South Asian Journal of Tourism and Heritage (2010), Vol. 3, No. 1

Japanese Overseas Weddings in Guam: A Case Study of Guam’s First Hotel Wedding Chapel FRED R. SCHUMANN* and CHARLENE AMADO** *Fred R. Schumann, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Global Resources Management at the University of Guam. **Charlene Amado, Research Student on Tourism and Hospitality Management at the University of Guam

ABSTRACT Wedding ceremonies in many societies traditionally involve a gathering of family and friends. In Japan these wedding ceremonies are often extravagant, costing millions of yen and have guest lists ranging from 50 to 200 attendees. Traditionally, Japanese weddings follow the Shinto type of wedding ceremony and are held at a Shinto shrine; however, the newer generation of Japanese couples has the option of arranging a western-style ceremony, derived from Christian traditions. Shinto shrines have been altered into chapels and can often be found in hotels. With today’s more convenient traveling options and the high expense of domestic wedding ceremonies, couples now look to overseas weddings to pare down costs while desiring to have an intimate and exotic wedding ceremony. Seeing this as a promising trend in the tourism industry, hotels located in the U.S. territory of Guam, a popular Japanese tourist destination located in the western Pacific, have adopted the concept of destination weddings. With the success of the first hotel chapel for weddings, Guam now has several hotel chapels on island. This paper will examine the first wedding chapel on Guam--how and when it began and how it had served as a venue for overseas weddings. It will also discuss the chapel’s challenges and successes and its life cycle within its years of operation.

KEYWORDS: Guam, Weddings, Destination Weddings, Japanese overseas tourists, Hotel Chapels, Shinto INTRODUCTION The wedding industry is a multi-billion dollar industry, estimated at between 70 and 150 billion dollars in the United States alone (Stephenson and Lockwood, 2006:14) Wedding productions are becoming pricier in countries where coverage of celebrity and unconventional weddings in the popular presses highlight the current media emphasis upon the wedding as a spectacular, within-reach consumer fantasy (Boden 2001). Most traditional weddings require expensive decorative details and guests accommodations. As weddings are special events, they call for many family members and friends as guests, bringing costs up to host them. Weddings in Japan are becoming more commercialized with new events devised by the commercial industry. These new events express values relevant to the social relations being created by the weddings as ritual and have contributed to its popular acceptance (Edwards 1987:52). With prices increasing and couples less willing to spend over their budgets, other wedding options are being considered in wedding markets like Japan. One popular and often more affordable alternative is an overseas wedding ceremony. Many countries have already adapted to this trend. In particular the Micronesian island destination of Guam now has several wedding chapels of its own, mostly located in its larger hotels with over 200 rooms. However, before hotel chapels and wedding production companies were established on the island, this lucrative niche market was not being served. This case study will examine Japanese overseas weddings and address the following © 2010 South Asian Journal of Tourism and Heritage

