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Gai-jin Kekkonshiki
Japanese style weddings & event themes for the non-Japanese

Kyo wa 2024 03 28

 

The Event

 


 

About the event - Qs & info

 

Gift giving  - kekkon'iwai - けっこんいわい

Heck no, we're not registered anywhere. We don't need anything! Really! Please just bring yourselves. We could not fit another thing into the house. If you would like to contribute some $$ toward paying off the ceremony and the honeymoon, you are more than welcome to! Hey this even matches with Japanese wedding tradition.  Gift giving was never done at the wedding.  Gifts or money gifts called "goshugi" - beautifully wrapped in a money envelope called "iwai-bukuro" was given at the wedding reception by guests to help the new couple pay for wedding and reception costs. Hey we're almost traditional ;)

Really... No Gifts! Lotsa people are tryin' to buy us stuff anyway. We really really have no room :)

Hotel   -  hoteru -  ホテル

A couple good places to stay - The Marriott Courtyard on Linden Ave, and Woodcliff Lodge off Rte 96.

Wedding  - kekkonshiki - けっこんしき

The wedding itself will actually start at 3:30 though the invites say 3. Apparently it's bad luck to be married at the top of an hour... This will also give the chronic stragglers some breathing space!

San San Kudo - Sansankudo - さんさんくど  or   三々九度

"Sansankudo no Sakazuki" generally called "sakazuki-goto," is the traditional custom at every wedding performed according to Shinto rites - Long ago in Japan, sake played an important role in tying together the gods and common people. Therefore, one would never drink alone, but always in groups. There are now many old customs which have lost their meaning or popularity, but the drinking of sake at wedding ceremonies, known as "Sansankudo no sakazuki", a major focus of the ceremony, continues to thrive even in modern culture. "Sansankudo no sakazuki" brings the gods in between humans to help them, through the sharing of sake, come closer together and create a bond of friendship. 

San-san-kudo literally means "three, three, nine times." The cup used at san-san-kudo is a special one called "sakazuki," which is only used to drink sake and no other beverages. The bride and groom take turns taking three sips each of three different bowls of sake, each one larger than the next. One does not drink the sake like a 'shot' but rather tilting the cup up very gradually and sipping lightly. Three is an indivisible number, and it is considered a sacred number in Buddhism. Nine means triple happiness. But just as the san-san-kudo sake sips may not be altogether delicious, the couple's marriage life may not always be delightful, but they will have to overcome their hardships with the co-operative spirit of the san-san-kudo. By exchanging the nuptial sake sips—three times three—husband and wife are united.

Please enjoy the sake provided by our bridesmaids! Nearer to the end of our ceremony we will ask you to drink with us, to seal our bond of friendship. Typically for this toast the guests would shout "kampai", a toast in Japanese.

Reception - hirouen - ひろうえん

Will be taking place at the house too. Go in the dog yard at your own risk :). There will be sushi - mostly maki rolls (fish or other seafood in a roll of rice), and some nigiri (a piece of fish on a bed of rice). For the vegetarians there will be some safe maki, and for the curious but faint of heart there will be cooked maki rolls made of familiar things like crab meat and avacado. There will also be some non-japanese food from a little place called Aladins. Also a good bet for vegetarian friends. If you don't like either of these things you can always fill up on cake, cookies and beer!

Sake! - sake - さけ

Yes there will be sake. Specifically Momokawa sake! We have a fine assortment of Momokawa including Diamond, Ruby, Pearl and their flavored version Moonstone Hazelnut. There will also be a bottle of Ozeki sake for those who like it warm. See details below for the Momokawa sakes.

  • Momokawa Diamond - Very smooth, slightly dry, sweet aroma. A true "ginjo" highest quality ingredients and methods). Excellent choice for fans of medium body red wines and gin drinkers. Easy yet full tasting on the palate; a flowing stony dry taste that is excellent with grilled meats and pan fried seafood. 
    Pairs well with: Seafood and lightly grilled meats.

  • Momokawa Ruby - Mellow with a soft mouth feel. Slightly sweet aroma, light melon flavors. Excellent choice for new sake drinkers and fans of light red and dry white wines.  
    Pairs well with: Light sauces, pasta, green salads, and fish.
  • Momokawa Pearl - A true "Nigori Genshu" (antique style, unfiltered). Sweet and full bodied, coconut aroma. Complex yet approachable.  Excellent choice for connoisseurs and new sake drinkers. Roughly filtered "Nigori" saké, which is naturally sweet; creamy, almost coconut-like flavor; highly recommended with heavily spiced foods. Momokawa Pearl is 18% alcohol so be careful, it is so smooth and easy to drink it can creep up on you!
    Pairs well with: Spicy cuisines, curry and coconut flavors.
  • Moonstone Hazelnut - A bright, fresh, hazelnut scent with vanilla beans and caramel nuances, followed by a palate freshening, off-dry taste. 
    Pairs well with: desserts.
  • Moonstone Asian Pear - A very subtle infusion of pear flavor makes this more pure saké-like when it enters the palate - soft, easy, slightly sweet - and finishing with a crisp, pear-like fruitiness.
  • Moonstone Raspberry - Quite in your face raspberry aroma which appeals to folks who don't drink much. Often used, as are many of the sakés, as a cocktail mixer in place of white spirits or served straight on the rocks.

What next? - tsugi - つぎ

Ahhh... Vacation... Once the house is cleaned up and the guests are extracted we will be heading off far far away to enjoy some rock climbing...

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