結婚式を挙げるための費用は、日本の場合、諸外国に比べて高額だという。 具体的な金額を見てどのように感じるだろうか？

* 2005/6/8 配信 ALC Newsletter No.13(ALC International Marketing 発行)より

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5,240,000 yen(*)---it's a total cost an average couple spends on their weddings, including wedding and engagement rings, ceremony, honeymoon, moving to a new residence, and so on. To know how big a burden this is for couples, you might want to take a look at the annual salary of an average office worker aged 25-29---it's 3,450,000 yen(**). Isn't it amazing to see that the wedding cost is way over one's annual salary? Well, actually, there's a trick to these numbers. Among this 5,240,000 yen, parents of each couple bear 2,270,000 yen on average---about 40 percent of the total! Now we can understand why some Japanese say "Wedding ceremonies are not for couples, but for parents."

But what makes Japanese weddings so expensive anyway? Let's take a look at the wedding affairs of Japan. The highlight of the whole wedding event is of course the wedding ceremony. Many couples choose a church-like ceremonial hall at a hotel to make a vow of their eternal love, while some choose Christian churches, and some others choose shrines to hold a traditional Japanese style wedding. Ceremonies at restaurants or houses are also popular among young couples, partly because this way, they can save a lot of money by having a ceremony and a banquet at the same time and place.

But except for restaurant/house weddings, most couples hold a banquet after the ceremony at a different place, with an average of 81 guests. Each guest is expected to bring a money gift to the couple, and so that covers a part of the wedding expenses. People enjoy special meals while listening to the congratulatory speeches from the couple's close friends, former teachers, colleagues or bosses. Candle service by the couple is also a popular event during the banquet, as well as screening of a short movie that shows how the bride and groom each grew up and later met each other.

What brings the banquet to an end is the so-called "thank-you letter for parents." The bride and groom each read a letter to thank their parents, while the lights are dimmed and their parents stand in the spotlight. Parents---especially parents of the bride, since many women take their partners' family names after marriage--- remember the pleasant days with their children, and their eyes are soon filled with tears. Considering this hopefully once-in-a-lifetime experience, they might not think 2,270,000 yen is too expensive---maybe a wedding really is an event for parents.

All data are based on the latest research by a bridal magazine "Zexy" issued by Recruit Co., Ltd.(Zexy Wedding Trend Research 2004), unless otherwise stated.

(*) ≒ US$47,600/£26,100/C$58,876/A$62,380. Exchange rates as of June 3, 2005.

(**) Data by National Tax Agency of Japan, released in 2005.