"A wedding in Japan represents the same thing as in America-―the end of a lot of maneuvering and the start of a new-arid perilous adventure. Here we see the lovely Japanese bride (Hanayome) performing the wedding in the home of the bridegroom (Hanamuko).

The heart of the ceremony is this "three-times-three" (san-sari-kudo) exchange of sake wine. The bride is served first by the little flower girl, three times, then the bridegroom. She takes her ease―it's one of the few times she'll be first in anything. The bride wears her most beautiful embroidered ceremonial silk kimono (which may be rented or borrowed nowadays), the groom his finest black, silk short coat (Haori) --but who cares? The white band (Tsunokakushi) on the bride's elaborate coiffure (shimada) hides the horns of jealousy.

It's possibly the second time these folks have met. The Japanese believe marriage is the beginning of love; a concept which, you'll agree, differs occasionally from our own. The marriage was arranged by the families, with a friendly older couple (Nakodo) acting as go-between. Before the bargain was sealed the Nakodo arranged for them to see each other (O miyai) but without conversing, at a theater, or a neutral friend's home. If there were no complaints, the deal was closed. Romance? Well, maybe―-but later. Was that Lana Turner we saw leaving by the back door?

After this San-san-kudo, there’ll probably be a party. Bride and groom may stay a while, or skip out, to come back after the honeymoon (Shinkon-ryoko) to her husband's home, (if he's the eldest son) and a tradition-backed mother-in-law. No wonder so many women were elected to the Diet."

From: Grauer, Alvin. So I Went to Japan. Tokyo: Nippon Times, 1947.