The traditional wedding kimono, known as a uchikake, is a long robe worn unbelted over a regular white or pastel kimono (kakeshita) and sash (obi). The uchikake is longer than an everyday kimono - about six feet long - and has a heavily padded hem so that it trails behind the bride as she walks.
Before the Meiji era and the opening of Japan to Western influences in the mid-19th century, uchikake were worn by female members of samurai families and were not exclusive to weddings. Nowadays, the uchikake is strictly …