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questions: How did the hotel wedding business start for Guam? How has the business evolved? And what are some of the challenges these businesses on Guam face for the future? TRADITIONAL JAPANESE WEDDINGS Traditional Japanese weddings follow the Shinto type of wedding ceremony and are held at a Shinto Shrine. This practice is changing in modern Japanese society. A generation ago, 70% or more Japanese were married with Shinto rites, according to Kenji Ishii, sociologist of religion at Kokugakuin University in Tokyo. Today, Christian-style weddings are in fashion, even though few Japanese identify themselves as Christians. Shinto marriages now constitute fewer than 20% of the total (French 2001). Even the Shinto marriages have undergone a transformation. The Shinto wedding style is now incorporated with a western style wedding ceremony, which can be considered as the Japanese Contemporary commercial wedding style (Goldstein-Gidoni, 2000). With the discussion of contemporary weddings, it is important to note that in Japan weddings and religious affiliation do not take on the significance today that they take in western societies. In Japan, studies of religiousness are not as data-rich and until recently it has been nearly impossible to know what percentage of Japanese individuals claims to be Shinto, Buddhist, Christian, or a member of a “new religion” (Roemer, 2007:21-22). There is only a small percentage of Japanese who claim religious affiliation with a specific religion even though many Japanese practice traditions of different religions non-exclusively. There are options available for couples to perform a wedding ceremony in Japan. There is the Christian wedding that is held in a church, the Buddhist style that is performed at the temple, and the civil wedding is an option as well which are held in public offices (Edwards, 1989). These Shinto wedding consists of intensive preparation, especially for the bride, a small gathering and briefing with the bride and groom’s respective family members, photo taking, and the ceremony itself. The wedding day begins with the bride and other wedding participants at the beauty shop. The bride is required to be at the beauty shop at about two and a half hours prior to the wedding ceremony. The beauty shop is responsible for dressing the bride, the groom, and other wedding participants in Japanese attire. The bride traditionally takes the longest and arrives the earliest as it takes a lot of time to dress her up in the traditional Japanese attire consisting of an elaborate kimono, heavy make-up, wig and head covering. This process is extremely complicated and time-consuming. The groom on the other hand arrives about an hour prior to the ceremony, about the same time that guests starts to arrive. The attire of the groom and the other participants are less elaborate compared to that of the bride and thus requires less time for preparation. After all the preparation at the beauty shop, the bride and the groom are led to two separate rooms to meet their relatives. This is a short gathering and it allows 30 or more close relatives to be briefed on their duties for the wedding ahead. This gathering is deemed important especially for participants who are not completely aware or knowledgeable of the proceedings of a wedding. When this short gathering and briefing is over the families, including the bride and groom, proceeds to the photo studio. Professional photos are then taken. Photographs to be taken include the bride in her different costumes, the bride and groom together, and of their families. After all necessary poses and photographs are taken, everyone is led to the Shinto Shine for the wedding ceremony. The ceremony itself is short and simple. The ceremony is performed before a Shinto sanctuary and it is presided by a Shinto priest who first holds the purification service of all who are present. After the ritual, the bride and groom are to read an oath to keep them faithful and obedient to each other in during their marriage. The Shinto ceremony now integrated with the Western style wedding includes two Western practices. These practices are the exchange of rings and the recitation of wedding vows, which are prepared in advance. (Goldstein-Gidoni, 2000). Following the wedding ceremony is the wedding reception. The reception is the part of the wedding where the Western style is shown and followed. This is considered the highlight of the wedding

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day. Here, the number of guests attending increases. In addition to the family members and other wedding participants, colleagues and friends become part of the celebration. Prior to the reception, these additional guests, although they were not at the wedding ceremony itself, they were able to watch the whole thing on video screens that are placed at the lobby. The reception follows a very strict schedule lasting in exactly only two hours. It consists of a mixture of Western and Japanese traditional activities. Each activity or performance is elaboratively and dramatically presented. When the bride and groom make their entrance they are dramatically announced into the reception. The reception is when the bride and groom changes out of their Japanese attire and change into their western outfits. The bride changes into several different outfits requiring her to leave the room for every change. The groom, on the other hand, only changes once into his Western tuxedo. The reception consists of dramatic entrances, speeches by the main guests and a few ‘minidramas’ or performances designed by the wedding industry, including the cake-cutting ceremony and the candle service. Among the dramatic scenes, the entrances of bride and groom deserve special attention, for the bride leaves the room at least two and sometimes three times to change her outfit (and have a photo taken before she returns). Each of these entrances – for which the groom joins the bride – is highlighted by special effects. Open speeches are giving at the reception, followed by Western-style performances including the cake cutting ceremony. The newlywed couple cuts the elaborately decorated cake that is made out of wax with a cake knife. The next part is the toasts cueing the guests to relax and have their meals and drinks. This is an opportunity for the bride to leave the room for one of her outfit changes. She leaves a few more times later into the reception for more outfit change and the groom accompanies her entrance every time. A series of toasts and congratulatory speeches are followed and given by relatives and friends, including former teachers and their company superiors. One of the highlighted performances is the ‘Memorial Candle’. Here the bride and groom each carry a long unlit candle that they then light from the respective tables of their parents. When their candles are lit, the couple walk around the room together to light the candles that are placed on every table of their guests; “each candle lighting is greeted by cheers and applause” (Goldstein-Gidoni, 2000). This performance indicates the near ending of the wedding reception. Prior to the ending of the reception, there are some dances and light speeches performed by friends. At the end of the reception, the couple does the flower presentation ceremony. The couples hand gifts of flowers to their parents to express their gratitude for raising them to that day. This part of the reception also allows guests to shed some tears and final congratulatory for the couples putting an end to the whole wedding ceremony and reception. Additional formal farewells and photos are taken in the lobby, as another reception is to take place in their now former reception venue. Many of the changes incorporating Western wedding patterns can be viewed not only as Japan becoming more westernized with younger couples desiring these changes, but also as a result of Japan’s recent economic recession. For some couples, giving up the traditional Japanese wedding attire in favor of the less expensive western outfits is an economic measure for many couples (Goldstein-Gidoni, 2001:28). These chapel weddings are abridged versions of real weddings officiated by a bona fide priest, and in others, they are fake versions presided over by gaijin (foreigner) putting on a performance for the couple and guests. In describing the Japanese ceremony in a 1987 paper, Edwards stated, “Despite 40 years under a constitution promoting individual autonomy and sexual equality as basic principles, the wedding projects images that articulate a very different set of values. It portrays relations between the sexes as hierarchical, not equal. It shows the basic unit of society to be the family, not the individual. It moreover asserts that social relations promote and require interdependence, not autonomous self-reliance.” (1987:77)

