Japan’s wedding industry faces battle to adapt to changing culture amid drop in number of traditional ceremonies

TOKYO – Wedding halls across the country continue to struggle even after the passing of the Covid-19 pandemic, during which people were advised to avoid crowded spaces and close-contact settings.

The market has recovered to only 80 per cent of its previous level, partly due to changing values, such as opting to get married without holding a ceremony.

As the industry has seen an increase in large-scale bankruptcies, the search is now on for ways to survive.

“It’s regrettable because this chapel is still usable,” said Mr Kosuke Goto, 38, the manager of il cuore, a wedding hall in Mizunami, Gifu prefecture, which will close at the end of December.

A couple, originally from Gifu prefecture and now live in Aichi prefecture, explained that they chose this venue close to their home town so they could express their gratitude to their family and relatives, saying: “It’s sad that this place will close.”

Since the venue opened in 2014, it has celebrated the beginnings of about 500 couples. However, things took a turn for the worst when the pandemic hit.

The number of weddings that were large enough to guarantee a certain level of revenue halved, and simplified options such as photo-only weddings have increased. Staff members are increasingly being assigned to help at funeral homes affiliated with the venue.

Mr Goto attributes the situation to declining populations and cost-saving tendencies driven by rising prices. “The close-knit community relationships cherished in regional areas have rapidly weakened,” he said. As a result, people are prioritising cost- and time-efficient weddings.

The invites of workplace supervisors have disappeared, and the culture of parents paying for the ceremony has faded.

The waiting room at Partir Plus, an affiliated wedding hall in Nakatsugawa, Gifu prefecture, has been renovated into a dining space suitable for smaller gatherings.

“Even if we recommend a flashy arrangement, it won’t lead to happiness if people don’t recognise the value to it,” said Mr Goto.

According to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, there were 485,092 marriages in 2024, half of the peak number of 1,099,984 in 1972. Data released by Recruit Bridal Research also showed that only half of the married couples surveyed held a ceremony in 2024.

In addition, market analysis by Teikoku Databank shows that the industry’s market size in 2024 was 488.1 billion yen (S$4 billion), still below the pre-pandemic level of 616.3 billion yen in fiscal 2018.

In Fukuoka prefecture, wedding halls operated by long-established firm Arcadia were closed, causing a stir after ceremonies were cancelled.

Cafe as wedding venue

The industry is increasingly looking at opportunities when downsizing and streamlining.

Lec, a Kobe-based wedding venue, has been successful with its low-cost strategy, offering what it calls small weddings.

Unique services, such as the “solo photo wedding” programme, which allows women to have photos taken alone while wearing a wedding dress, are also popular.

“We’re no longer live in an age when people claim that small weddings aren’t profitable,” said company employee Masayuki Katsuta, 58.

Major industry players Novarese and Escrit, both of which are based in Tokyo, are set to merge their operations in the spring of 2026. Their combined sales are projected to reach 45 billion yen, making them the industry’s second-largest player, and are aiming to consolidate management resources to improve efficiency.

In Mie prefecture, Mie Heiankaku closed its wedding hall, which was able to accommodate 300 people, and transformed it into a cafe that can accommodate weddings with a capacity for about 40 guests.

An official of the firm’s bridal division said: “We feel a sense of mission to ensure that the culture of weddings, a major life event, does not die out.

“We want to respond to customer demands, even if we change how they are offered.” JAPAN NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK