Company offers wedding services at shrines, temples, and castles in northeastern Japan.

As Japan becomes increasingly popular as a travel destination, it stands to reason that there’s also likely growing intertest in the country as a place for a destination wedding. However, while Japanese-style wedding ceremonies don’t require that couples about to be wed be followers of the Shinto or Buddhist faiths, there is a potential sticking point for travelers looking to tie the knot in Japan, which is that wedding ceremonies in Japan aren’t legally binding.

Even for Japanese citizens, wedding ceremonies themselves have no actual effect on one’s legal status. Instead, the bride and groom have to file the paperwork to officially register their marriage at a city hall or local ward office. The necessary documents have to be submitted in Japanese, and since these government offices aren’t tourist spots, they’re usually not located close to hotel or sightseeing districts, making navigating the process even more complex and time-consuming.

However, wedding services company Michinoku Wakon wants to help couples both have their wedding ceremony and legally become spouses while in Japan, and so has launched a service it calls Japan Legal Wedding. In addition to planning a traditional Japanese wedding, Michinoku Wakon can coordinate the proper marriage registration paperwork and provide you with a copy of your legally binding marriage certificate, so that you can provide proof of your nuptials upon returning to your home country (or simply to save you a trip to city hall, as Michinoku Wakon’s services are available to residents of Japan as well).

Michinoku Wakon is based in Sendai and maintains relationships with a number of shrines, temples, and historical sites within Miyagi Prefecture. As of October, it’s offering a new package at two of them, the Sendai Castle Ruins and Shiroishi Castle, in the town of Shiroishi, called the Shogun Wedding.

The Shogun Wedding adds an extra dash of Japanese history to the celebration, as it includes not only a photo session and ceremony with bride and groom in Japanese wedding attire, but also a separate samurai armor-themed photo shoot on the castle grounds.

▼ Sendai Castle, also known as Aoba Castle

In terms of scheduling, Michinoku Wakon recommends starting the process three to six months ahead of your intended marriage date, and full details about its venues and package options can be found on its website here.

Related: Shogun Wedding webpage
Source: PR Times, Michinoku Wakon (1, 2)
Images: PR Times
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