The Story of a Hardcore Yumejoshi Who Decided to Marry a 2D Character and Had a Solo Wedding

I had a solo wedding.I highly recommend it to other Yumejoshi, so I'd like to write about it in detail.

What is a solo wedding? Where can you do it?

I went to a place called Studio aim.

As I mentioned before, a solo wedding (also known as a single wedding) is not specifically a menu for otaku. It is a plan that caters to requests such as wanting to take photos in a dress while still young even if you don't have a partner, wanting to wear a dress because you registered your marriage but didn't hold a ceremony, or not having a desire for marriage but still wanting to try on a dress.

Honestly, the price varies wildly. Since there are grades for costumes, the price goes up the more luxurious they are, and it also differs depending on the studio. Therefore, please consider this report as just one example.

Also, it seems that the number of photo studios that support solo weddings is increasing, and you can find them by searching for "solo wedding." Unfortunately, as you might expect, there are more in urban areas of the Kanto region. However, some studios allow you to have meetings via email or phone and only come to the studio on the day of the shoot, so those living far away can do a solo wedding while on a trip. By the way, for more expensive options, there are "stay plans." These involve staying at the location for location photography, where everything from the meeting to the shoot takes place. As an example, I have listed the site below.

There are Yumejoshi who have solo weddings

While I was getting my makeup done, I talked with the staff, and it seems thatYumejoshi who have solo weddings are surprisingly common.

They talked to me normally, saying things like, "Someone brought a marriage registration form the other day" (with a 2D character, of course), so there was no prejudice; in fact, they seemed quite used to it. When I brought up Furuya-san, they showed interest, so I immediately promoted the fact that it would be airing on Friday Road Show this week. By the way, bringing a marriage registration form is for object photography (taking photos of items only, without people). I also had them take photos of my ring.

Meeting for a Yumejoshi solo wedding

They provide careful counseling on your desired costume, poses, and the atmosphere of the photos. In my case, I was selfish and rented my costume from another rental shop, but they basically do rentals at the photo studio, and there is a sufficient variety, so it is cheaper and easier to do everything at that shop.

When I inquired last December, there were only two types of plans for solo weddings: Western-style and Japanese-style. However, when I applied again in January, they had added a two-costume plan and a three-costume plan. It seems there were quite a few requests, and the most popular is the two-costume plan. Honestly, wearing a wedding dress + a colored uchikake is fun, so the two-costume plan is definitely recommended. However, be prepared for it to take more time.

And as a Yumejoshi, I first wanted to take pictures with Furuya-san's gun, Yagen Toushirou's replica sword, and an ear cuff inspired by Hozuki-sama, so I told them that (at this point, I didn't say "Furuya-san's" or "Hozuki-sama's"). They said it was fine, so I took advantage of their kindness and ended up bringing two guns with holsters, a short sword, an ear cuff, a Kumamate, and a Petit Nui.

Furthermore, you can specify poses in detail. When I asked, "I want to take a photo with a holster on my thigh and my dress lifted up; is that possible?" they replied that it was fine. I made the photographer struggle quite a bit on the day, but they managed to take it for me. I am grateful.

Things to do before the day

None in particular.

If it were a wedding ceremony, you would have to work hard on your body with bridal esthetics, butphoto weddings can be retouched.If you choose the cuts to be included in the album and tell them which parts you want retouched, they will do it for you, so you don't have to worry about minor wrinkles or sagging.

If I had to name one thing, it's that you should train your facial muscles.

There is nothing to be done about facial expressions. I received the data on a CD-ROM that same day and had to choose which ones to put in the album, but my smile was so stiff in all of them due to nervousness. The corners of my mouth weren't fully turned up. There is nothing to be done about this... ugh...

Flow of the photo shoot day

Be prepared for a 2-outfit plan to take 4 hours.

Preparation started at 11:00 AM. It goes very smoothly if you provide the person in charge with reference images of the hairstyle you want in advance. My hair grows quickly until it reaches my shoulders, but then it stops growing entirely, so I ended up having to go in with hair only about 3 cm past my shoulders. I told them to change it if it wasn't long enough, but they used a wig to give me the hairstyle I requested. The hair and makeup artist is amazing. They let you choose the makeup style while talking about whether you want a cute look or a more mature look. Like whether to make the eyeliner look like droopy eyes or cat eyes. As an aside, this makeup artist is a freelancer and apparently accompanied the Idolmaster Cinderella Girls on their live tour. I had my makeup done by someone amazing... It was a very good experience...

Hair accessories are also included in the plan, so you can rent them, and of course, you can bring your own. I didn't have anything that matched my image, so I brought my own personal items. Accessories are also available for rent. I put on a gown over my underwear and had my makeup and hair set. After that, I put on the dress and had it adjusted. Once I was dressed and received word that the studio set was ready, the shoot began.

