as flashcards of sorts. The only problem is people who were in the buffet line for seconds weren't present in the photos, but that's okay. We know who enjoyed the food I guess!

Anyway, after a very short 20 minutes in the kimono I had pined after my entire engagement, it was time to change again. I didn't want to risk having it dirtied, and besides - the lions had arrived.

(Unless otherwise noted, all images by Terra Photography)

Our wedding week in review:

• We took care of some last minute DIY details, and officialized everything.
• We vacationed with our out-of-towners, and threw a yummy welcome beach brunch.
• Sak saluted an angry dragon during our wedding rehearsal, and we sniffed at our dinner.
• Wal-Mart crashed my bachelorette.
• The women magically transformed, and Sak tied me into our dress.
• There was a windy photoshoot on the beach, and then we hung out at the chapel in flat shoes.
• We marched to the altar and got married.
• Everyone was camera-happy.
• Reception time! A bustle for our first dance, and then it was time to eat.

A Furisode Episode!

While I'm still trying to sort out the whole lack-of-cheongsam issue, I thought I'd take a moment to address another reception dress I've been dreaming about - the kimono.

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?

Yukata? Yes!

My mother called me today, to tell me a certain international package had come in the mail! (I usually have packages sent to her house since my apartment complex is prone to "misplacing" boxes.)

She went ahead and sent me a few pictures of the contents:

Two brand new yukata from Sak's parents in Japan! Whee! If you remember, I previously wrote about how much I wanted to wear something from Sak's culture for our wedding. Now it looks like I'll be able to - at least for engagement pictures!

I love how the geta (shoes) also match the yukata fabric!


The geta are worn with tabi, which are socks made to be worn with sandals.

(source)

I have a collection of them, actually. Like a complete nerd, I used to wear them around college with my Rainbow sandals on cold days. However, for some reason, they are all made with printed fabrics. I'll need to find some plain white ones for Sak and I to wear!

We'll also have to figure out how to wear it properly - tying an obi (sash) is no joke! It can become quite complicated if you have an intricate kimono on.

(source) Just look at all the stuff going on in that belt!

(source) No wonder they take so long to put on!

Luckily, I'll probably end up only trying a butterfly obi knot. It's much simpler, and commonly seen on yukata. Isn't it cute?

(source)

Sak will use the men's obi style, which looks like significantly less work:

(source)

The yukata were sent to us ahead of our engagement picture time for the sole purpose of practicing with the obi tying. I've got about a week to learn, but I think they will make for some pretty awesome photos!

Anyone else have cultural outfits that require instructions? Are you wearing any as part of your wedding or engagement ensemble?

The Dream "Dress"

Three of the last four weddings I have attended have involved Asian brides. And you know what that means, right? Dress changes!

Though I may only be half-Asian, I fully look forward to and embrace the tradition of changing one's dress several times throughout the reception. Indeed, I had it all planned out. In addition to my traditional white gown and Chinese cheongsam, I would also wear a uchikake - the Japanese wedding kimono.



Ohh how I shivered in pure delight just thinking about it. It was (and still is) more exciting to me than wearing the traditional wedding dress. And imagining my Sak in his own mon-studded kimono was..well, drool-inducing (for me, anyway)!

(However, I don't think I could wear the hat, as it symbolizes the "hiding of one's horns", a.k.a. the stubborn jealousy and ego of the single woman. It, in a sense, represents her obedience to her husband. I'm not very obedient. I guess I could work on it, but Saka knows my "horns" aren't going away anytime soon..)

So since mom-saka and dad-saka just so happen to be living in Japan at the moment, I called them up via Skype excitedly. His mom answered, and I told her my grand-master-plan involving hundreds of pounds of brocaded white silk.

She laughed.

No way, she said. Wedding kimono are just way too expensive. Even more expensive than western gowns. And besides, they take hours to put on, when would I have time for that at the reception?

Perhaps noting my crest-fallen face through the webcam, she gave me the name of a rental store on Oahu, suggesting that we might be able to rent for pictures before the wedding.

So all was not lost.

I looked the rental store up, fell quickly in love with their options, and then looked at the prices.

Seven-hundred-and-fifty dollars. Over seven times the cost of my home-made gown. For a rental. That you don't even get to take out of the store. $750 for both bride and groom to be dressed up, traditionally styled, and taken pictures of in their photo studio. That means I wouldn't get pictures in front of here:

The beautiful Byodo-in temple. (Brother-Sak and Sak pose in the foreground)

I whined for a few days, but the Japan-phile in me is far from giving up. If I can't wear the uchikake, I can at least wear some other type of kimono, right?

My second option is the furisode - it still has the beautiful brocade silk, but minus the bridal "umph".


And the third choice, which Sak has already asked his parents to look into sending, is the yukata. No pretty silk, but rather a summery cotton. It will work for engagment photos, but I wouldn't wear it in the reception dress-changing fest. We can, however, reuse them after for all those summer obon festivals!


So will I find something to wear for the reception? Or will I be stuck as a two-dress bride? I guess only mom-saka has the answer to that.

Anyone else wearing multiple dresses during your reception? (Or, does anyone have an extra uchikake lying around that I can borrow? *sigh!*)

**As always, click the images for the source!**