A Shinto wedding is a traditional Japanese ceremony in which the couple formally announces their marriage before the kami and marks the beginning of their life together. But choosing a Shinto wedding does not necessarily mean that the couple has particularly strong religious beliefs. For many people, it is simply one of several wedding styles to consider, alongside a Christian-style ceremony or a nonreligious ceremony.
The ceremony usually includes purification by a Shinto priest, the recitation of norito prayers, and san-san-kudo, the ritual in which the couple drinks sake from ceremonial cups. The couple also offers words of commitment before the kami, and offers tamagushi branches and pays respects before the kami. The exact order and details vary depending on the shrine or wedding venue, but the basic idea is to report the marriage before the kami and mark the occasion through a formal ritual.
Japanese people do not automatically know all of these procedures. Someone may have heard of san-san-kudo or tamagushi hōten without knowing exactly what to do. In many cases, people learn the steps only when they are actually going to have or attend a Shinto wedding. If they never have that opportunity, they may go through life without learning the details. Even people who have done it once may forget the finer points soon afterward.
Still, a Shinto wedding has a distinctive atmosphere. Wearing traditional clothing such as a shiromuku bridal kimono or formal montsuki hakama and standing before the kami can create a sense of seriousness that feels very different from everyday life. A Christian-style wedding with a white dress has its own beauty and appeal, but a Shinto wedding can carry a particularly Japanese sense of occasion.
So it can be misleading to think of a Shinto wedding as something chosen only by people with strong religious faith. The decision itself may be quite casual: “What kind of wedding should we have?” But once the couple is dressed in traditional clothing and standing before the kami, the ceremony can feel much more significant. Choosing a Shinto wedding may not feel like a major religious decision, but the ceremony itself can still feel deeply traditional and distinctly Japanese.