Earlier this year, a deal between wedding gown maker Lulu Felice and manga artist Ai Yazawa produced a collection of wedding dresses and other wedding-appropriate formal wear tied to two of the artist’s properties, Nana and Neighborhood Story. Some of the pieces—each line features nine dresses and two tuxes—replicate gowns worn by the lead characters in the books. The clothing debuted for rental, a common configuration for Japanese wedding gowns, at Lulu Felice shops in Japan this summer.
This is just the latest licensing agreement in the Japanese market to pair anime, manga, and kawaii characters with wedding dress designers, wedding jewelry makers, and wedding planners, with the phenomenon being especially noticeable around 2020. These collections make sense in that the properties are near and dear to the fans’ hearts, making them want to incorporate them into their special day. In many cases, couples meet and connect through their fandom, making the property even more meaningful. And a number of the properties contain themes of romance and marriage.
Some other examples have included:
- A limited collection of One Piece-themed wedding dresses from Pacole, available for sale during a year-long window. A new dress was released every month throughout the year, with each tied to a different character. All the gowns were in different colors (e.g., tangerine, navy, spring green, patterned, rainbow) with unique design elements (windmill, stars, snakes, sweets, detachable ruffles), inspired by the individual character’s traits. Coordinating accessories, including bouquets, hair elements, jewelry, and the like, accompanied each design.
- A full wedding package from Escrit based on a Hello Kitty theme, featuring costumed characters (Hello Kitty and Dear Daniel) as ring bearers and witnesses. The offering also included themed invitations, place settings, bouquets, cakes, and a video greeting from the characters. A similar package tied to Rilakkuma was also available, giving the human couple the ability to have a themed double wedding with the characters Rilakkuma and Korilakkuma.
- A Pokémon collection of wedding jewelry by Tokyo jeweler Ginza Tanaka. The assortment included diamond engagement rings in gold or platinum, with a setting in the shape of Pikachu’s face, and his and hers gold wedding rings with a smaller Pikachu motif in the band. The woman’s version featured a small inset diamond. The rings could be engraved and came packaged in a Pokéball box. A personalized frame with a picture of marrying Pikachus was also available.
- A Sailor Moon collection of three dresses from Mariarosa, with each design based on one of the character’s three identities, Sailor Moon, Princess Serenity, and Usagi. The assortment also included two tuxedoes inspired by the character of Tuxedo Mask, who always wears this form of clothing. Symbols associated with the characters were woven into the fabrics, and the pieces could be customized; for example, the flagship red, white, and blue Sailor Moon dress had detachable parts so brides could transform it to solid white. The Usagi piece was based on the outfit the character wore in the manga when she got married; one of the tuxedos captured the same moment. There were also multicolored dresses to change into for the reception, also integrating symbolism from the property. The range, which was designed with the involvement of Sailor Moon creator Naoko Takeuchi, was available for rental in shops across Japan. Separately, Kodansha’s With magazine once included a special illustrated Sailor Moon marriage registration form.
- An ongoing series of engagement and wedding rings featuring Sanrio characters, accompanied by illustrated marriage certificates, from Jeweler U-Treasure. The collection based on the penguin character Tuxedo Sam, for example, included an engagement ring with a sculptural Tuxedo Sam in the metal of the band, next to a diamond and an aquamarine that is similar in color to the blue character. The curved band on all three rings was available in platinum, yellow gold, white gold, and pink gold. The wedding rings came in two styles, one with a bow inspired by the fact that the character owns a different bow tie for every day of the year, and one without. The rings could be engraved. U-Treasure’s other licensed wedding and engagement ring collections have ranged from One Piece to Black Jack.
- A Final Fantasy-themed wedding package from Duexzero, a wedding venue in Kobe, Japan. It included a reception and a ceremony patterned after the Ceremony of Eternal Bonding portrayed in the video game. The package includes the “Garments of Devotion”—a white tux and wedding gown, each with specific ornamentation, replicating those worn in the game—a themed menu, a cake full of Final Fantasy imagery, game-appropriate chapel décor, and other elements.
These are all very high-end offerings meant for actual weddings and not for cosplay.
Marriages between animated characters and the wedding industry have been less frequent in the U.S. market, but they do pop up on occasion. One notable and long-running example, of course, is Allure Bridals’ collection of Disney Princess wedding gowns, which began in 2020. (Disney is also in the themed wedding package business.) Each year two collections are released, a Fairy Tale Weddings Collection and a Fairy Tale Weddings Platinum Collection. Both consist of dresses named for all of the princesses: Ariel, Aurora, Belle, Cinderella, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Rapunzel, Snow White, and Tiana.
New for 2024 is the first capsule collection based on Disney Villains, including the Evil Queen, Jafar, Maleficent, and Ursula. Consumers can purchase the dresses in either black or ivory.
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