In his research, Edwards did not deny that significant changes were occurring in the sphere of Japanese weddings. Perhaps the destination weddings are not only a function of

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cost-savings, but also a symbolic move to highlight the romantic relationship with the focus on the couple instead of family and friends. DESTINATION WEDDINGS A destination wedding is a wedding ceremony that is held outside of the bride and groom’s hometown. With travel becoming more convenient and the cost of wedding ceremonies and receptions rising every year, destination weddings are now becoming very popular. Since a destination wedding involves traveling, it requires more time for planning. However, a destination wedding can be a lot more affordable than a traditional at home wedding. It is also more exotic and intimate, making it more appealing not only for the engaged couple but for guests as well. One of the advantages of having a destination wedding is that it allows couples to make their own rules about the entire ceremony. In comparison to having an in town wedding, many of the decision-making will be influenced by family and guests. This risks the chances of having the wedding be conformed more on the desire of others and less on what the couples’ desire for their big day. Another advantage is that a destination wedding can be more casual as it emphasis more on relaxation and shared experience Destination weddings are also more appealing to mature markets, especially to those who have busy careers but love to travel or those who are marrying for the second or more time. The difference between a destination wedding and an at home wedding can make all the difference in deciding the type of wedding a couple wants. One major difference is the cost due to smaller number of guests who are willing to travel to attend the wedding ceremony. For example, the average cost for a couple in the U.S. is $25,806, about 7% less than that of a traditional ceremony (Bellstrom, 2008). In Japan, the average cost of a domestic wedding is closer to $30,000 (Buckley, 2002:561) and can easily range up to $100,000. As destination weddings are increasing in popularity, many countries have already conformed to this promising industry. Some of the more popular destinations for weddings with couples in the U.S. are: Las Vegas, Hawaii, Disneyland, Disneyworld, The Caribbean, Mexico, Canada, Fiji, Europe, and cruise ships. For Japan, over half of all overseas wedding are performed in Hawaii, which is overwhelmingly popular. This is followed by Micronesia (primarily Guam) with nearly 30%, while Australia and other destinations in Oceania run at 10% (JTB, 2006:4). Guam has already conformed to this trend and now has several hotel chapels of its own. Although it is not part of the list above and perhaps not yet commonly known to many, it has a 24.4% share of the Japanese overseas wedding market. (Travel Journal International, 2008) Additional data of the overseas wedding market over the past several years are in Table 1 Table 1: Overseas Wedding Market by Major Regions and Share, 2001-2007

Source: Travel Journal International, 2008

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PIC CHAPEL Guam’s Pacific Islands Club (PIC) caters to a diverse clientele including individuals, couples, families and tour groups. It is owned by P.H.R. Ken Asset Management, Inc. of Japan and is managed by Interpacific Resorts Corporation of San Francisco. PIC is the largest resort chain in Micronesia with a combined 1100 rooms, including 800 rooms on Guam and 300 rooms on the island of Saipan. PIC Guam, covering 8.9 hectares, attracts families, incentive and conference groups, both large and small, and offers services and facilities perfect for family fun and relaxation, business meetings and informal receptions. It is also a popular wedding and honeymoon resort. Guests frequently enjoy the beach or waterpark environment for relaxation and activities. Activities include waterslide, archery, windsurfing, snorkeling, tennis, racquetball and a host of others. The property is locally and regionally known for introducing new concepts to the island, such as the waterpark, activity-inclusive packages, and marketing to various countries in the region in addition to Japan. In the early 1980’s, plans were being made for a wedding chapel on the property, with management anticipating a growing market for overseas weddings, according to Setsuko Woodley, who was managing sales and public relations for the Japanese market at that time for the Guam resort. During this period, Japanese couples would choose to marry overseas to create memories of their travel. Marriage licenses and other such certifications were not needed immediately when marrying in Guam, minimizing the bureaucracy commonly faced at home. Approximately 100 couples that were getting married every year and these weddings were usually held at the Hagatna Cathedral, Guam’s main catholic church located in the island’s capital. With great interest in botanical gardens and weddings, Setsuko Woodley had the idea of building a small Spanish-style wedding chapel. Along with her idea and the increasing popularity of overseas wedding, Setsuko saw the potential for the Japanese wedding market at PIC Guam. The construction of the chapel began in 1981 along with what is now considered Pacific Islands Club’s waterpark. By 1987 the chapel was completed (see Figure 1). This structure was Guam’s first hotel wedding chapel. Coincidentally, at the time of its completion about 90% of Catholic and Baptist churches on the island banned tourist weddings, limiting weddings only to those who were believers of the church (S. Woodley, personal communication, June 25, 2009). This gave PIC the advantage and opportunity to host overseas weddings at their chapel. For a number of years, PIC was the only Guam hotel that had its own wedding chapel. While PIC Guam was conducting weddings at its hotel chapel, even Guam’s overseas wedding destination competitor of Hawaii did not yet have a single hotel wedding chapel (S. Woodley, personal communication, June 25, 2009). Figure 1. PIC’s First Wedding Chapel

