Ready to get your holiday shopping on this weekend? In the midst of all the Black Friday madness, don’t forget to support small businesses too! There are practically an infinite number of independent artists and craftsmen making amazing products out there, and if you’re not sure where to start in your area, one super easy place to go no matter where you live, is Etsy.com. Here are just a few of my favorite holiday gift finds for fashion, kitchen and home decor, from the mecca of online indie shopping.
Top row: Set of three personalized serving platters from In Her Words Ceramics Second Row: Tree of life tea towels from Kel & Molly Textiles, and a pie plate personalized with your favorite recipe from Marcella’s Engravables Third row: Live edge maple cutting board from Jonathan January, and bamboo cutting board with a laser engraved recipe from 3D Carving (Scan an old family recipe and enjoy your great-grandmother’s handwriting every day. So sweet!)
Top row: Fuchsia field gift wrap from May Day Studio Second row: English, Spanish and Spanglish Letterpress holiday wrapping paper from vivalapress and vintage map of Italy wrapping paper from Chickydoddle Third row: Rustic jute twine from 464 Handmade and follow the arrow wrapping paper from Toodles Noodles Fourth row: Mustache gift wrap from ruffhouseart
Want more great gift ideas? The Think Splendid blog has a list of wedding companies offering special deals on Small Business Saturday (this Saturday, November 24th), and one of our fabulous Sponsors, Magnet Street Weddings is offering 26% off all their stationery on Cyber Monday with the code WCYBERBLOG. I also really love the shoes, handbags and jewelry from Seattle’s A Mano, the cereamic and wood heirlooms designed by Paloma’s Nest, the men’s gadgets and accessories from Gent Supply Co., and the canvas clutches by Lyndsey Hamilton for Fleabags available at NewlyWish.com. Happy small biz shopping!
Today we have a fascinating treat…an inside look at what weddings are like in Japan, beautifully explained and illustrated by talented Junebug members, Japan residents, and experts, Dee and Tracey from 37 Frames Photography! I have to admit that my favorite episodes of Oprah were always the ones when she did “A Day in The Life” stories of other young women around the globe. I think it is so interesting to image what my life would be like with the same circumstances in a very different place. This is the wedding planning version of that same question. What would your wedding look like if you were planning it in Japan?
What three adjectives best describe your wedding?Stylish, warm and memorable
What was your wedding color palette?Pink, ivory
Looking back, what are the moments, decisions or memories that you love the most about your wedding?The walk down the aisle!
From Dee and Tracey at 37 Frames Photogarphy: Yoshiko and Masatos elegant wedding was very chic, luxurious and quite western. He works for LVMH Japan, and she runs a cosmetics company with products imported from Italy. They opted for a very modern look and feel – no shrine ceremony or wearing of kimonos. However, a western-style Japanese wedding is still very different and Id love to share some insights and observations of what goes on from our point of view as photographers (bearing in mind that most of the time we are lost permanently in translation!!). I should preface this by saying what we love most about working in Japan is not only are we so privileged to enter this very special and often impenetrable industry, but often most of the time the ceremonies and receptions are tinged with moments so powerful and rituals so meaningful we can only imagine the complexity. And Yoshiko & Masatos elegant affair was no exception.
Are there any noticeable differences between Japanese and western weddings? Yes! It’s one reason we love being here. For example:
It is standard practice in Japan for the couples to get ready in the same room. They share the excitement of getting ready together. There is generally no first look. The act of getting ready is intimate and special. This was how Yoshiko and Masato started their day.
When it comes to the ceremony, each wedding is different. Sometimes couples get married in a shrine; sometimes in a church. For this wedding, one of the beautiful Tokyo American Club rooms was turned into a chapel. When the bride enters, she walks down the Virgin Road (yes, thats what the aisle is actually called here!!). For Yoshiko, this was one of her highlights of the day.
Japanese receptions are very lavish and guest-orientated. All the details are carefully thought out to ensure the guests are the priority. At a Japanese wedding, guests gift the couple money in elaborate envelopes called shugibukuro. The bills must be new, crisp bills and not folded – guests go to the bank and ask for new notes. All the guests will generally receive a beautiful gift bag to take home, either with a selection of presents, often brand-name, or a catalogue to choose their own gift. I believe Yoshiko included her imported cosmetics and chocolates in the gift bags.
