omedetou gozaimasu!

...means 'congratulations!' and was definitely the phrase of the day at my friend's wedding two weeks ago.

When we resumed our "English circle" meetings after a short summer break, everyone went around the table discussing their summer adventures. Most of the members are farmers and late summer/early autumn is the busiest time of the year for them, so most people felt that their "vacation" had been anything but. Then we got to the end of the table, where one of our members announced that he recently got engaged! Naturally, we were thrilled and his wedding planning became the cornerstone of our weekly check-in.

All of the circle members were invited to the wedding, including me, and when they realized that it would be my first wedding in Japan, they went to great lengths to make sure that I would feel comfortable and understand exactly what was going on. However, even after all of this preparation, I was shocked to realize that I had been invited to the ceremony itself (I had expected to only attend the reception). The couple was planning a very traditional ceremony at a local Shinto shrine, which is usually only attended by family and close friends, so I wasn't sure that I belonged in that group, but they insisted. He said that our English circle gave him a great cultural experience and that he wanted to return the favor.

The wedding day was rainy and cold, but the ceremony was being held indoors and the bride arrived by car--protecting her beautiful white kimono from the elements. The ceremony itself was beyond my level of comprehension, yet it was much easier to understand when to bow, clap, etc. than I had expected.
The ceremony begins with the Shinto priest purifying the alter and beckoning the gods. Then there are a series of prayers, and although I can't remember the order, the bride and groom exchange rings, vows and each take a drink of sake from the same cup. Everyone in attendance is also given a bit of sake, which we drank at the same time. As I understand it, this symbolizes that their union is being recognized by all of us and that through their marriage, their family and friends are also brought together. (wedding bands are not nearly as common in Japan as they are in America, so I was interested to see that this couple had chosen to exchange rings)
After the ceremony, we caravaned over to the reception hall, where another 20-30 people joined the celebration. I dropped off my envelope (people only give gifts of money
in Japan) and headed upstairs to help at "reception" and tell the incoming guests where to sit. When the newlyweds made their way into the hall, the bride had changed into her second--more colorful--wedding kimono. We toasted to their happiness and started to eat.
At some point, I realized that the bride and groom had disappeared from their table to change their clothes for a third time. I remembered being told that she had wanted to wear traditional Japanese clothing for the ceremony, then a western-style gown for the reception, but the hairstyle for her kimono was so complicated that I couldn't imagine how the stylist would be able to change it. They definitely did change it though, just in time to cut the cake!

*as always, you can click on any photo to enlarge it*