Vintage kimonos redesigned into wedding dresses will take your breath away
Kyoto-based wedding planner Watabe Wedding recently announced that they have started making their unique line of “Shoen” dresses available on a rental basis. And what makes this line of dresses so unique? The dresses are all made from authentic antique furisode kimonos.
Watabe Wedding first released the Shoen line of dresses in February of 2016, mainly for sale to hotels and wedding venues around Japan ... , but they have now started renting out the dresses to hopefully make them available for use in overseas weddings, post-wedding parties, and more
They’re now renting these five stunning gowns (from left to right in the photo above) from the Shoen line:
1. The Tsurumomiji (crane maple): This an a-line dress in vivid red, illustrated with cranes flying in the autumn sky. Images of chrysanthemums, maples, and a blue river running through the lower half of the dress complete the look.
1. The Fujiageha (wisteria and swallowtail butterfly): This high-waisted dress features beautifully embroidered swallowtail butterflies against a backdrop of wisteria flowers and a beautiful gradation of yellow, black, gold and red colors.
2. The Ranbu (orchid dance): This mermaid-line dress is designed with flower petal-like frills on the back and adorned with luxurious patterns of pink phalaenopsis orchids. The specific type of orchid in pink apparently conveys the message “I love you”, so this is a particularly appropriate and lucky design for a wedding dress. preppy homecoming dresses
3. The Kanazuru (gold crane): The gold cranes depicted on a cloth of vibrant red gives this sleek dress both a luxurious and bold feel. The black chiffon material further adds to the elegance.
4. The Botangiku (peony and chrysanthemum): This a-line dress stuns with its rich, pink base color containing spun gold and a dazzling pattern of various flowers including peonies and chrysanthemums, making it a virtual floral bouquet on silk.
The five dresses are available for rental for prices ranging from 50,000 yen to 150,000 yen.
If you have plans to be a bride in Japan, and if you don’t conveniently own a formal furisode kimono that may be folded and arranged into a western-style dress, this could be the perfect way to add a uniquely Japanese element to your wedding wardrobe. And even if you’re not in need of a wedding gown, we’re sure you’ll agree with us that the dresses are still a delight to look at!