The receptions are run like a production and most often start with a profile DVD of both the bride and groom, featuring their history until that special day. There will be a grand entrance and then its on with the show. It is typical in the Japanese wedding for the families to be seated at the back of the room. The two front tables will be reserved for the grooms boss/VIPS and the brides boss, who will typically give the first two speeches, including the toast.
The bride and groom will often leave the room after the first round of speeches to change into a second look and then make another grand entrance. Which is again the flow of the reception that Yoshiko and Masato went for.
Frequently the guests will surprise the couples with a performance of some kind. For Yoshiko and Masato, the brides friends all dressed up as the girls from the very famous Japanese group AKB48 and surprised them with a routine. Mid-way through Yoshiko joined them – theyd been rehearsing for this since March! The look on Masatos face was priceless.
Do most Japanese weddings follow a standard format, or are couples free to add their own touches?Generally, each and every Japanese wedding is unique. And to be honest, this is truly what keeps us here. They are often planned meticulously first around the Japanese calendar and the Rokuyo lucky and unlucky days. Of course, brides want their weddings to fall on lucky taian days. It is not uncommon for the popular shrines to have more than 20 weddings come through on those particular dates. Naturally they are run with precision timing and by an army of attendants and planners. From the intricate layers of priceless kimonos where the bride always carries a dagger, to grooms on roofs, stoic emotion – no matter the occasion – to couples bursting out of giant balloons and historical shrines and MCs who magically re-appear as Geishas…we know we’ll never manage to see it all! Whether the day is tinged with heavy tradition starting in the shrine, with at least two kimonos changes, or more western with gowns and a lot of princess inspiration, the key is the same celebration and production. And weddings pretty much flow in three stages: the ceremony for immediate family only; the reception for closest family, relatives and esteemed guests and featuring many speeches; then finally the Nijikai, or second party. This is after the reception for the couples friends when everyone really lets their hair down. We can never be sure where this incredible voyage into the heart of Japan will take us, but we are just so excited to share many of our only-in-Japan moments with our fabulous friends at Junebug Weddings!
Megan and Scott’s wedding day was as dreamy as could be. They chose to be married in San Diego’s oldest church, The Mission Basilica de Alcala, and celebrated at Carmel Mountain Ranch Country Club. Both venues have an old-world vibe that fit the couple’s love for all things vintage to a tee. Their lavish florals included peach garden roses and white orchids as well as fresh green vines that draped from the chandeliers. The overall effect was a romantic, magical garden!
What three adjectives best describe your wedding?Romantic, enchanting and whimsical
What was your wedding color palette?Peach, apricot, white and ivory
What inspired your personal wedding style, and how did you incorporate your style and personalities into your big day?Ive always wanted a very romantic and feminine garden style for our wedding. I also adore vintage items, so it was important to us that they were incorporated in our wedding. Our wonderful event and floral designer, Aileen of Karen Tran Florals, brought our vision to life and was able to create a dreamy, lush garden ambiance! We choose The Mission Basilica De Alcala for our ceremony because we loved the fact that its one of the oldest churches in San Diego. It has the old world charm that we love, along with gorgeous rustic pews and cobblestone floors. We selected the Carmel Mountain Ranch Country Club for our reception because we just loved how the property is reminiscent of a craftsman-style home. Our reception didnt feel like a ballroom in a hotel – it was so warm and inviting, and an absolute dream.
For the decor, it was all in the details! Aileen incorporated custom brooches, imported lace and vintage tea tins from Europe, and vintage pewter vessels for some of the vases. The club also had large gold chandeliers in the dining area, and we decided to cover them in greenery so guests would really experience the feeling of entering a lush, enchanted garden!
Looking back, what are the moments, decisions or memories that you love the most about your wedding?We loved every moment that we dedicated to planning our wedding, and we loved our wonderful team that created this magical day for us. One of the moments that I loved the most was when my wedding planner, Wynn Austin, helped sneak me up into the choir box at the church right before the ceremony began. Even the choir director commented that in over 38 years he has never had a bride in the choir box! I was able to look down and see a birds eye view of the beautiful church and the florals. Also, I was able to see Scott at the altar waiting for me, along with our closest friends and families. It was my one quiet moment to take everything in before I walked down the aisle. I have to say though, we truly treasure all the memories of our wedding. It was our dream wedding and we will cherish the experience for the rest of our lives.
What piece of advice would you give to a bride planning her wedding today?Enjoy all of the planning aspects and dont let it overwhelm you. Never lose sight of whats important. Infuse your personality into everything and enjoy your wedding day because the day goes by faster than youll ever anticipate!
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