HOT TOPIC Our experts answer your big-day questions WITH LOVE FROM JAPAN My hubby-to-be is Japanese so we want to incorporate some traditional elements into our Cotswold wedding – what do you suggest? Meet the expert: Cathy and Yukki run a small family-run online business, Zusetsu based in Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire importing authentic furoshiki and other gifts from Kyoto in Japan. Cathy and Yukki tell us: We are new to the wedding industry and have something unique to offer. Authentic Japanese furoshiki are high-quality cloths printed with beautiful designs that share symbolic meanings. Often the motifs are flowers such as Kyoto which has traditionally been aligned with the seasons. Furoshiki are a big part of Japanese wrapping culture, which includes kimono and origami. It originated in the old capital of Japan more than a thousand years ago, when the cloth was used to wrap the precious objects of the Emperor when they were not on display. There was a spiritual element to the wrapping, which is echoed in the meditative nature of furoshiki wrapping today. Furoshiki are on-trend, owing to their reusability – in a wedding setting they make wonderful keepsakes because they absorb the memories of the special day. Historically in Japan, a bride would be given furoshiki on her wedding day and then continue to use it throughout her life, wrapping gifts for her family when she returned home. These photographs show an Easter wedding that the couple requested furoshiki-wrapped favours for. They chose the bunny ears wrap to go with their Easter theme and the favour boxes contained chocolate mini eggs. Zusetsu | www.zusetsu.com | www.instagram.com/zusetsu_store www.facebook.com/zusetsustore www.gettyimages.co.uk 50
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