Last week, Princess Sayako of Japan wed a commoner, Tokyo government official Yoshiki Kuroda. You can read the news article from asahi.com here.

A kimono shop in Japan sends out a weekly newsletter that I subscribe too. The owner's wife, Yuka, shared her thoughts on the wedding, and the kimonos that Sayako wore. You can see some of the pictures here: http://www.asahi.com/special/051115/photo/index.html

Yuka commented that the choice of kimono was unusually subdued for a bride. At wedding receptions, brides usually wear either uchikake(wedding robe)or furisode(long flowing sleeve kimono) or both with very bright colors and decorative patterns. Sayako san entered in the reception room in a kimono with very soft and genteel colors -- it's not a furisode, and Yuka thinks it might be a houmongi (second most formal kimono, behind furisode/tomosode) The kimono was one of the Express's kimono. Sayako san asked her mother to lend her one of her kimono for she wanted to be a woman like her and she was the one Sayako san respected most. The Empress was said to tell her to change her mind,but her daughter was firm in her resolution.

The Emperor and Empress attended the wedding reception - you can see them in the photos as well. Royal families generally never attended wedding receptions; they attended ceremonies but not the receptions. To me, they look just like any other happy parents at the wedding of their child. :) They greeted all the guests, stayed until everything was over and thanked and sent the guests off -- it is a natural thing to us but was a very unusual thing in the royal family history.