Photo courtesy of C. Amado

Within the first year of operation, the Pacific Islands Club Chapel had hosted more than a 100 Japanese couples for their overseas wedding. Hotel guests were able to have their

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wedding at the chapel while enjoying the rest of the hotel facilities with their close family and friends throughout their vacation period. Woodley stated that the primary reason why Japanese couples chose to wed outside the country was the cost (S. Woodley, personal communication, June 25, 2009). A traditional Japanese wedding, when PIC’s wedding chapel was introduced, typically cost around one to two million Japanese yen, which is equivalent to about ten to twenty thousand U.S. dollars (calculated at 100 Japanese yen to the U.S. dollar). In addition, having a destination wedding allowed the couples to combine their wedding plans and their honeymoon plans, thus saving them more money. According to Setsuko Woodley, some of the reasons why couples desire to have this type of wedding ceremony are because brides dreamt of wearing white gowns and there are not many opportunities for them to wear gowns (S. Woodley, personal communication, June 25, 2009). There are several reasons why Japanese couples choose Guam in particular as their destination wedding spot. Its proximity to Japan at 3.5 hours flight time from major Japanese gateway cities and the perennial tropical climate are the common reasons for choosing Guam. As a destination, Guam also offers flexibility, especially for couples and guests who have busy careers. Being the only hotel to have its own wedding chapel was not the only advantage PIC had; it also provided a different and fun experience of the couples and guests. PIC staff were friendly and the “Clubmates”, hired specifically to entertain and interact with hotel guests, created fun and memorable experiences for the newlyweds and their guests. The ceremonies were of the Western-style wedding with a bona fide, licensed minister proceeding over the ceremony. After the wedding ceremony, a reception followed and PIC offered multiple venues to choose from. A unique experience that PIC provided for newlyweds was transporting the couple on a raft to a stage located in the middle of a lagoon. When the couple arrived on stage, everyone in the audience who had gathered for the nightly island show gave an enthusiastic applause, making the couples feel acknowledged and very happy to have many share their special day. Just like any business establishment breaking new ground, PIC’s first chapel also faced some challenges; challenges that were unavoidable and later led to the closing down of Guam’s first wedding chapel. The primary challenge was the changing trend in the wedding industry. Couples later preferred a bright chapel with a scenic view. The original wedding chapel unfortunately could not meet this demand. It was built as an old fashion Spanish style chapel. It was dark and its location lacked the beachside view that couples were seeking. To stay in the wedding business, PIC had to build a new chapel that provided what couples were looking for and subsequently discontinued weddings at the original site. The new chapel is very bright with many of its panels in glass allowing guests to see the spectacular view (See Figure 2). Figure 2: The new PIC Wedding Chapel

