結婚してくれますか？
31 July 2005The big news is that Yasuko and I will be getting married in November at Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto. For the desperately curious, I ‘officially’ proposed in February at Souvenir, a French restaurant down the street.
In Japan, getting engaged isn’t strictly just proposing. You’re really not truly engaged until you’ve ‘officially’ proposed, which means not just deciding to get married, but getting together with the finacées parents and proposing to them. A long time ago, one might typically say O-jou-san o boku ni kudasai. “Please give me your [honourable] daughter.” I decided I’d pass on that line.
In any case, after a few trips back and forth to Kyoto, we settled on a Japanese ceremony just before noon, followed by a party with friends and family at a restaurant. The nijikai party in Tokyo will be western-style, but we haven’t even begun to think about when or where yet.
For those questioning the sanity of a November wedding, keep in mind that in Japan, this is kōyō season, when all the leaves turn red and Japan is at its most beautiful. As Fall and Spring are the two most beautiful seasons in Japan, we were lucky to reserve when we did, back in April. Even then, some restaurants we talked to were already booked solid until mid-December.
In any case, with the shrine and restaurant out of the way, all we have left to figure out is wedding rings, kimonos, invitations, flowers, food, gifts, speeches, photos, …