Enchanted Meetings

At least two or three times a week at school pick up, we stop and admire an elaborately dressed princess and her handsome prince, being picked up in a chauffeured driven Mercedes. The girls never bore of delighting in the spectacle, which is, one of the 200 Japanese couples that get married every year, in the church where P& D go to school.

After watching these weddings for a couple of months, I did a little research and found that this is all part of relatively lucrative business. “Our” church is apparently picked from a catalogue of fantasy weddings for the Japanese.

These couples apparently are heading to Paris (and elsewhere) for a wedding, because back at home, they are required to ask their friends and relatives to come to the ceremonies. A party with the family costs on average about $30,000, while they can pay about $10,000 for an entire overseas wedding, complete with rented wedding dress, photographer and travel.

My kind hearted friend who feels so sorry for these weddings without family and friends, always showers the newlyweds with “you look beautiful… congratulations…best wishes” as she walks by on her way to pick up her kids. Despite her pity, the couples are always glowing.

A number of times, while a couple were having their photos taken on the church steps, hords of kids after a day at school, streamed out around them. I am always so curious how these newly weds feel about this addition to their fantasy wedding.