Etsu (Etsuko) Inoue
ABOUT ETSUKO
Etsu (Etsuko) Inoue, Our WAKON Wedding Producer
Based in Fukuoka, she travels to shrines across Kyushu and Kansai. From the first email to the final bow on the day, she stays beside you — through shrine selection, attire fittings, every meeting in between, and interpretation inside the inner hall.
Since 2017, she has produced more than a hundred international weddings.
Before WAKON STYLE
Then came Canada — first to study English, later to work for a Japanese travel company in Vancouver. After 9/11, when the travel industry shifted, friends began asking me to coordinate their weddings. From those requests, I built a small business of my own, planning ceremonies in hotels, on golf courses, in wineries. I earned bridal certifications from both the United States and Canada.
Through those years, I was also working as an artist — floral design, paper goods, wedding decoration.
In 2017, I came home to Japan and joined WAKON STYLE.
A Shinto wedding rests on faith — Shinto is a religion. The couples I had welcomed in Canada, too, had held their ceremonies on the faith they carried. That overlap, for me, mattered more than anything.
Everything I had done until then turned out, in the end, to be the ground I now stand on.
Couples We Have Welcomed
Here, with their kind permission, are four of the couples we have welcomed from overseas.
FROM ETSUKO
Four Things I'd Like to Share with You
Four things I'd like to share with you — about the ceremony itself, about the gods who welcome you, about how a shrine is chosen, and about the many hands that, on the day, hold everything together.
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i. About the Vows You Will Read
In a Shinto wedding, you read the vows aloud yourself. About ninety seconds. In Japanese. Before the gods.
The words you read aloud are the heart of the ceremony. Without them, the wedding is not complete.
The shrine sends us a sample text in advance. We add romanized readings beside the Japanese, and we rehearse together until you can read it through, in your own voice.
Every couple I have welcomed has done this. -
ii. About the Gods Who Welcome You
Couples often ask me: "Shinto is a Japanese religion. We have a faith of our own. Is it really all right for us to be married this way?"
Shinto does not center on a single god. The mountains, the rivers, the forests, the sea — all of nature is held to be sacred, and the gods dwell in all of it.
So a faith of your own is no obstacle to a Shinto wedding.
Many of the couples I have welcomed grew up close to nature, in their own way. That feeling and the way Shinto sees the world share the same root. -
iii. About How a Shrine Is Chosen
When you first write to us, I ask two things: the area you have in mind, and when. The shrine is chosen from there.
Some couples come with a shrine already in mind; others are starting from zero. Either way, we decide it together, in conversation.
When I select a shrine, I weigh two things: that the shrine itself is beautiful — enough for the photographs you will carry home — and that the ceremony can be held quietly and privately, away from crowds.
For couples still deciding, I narrow the many shrines we have come to work with down to two that meet these conditions. From there, you choose.
I have chosen shrines this way for years. And whether or not the name was famous, couples tell me afterward, again and again, that they were glad it was that shrine. -
iv. About the Many Hands Behind the Day
From the first conversation to the day itself, I do not work alone.
On the day, beside the couple, are the dressers, hair-and-makeup artists, and photographers who have worked with me for years. They know how I run a day before I say a word.
The shrines, too, have come to know us well. They welcome couples from overseas warmly — and some, now, offer on their own what they would not normally allow, such as photographs inside the inner hall.
It is with the help of all these people that my work exists at all. So please — leave the day to us, with confidence.
If You Are Thinking About a Wedding in Japan
There is no other wedding like this anywhere in the world.
It takes place inside a shrine that has stood in this country for centuries. The rites are performed in Japanese — a language most of you will not understand a single word of.
And yet, what couples tell me afterward is never about the words. What stayed with them was the air. The quiet. The music. The shrine itself.
This is a day you will have only once.
If something in it draws you, please write to me. Before anything is decided, let us begin with a single conversation. Bring your questions — that is enough. There is no commitment.
I am here.
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Shinto Wedding Package
Ideal for couples seeking an authentic ceremony at a Japanese shrine or temple.
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Photo Session Package
Ideal for couples wanting photos in traditional Japanese wedding attire.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Are the wedding planners male or female? And how many planners will be supporting us?
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Do you provide support for LGBTQ couples as well?
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Do you offer hair and makeup services?
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What should we be careful about when preparing from our home country?
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Could you tell me about the necessary documents and procedures?