Over 90% of brides and grooms in Japan opt to rent their wedding gowns

Did you know that over 90% of brides and grooms in Japan opt to rent their wedding gowns?

You might assume that cost-saving is the primary reason, but surprisingly, renting a (western-style) wedding dress or kimono in Japan is not cheap at all. The average rental fee for 4~5 hours of a ceremony is around $2000, and that's just for a wedding dress. As for grooms, the average cost of a tuxedo rental is an additional $800-1000.

This raises the question: why not purchase one instead? According to surveys, the main reason for renting is the opportunity to wear a high-end gown that would otherwise exceed their budget if purchased. Also, with rental being the preferred choice, it's not surprising that most stores focus on offering rentals rather than selling. Now, you may wonder about purchasing from stores abroad. Well, it’s not that simple. Factors like the cost of flights, tax, and sizing issues make it challenging to purchase a dress. After all, this is a dress for a special occasion. You would want to avoid any surprise that an imported dress is not what you expected. Additionally, storage is a significant issue if you buy a gown, particularly in urban areas with limited space. An average home does not come with an enormous walk-in closet large enough to accommodate storing a gown with a long lace train.

In general, wedding venues typically offer dress rentals for a fee. However, what surprised me was learning about the handling fee charged by venues for bringing your own purchased dress or one rented from outside. If you choose to use dresses from external sources or purchased elsewhere, you may incur a handling fee ranging from $300 to $700. On the other hand, the handling fee for a tux is about $80-250.

In summary, my original intention for this article was to explore the concept of the circular economy. However, I was flabbergasted by these rental fees and became sidetracked. Anyway, the idea of renting gowns seems to make sense to me, regardless of the reasons why a person opts to rent. However, you only wear it for a half day. So, it is hard to justify the cost of $2000 in my opinion.

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