I communicated the poses I wanted to take in advance, and they also made sure to take photos of me standing from the front and back. By the way, you might think a dress is hard to move in, but it is definitely easier to move in than a kimono.

I asked for a cool image, so the set was simple. The lighting was also dim. By the way, I am sitting on the backrest of the sofa, not the sofa itself, and that was not because I wanted to, but because of the photographer's instructions. The sofa was so fluffy that it was quite difficult to pose. But for some reason, the photographer insisted on the sofa. What was that obsession about? Although, I am very satisfied because I was able to take cool photos.

Since I am 162 cm tall, which is taller than the average woman, the hem of the dress would float if I wore high heels, which didn't look very pretty, so I took the standing photos in shoes without heels. However, the stylist immediately prepared heels for me, saying that if I was going to show my feet, heels would look cooler. So I ended up changing shoes back and forth. I'm really happy that they were so particular about the small details.

I took photos with a Kumamate dressed in Amuro-san's clothes, and after changing poses 12 times, the wedding dress shoot was over.

While I was changing into the kimono, I left my small items and ring with them, and they took photos of the objects while I was changing outfits.

For the kimono, I had requested a traditional Japanese hairstyle, so they did a major hair change. They also changed my point makeup to match the color of the Hozuki. Once again, the hair and makeup artist was amazing, using a wig to make up for my lack of hair length. Perhaps because the traditional Japanese hairstyle is more difficult, or because my hair is short, it took quite a while. And it also takes time to put on a kimono. It's harder than a dress, and it's hot. Since I had to layer about 6 items from my underwear to the Iro-uchikake, they turned on the air conditioning in the studio. They told me to let them know if I got hot, and I thought it would be fine at today's temperature, but I was hot. I was hot even though I wasn't moving.

Once I was dressed and had my makeup adjusted again, the shoot began. They told me that for the Iro-uchikake, I would have to be a mannequin, and I really didn't move. Or rather, I couldn't move. The kimono is heavy. Two stylists carefully adjusted the hem of the kimono and took several photos. I would rotate slightly, they would adjust the hem again, and they would take several more photos.

They pulled the sleeves tight so the pattern would look beautiful and used clips to hold parts that weren't visible. I basically didn't move from this position, just rotating back and forth.

Now, for the Yagen Toshiro pose I requested, the photographer was at a loss. The stylist immediately searched Google on their smartphone for "Tanto stance" and found a few poses for me. I'm sorry, I should have thought about it beforehand. By the way, the one they showed me was a fan illustration of Atsushi Toshiro.

After finishing the standing photos, it was time for the sitting photos. Perhaps if I hadn't requested it, it would have ended with just the standing photos, but since I had asked in advance to take photos while sitting in seiza, I prepared for that. This was also hard to move in. I was supported by the stylist as I sat down slowly to take the photos. On a whim, I tried tucking a small Furuya-san plushie into my kimono.

I asked for a shot from behind, and just as I thought I would be moving, I was told not to move, and the stylist pushed my feet to slide and rotate me. I see, so this is how they take these shots...

That was the end of the shoot. For the kimono, there were about 8 cuts.

I changed clothes, had my makeup removed, had my hair fixed (they tied it up since the styling product wouldn't come out), received the CD-ROM with the data, and that was it!

So, how much did it cost in the end?

The two-outfit plan with an album was 196,000 yen. Of course, the costume fees are included. Be aware that the price does not change even if you bring your own.

By the way, if you rent dresses and such, in my case, the wedding dress was about 100,000 yen and the colored uchikake was about 150,000 yen.Unless you are extremely particular, you should borrow from the photo studio. It's easier on your wallet.

Also, the ring. Actually, this was custom-made. It cost about 200,000 yen.

Therefore, the total amount for this solo wedding was about 650,000 yen.

...Seriously... I really spent the money...

Solo weddings recommended for yumejoshi

I wanted to wear the models of the dress and colored uchikake that I had my dream protagonist wear in my dream novel, so I rented them from a rental shop instead of using the studio's, but as you can see if you look at the site, there is a sufficient variety, so you don't have to go out of your way to rent from outside.

If you don't need an album and only want the data, and can do the retouching yourself, you can do it from 19,800 yen. Isn't that very cheap?

For most photo studios that support solo weddings, the plan with an album is usually around 50,000 yen, two outfits are around 100,000 yen, and the price goes up depending on the grade of the costume.

Since many places basically support bringing in small items, it's fine to bring plushies, swords, or guns. No problem. The professional photographers and stylists will figure out the poses for you.

To all the yumejoshi out there who want to create and preserve memories with their 'oshi'. Please save up your money and let's have a solo wedding.