Photo courtesy of B. Gomez

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Setsuko Woodley, who at that time was a management employee of PIC, coordinated all weddings held at the hotel’s original wedding chapel. Today they are coordinated by an outsourced wedding company from Japan named World Bridal (S. Woodley, personal communication, June 25, 2009). World Bridal is a major player in the overseas wedding market with chapels in Hawaii, Guam, Bali, Korea and Japan. In Guam, World Bridal has 3 chapels: Amantes at the Guam Marriott Resort, St. Laguna at PIC Guam and Crystal at Guam Nikko Hotel. Its Crystal Chapel in Guam was the most popular chapel in the world in 2007, with 1800 Japanese weddings (The Cairns Post, 2008). Japan’s largest player in the Japanese overseas wedding market is Watabe Wedding Corporation (website: http://www.watabewedding.co.jp/). As with World Bridal, Watabe provides various wedding services not only internationally, but also in Japan. Its services include destination wedding services and their travel arrangements; domestic wedding services, including venue operation; and wedding attire and other costumes rentals for special occasions. The company also offers a total package for wedding attire, hair and make ups, and photo shooting, as well as engages in domestic wedding consultation, coordinating and creating the ceremony and reception, and recommending wedding gifts, such as furniture, beddings, and jewelry. Watabe Wedding Corporation had revenues for the fiscal year ending March 2009 of ¥46.4 billion. This was 31.5% above the prior year's results (Business Week 2009). CURRENT CONDITION OF THE DESTINATION WEDDING MARKET Guam’s overseas wedding industry is still showing some growth despite the current challenges facing the tourism industry and overall economy. Setsuko Woodley is no longer employed by PIC but maintains ties with the industry through her work in Guam’s publications media. She still finds the wedding market has great potential for further growth, however, she believes that today’s young couples do not want to spend too much money for a wedding and that they want a more private ceremony (S. Woodley, personal communication, June 25, 2009). In spite of the economic down turn, there are still couples that will not hesitate to spend a substantial amount of money on their wedding. In 2007, couples spent an average of ¥4.14 million, up ¥174,000 from the year before. This included the entire wedding ceremony, reception, and honeymoon. (Takahara, 2008). It is obvious the trend in the wedding industry in Japan is changing. What was before a family-oriented ceremony is now becoming a couple-oriented ceremony. The change also brought in new business opportunities. Takahara states that around the year 2000, many ventures found lucrative business opportunities in the ¥2 trillion bridal industry, offering customized wedding ceremonies for each and every couple instead of the uniform wedding package offered by hotels and wedding banquet services (Takahara, 2008). Some of the latest new trends described by JTB for various destinations include the following: “Hawaii & Guam: Ceremonies in glass-walled seaside chapels are popular. Recently, nighttime weddings by enchanting candlelight are becoming popular. Oceania (Australia): At Sydney, it’s the cathedral, but in other areas small chapels set in greenery for intimate weddings are popular. Asia: Bali, famous for its beach resorts, is popular for weddings. Chapels adjoining luxury hotels are also popular” (JTB 2006:5).

A number of surfacing issues that will negatively affect the wedding industry in Japan are the drop in the number of couples marrying and the decline in Japan’s birthrate. The decline in the birthrate is a factor that will have an affect on other social dimensions of Japanese life. This situation, of course, leads to serious questions as to how Japan will cope with the social implications of such a demographic make-up. However, how to address the growing concerns of elder care, need for more health facilities, breakdown of traditional family units, declining pensions funds, etc. are beyond the scope of this paper. Politicians are currently

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debating these issues and it will take a number of years before any firm plans are in place to address these important subjects that will surely affect the life of every Japanese citizen. In any event, despite the drop in the number of couples marrying, couples today are spending more per guest; somehow compensating for the loss. Due to the declining number of weddings, the competition for domestic and overseas wedding market is increasing. CONCLUSION This paper has explored the destination wedding industry and how Guam’s first wedding chapel came into being. With the rising cost of wedding expenses and convenience of overseas travel, couples are now looking at other alternatives to wed. The popularity of destination weddings is increasing, enticing couples to consider it as an option. Guam, as a popular destination for Japanese tourists, has also adapted by offering facilities and services to meet the needs set forth by this destination wedding trend. Guam’s first hotel wedding chapel was completed in 1987, and PIC Guam still has the original hotel wedding chapel on property. The chapel had faced numerous success and challenges over the years, catering to over 100 couples annually during its early years. Unfortunately, with the changing trend and demand, it had to close down and a new chapel was built to meet the new demands of Japanese overseas wedding couples. The current economic downturn has surprisingly affected the wedding industry only slightly. Although there are couples that are still willing to spend a substantial amount of money for their wedding, there are also those who seek uniqueness, privacy and affordability. These are the couples that make up the niche market for the destination wedding industries. New issues that may negatively affect the industry are surfacing; such as, changing demographics in Japan and the tendency to marry at a later age. Therefore, foresight and preparation are needed to maintain competitiveness in this global multi-billion dollar industry, particularly for the lucrative Japanese overseas wedding market. By examining the history of this industry and its new challenges in destinations like Guam, destination leaders may find ways to maximize opportunities by providing desired experiences for visiting couples.

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