Men’s Wedding Ensembles

To complement the traditionally clad bride, the groom will wear a formal Japanese kimono (montsuki) to a Japanese wedding.

Our goal is to cover all the varieties of the traditional wedding ensemble in your Japan dream wedding.

As it is the world-over, the sartorial options for the groom are usually much more limited than for the bride.  The bride and groom will decide on whether they will be dressing traditionally and, if the bride is in traditional garb, you will always find the groom clothed to match. So you would not see a bride in a kimono and a man in a suit.  The groom would only wear a western suit if the bride is wearing a western-style wedding dress.

Fundamentals

As with the bride’s ensemble, the groom’s is almost always rented. This is not unlike some weddings in the US where few men own formalwear. Rental companies usually supply both the men and the women’s ensembles and rental includes everything from the innerwear (except undergarments) through to the accessories (fans, bags, ornaments, etc.).

Rental fees for ensembles are usually less than for the bride, but run between $1000 to $3000.  Some outfits can be found for less, but their quality would be considerably lower.

In addition to rental fees, the services of a professional dresser are pretty much required in order to get into the ensemble correctly (what with proper fitting of the kimono and undergarments, tying the obi, accessorizing correctly, etc.

Groom’s Ensemble

The groom’s outfit will be simpler but it is still comprised of numerous pieces:

• Formal black kimono for men with a crest (montsuki)
• Men’s obi: a sash belt
• Haori:  a kimono jacket
• Haorihimo: a silk cord to fasten the coat in front
• Hakama Trousers: this fits over the kimono like culottes
• Nagajuban: a thin kimono worn under the kimono, next to the skin to protect the kimono
• Juban: a thin undershirt garment that looks like a long cardigan.
• Men’s long underwear: very thin and light cotton under trousers than extend to about the upper calf and are worn over your personal western-style underwear.
• Datejime: A wide undersash used to tie the nagajuban and the outer kimono and hold them in place
• Undergarments (personal)
• Accessories (see below)

See many more examples of groom ensembles on our Pinterest board.

Accessories

The groom’s ensemble is accessorized in a fashion similar to the bride’s.

Traditional footwear of tabi socks and zori shoes complete the outfit.

The men also carry a fan as well as a small bag.