In an increasingly popular trend, excited brides across Japan have done their hair and makeup, donned white gowns and veils and walked down the aisle—alone—in “solo weddings” performed only for the camera.
Participants get to enjoy photographs in wedding finery—without a marriage taking place or a partner required.
Reasons for these solo weddings vary widely. Some just want a chance to get gussied up in bridal attire, while others wish to commemorate a special milestone or even celebrate affection for a favorite celebrity.
As a growing number of facilities across the country have started offering solo wedding services, the peculiar practice has become the latest example of “solo” activities among Japanese people, such as lonely barbecues, karaoke parties and camping trips.
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Some customers choose to take wedding photos with images of their favorite characters or idols.
One package allows customers to bring character merchandise to the venue so that they can be photographed in wedding dresses alongside hand fans and stuffed toys featuring beloved show business personalities and characters.
Other solo wedding participants have said that they “wanted to hold a wedding ceremony when they got married but couldn’t” or were “unhappy with the outfit worn at their actual wedding,” and so decided to get a solo photoshoot later.
For Yuko Miyamoto, 50, a resident of Osaka, the reason was more complicated. Miyamoto recently used a solo nuptial service at Petit Wedding to make her 50th birthday a special one.
“If I keep waiting for a partner to turn up, I might not get to have a wedding someday,” explained Miyamoto.
“I wanted to achieve my dream of wearing a wedding dress for myself,” she said.
Another reason she decided to get a solo wedding is that she had developed breast cancer a few years ago. She hoped to take photos while she was still healthy.
Miyamoto said that friends who attended the ceremony were “overwhelmed with emotion.”
“Getting dressed up again would be no problem,” she said. “It would be even better if I had a partner the next time.”
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Located in Kobe’s Chuo Ward, the Kobe Mosaic outlet of Petit Wedding caters particularly to patrons with few guests at their marriage ceremonies and people who just want to take wedding pictures with their spouses without a big event.
The company now also offers a specialized package for customers who want to take wedding photos without having a partner at all.
According to Petit Wedding, customers of all ages have used this service, but it is particularly popular among women in their 20s and 30s. Many women put on the dresses like doing cosplay and some take their wedding pictures with friends.
“They want to wear gowns at some point but don’t have immediate plans to marry, so they want to take the pictures now while they are young,” said a representative of Petit Wedding.
In a recent case, a woman with a glamorous hairstyle, makeup and white gown struck poses for a photographer. She held a bouquet in some photos.
For a price tag of 36,000 yen ($236), a standard solo-wedding photo session includes a rental dress and accessories, and services to help put on elaborate makeup and attire and 50 photos.
Petit Wedding released a dedicated solo package in 2020 and now accepts solo weddings at more than 20 affiliated outlets around Japan.
The service has been gaining in popularity, with 54, 85 and 120 solo weddings in 2021, 2022 and 2023, respectively. Demand has been particularly high at Petit Wedding’s outlets in Kobe, Osaka and Kyoto prefectures.
This trend in solo wedding pictures is likely a result of the overall increase in exclusively “photo weddings” during the COVID-19 pandemic—as many couples chose to just get pictures in bridal gowns and tuxedos rather than hold massive receptions.
In 2017, the Tokyo Harajuku branch of the photo studio Aim was one of the first to embrace a photo package for solo weddings. It currently organizes 20 sessions a month for customers from across Japan.
Explaining why people choose the solo option, a representative of Aim pointed to people’s tendency to wait longer to marry these days.
“Not knowing when they will wed or whether they will ever have the chance to wear a wedding gown, a lot of individuals hope to get dressed up for the special occasion in their 20s,” said the official.