Weddingbee Blog

Originally posted on August 26th, 2010

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We are tackling the paper crane tradition. We’ll use the paper cranes to decorate our backyard. We’ll put them everywhere: hanging along the red brick wall that leads into our backyard, strung around our focal point/altar, hanging from trees and bushes, and scattered on the dessert, buffet, and guest book table. We’ll also leave some origami out on the tables along with instructions so guests can help us reach our thousand-crane goal.

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Have you heard about why we fold a thousand paper cranes? There is a Japanese saying that anyone who folds a thousand paper cranes gets a wish. There’s also a story about a girl named Sadako Sasaki, who was diagnosed with leukemia after the Hiroshima atomic bomb attack. She and her friends folded a thousand paper cranes in her hospital room as she died from the effects of the bomb.

What will we wish for after we reach our goal? World peace, of course.

These are personal pictures of a trip to Hiroshima I took in 2009 with a girlfriend of mine. If you ever have a chance to visit, please do. Hiroshima is a beautiful city with such a tragic history. Discover the effects of the A-bomb at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and surrounding monuments. Be warned, though: some of the displays are very graphic, and the day will leave you feeling very heavy and sad.

After our ceremony, we are sending our cranes to the Hiroshima Peace Park. The address is:

Peace Promotion Division

The City of Hiroshima

1-5 Nakajima-cho Naka-ku,

Hiroshima 730-0811 Japan

As Mrs. Scissors mentioned, you can also send your paper cranes to The Wedding Co., who will donate $.50 per crane to the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation. Here is the link for more info.

Are you folding a thousand paper cranes? Undertaking any other meaningful traditions?