Japan Is Open for Business — If You Know How to Read the Room
The decline in domestic marriages is reshaping Japan's wedding industry. For planners based in Singapore and Southeast Asia, the window is open, but the entry requires preparation.
When Jenny Chiu of Jenny Chiu Weddings began building relationships with Japanese venues and coordinators, she wasn’t responding to a trend. She was ahead of one. Eighteen months before destination weddings in Japan began generating serious interest from international couples and the trade press, Jenny had already identified the structural shift: Japan’s domestic wedding market was contracting, and its premium venues were starting to look outward.
The numbers tell a stark story. In 2023, Japan recorded 474,717 marriages - the first time in the postwar era that the figure had fallen below 500,000. In the first half of 2025, marriages fell a further 4%, raising concerns that the decline is accelerating. That sustained contraction is already reshaping which venues are investing in international relationships and which are not.
For planners in Singapore and the broader region, this creates a real and time-sensitive opportunity. The window is open, but it won’t be open to everyone, and it won’t stay this accessible indefinitely.
Featuring:
Jenny Chiu | Jenny Chiu Weddings
Jenny Chiu is the founder of Jenny Chiu Weddings, based in Australia. She is a multilingual wedding celebrant and MC specialising in multicultural and destination weddings.
Contact: hello@jennychiu.com.auAya Oyabu | Irodori Weddings
Aya Oyabu is the founder of Irodori Weddings, based in Singapore. She supports overseas couples and planners planning weddings in Japan.
Contact: ayaoyabu@gmail.com
Understanding How Japan’s Wedding Industry Actually Works
The first thing most outsiders get wrong has nothing to do with language. It’s structural.
Aya Oyabu, founder of Irodori Weddings and a Singapore-based planner specialising in Japan weddings, puts it plainly: “In Japan, couples typically choose a venue first and then proceed with the in-house wedding planner assigned to that venue. Wedding planners are usually employees of the venue, and while they are highly experienced and provide excellent service within their venue, their role is limited to weddings held at that specific location.”
