A crucial part of the ceremony involves drinking sake. You are offered sake 3 times, and this must be drunk in 3 sips each time.

Three is an auspicious number in Japan. It symbolises continuity and, being odd, can`t easily be split.

Some brides find the weight of the dress kimono to be too great and mistakenly drink in 2 sips.

This is not auspicious at all! Before seppuku a samurai would be offered 2 glasses of sake, to be drunk in 2 sips each. Two implies "no continuity" and 4, is, of course, shi, or death.

So drinking it in sips of 2 would suggest that in marrying you she expects either to split up soon, or is preparing for ritual suicide.... (Maybe she knows something you don`t!)

According to the hallowed annals of the old "Gaijin Gleaner", foreigners in Fukuoka recite a little rhyme in their head as they take their 3 sips of the wedding sake - "oh my god! / what am I doing?! / too late now...."

What with the tension and all, after the 9th sip, you will probably feel warm, fuzzy and have some difficulty standing upright.®