In South Korea, the arrival of Spring also announces the beginning of the wedding season.

In recent times we have seen in the media photographs and videos of weddings attended by Kim Hyun Joong, which have made us want to understand a little more about the meaning of a Korean wedding ceremony, Because if we stick to the images that we’re being sent and we look as if we’re watching a scene from a charming romantic series, we’ve missed the true meaning of an event that can at first look just like pageantry.

The bridegroom, a little restless and certainly very nervous, who come forward and greet their guests with little pirouettes and other amiabilities, the bride-to-be so discreet, with dignified looks that advance royally against her future husband,  with her long sail on a huge stage.

Families who work hard together to organize the ceremony and are nevertheless separated; in each place, in each role.

The Master of Ceremonies, who officiates and guarantees the proper conduct of the ceremony;
Speeches and songs, chosen by the bride and groom.
The Wedding Planner who’s had a headache for a long time, and who, with two fingers of deliverance, will stress until the last moment, ready  for any eventuality.

All this reminds us a lot of Western marriages, but that’s the end of the comparison.

Our questions will remain light, our answers are only the result of our readings, and far from us the claim to explain the centuries-old traditions of a country that we have only discovered by chance and very recently.

🌿 What are the colors to wear at a Korean wedding?

Guests at the wedding should avoid wearing black or white, because black is too much “funeral” and white it looks like a  competion with the bride.
So far this is very much like our customs.

In Korea, wearing a “calm outfit” in dark shades is a sign of respect for the bride.

Most male guests will choose to wear black suits, while women should wear navy blue, beige or pastel colours.

The bride usually wears red and the groom wears blue to symbolize the confuecan idea of yin and yang (hence some pre-wedding photo shoots with very colorful outfits that we see very often).

The color yin (blue) is intended to provide healing and relaxation, and the color yang (red) provides enthusiasm and active energy.

🌿Who pays for the Korean wedding?

It is customary for the groom’s family to pay for the wedding.
They pay for the reception room, food and other expenses.
The bride’s family usually pays for her wedding dress and other incidental expenses.

According to statistics, in 2024, the average cost of a marriage in South Korea is about 297.5 million South Korean won (220,000 USD / 203,000 euros)

Most of this cost is intended for the purchase of new housing for couples.

🌿How much money do the guests have?

The chugei-geum, money given in a white envelope, is the most common Korean wedding gift.

According to recent surveys, it appears that the appropriate amount of cash wedding gifts for less close colleagues or friends is 50,000 South Korean won [in 2023] . A third of respondents said they offered 200,000 South Korean won (137€/148 USD) in cash to their close friends.

Considering that the hourly minimum wage in Korea is 6.34€/6.88 USD we can imagine that the institution of marriage in Korea can cause problems for some families who are forced to borrow money or who end up unable to attend the marriage of their relatives and friends if they start to get married all at the same time.

🌿Traditions

Maybe some traditions are no longer strictly respected, but it was tradition that before the wedding, the groom’s family sent a box called “ham,” containing wedding gifts, along with a written oath to the bride-to-be’s family.

Since marriage is supposed to represent two families that will become one, the parents of both families are actively involved in the organization of the marriage.
They wear traditional clothes, give and receive special gifts and bless the couple throughout the ceremonies.

Traditional “rites” have probably been lightened over the years, but traditional Korean marriages still include the symbolic ceremony attended by close family and friends.

Meals are served immediately after the ceremony and the event ends.

Theoretically.
Because there’s the before, the pendant and the after…

And sometimes we can see images of the “third half”…
A small circle of more intimate friends who goes finish the party somewhere else.
In your jogging suit, please!
Because they’re very cool in Korea and take a french leave with pots and pans hanging from the butt of a car isn’t their thing at all!

You can attend weddings without dancing, speech, DJs or performers singing on stage.
The newlyweds eat at their table and then welcome guests table by table.
Efficiency, speed.

A wedding that would last all day would be considered a waste of time for the guests, so most of the ceremony lasted only half an hour and was devoid of any animation deemed unnecessary.

Explained like this, we feel that the purpose of this quick ceremony is only to bring to the attention of others the formalization of a union, and would be to have a cynical approach to the subject because Korean marriage is much more than an apparatus.

Although we do not feel legitimate to venture into the land of a country’s traditions, which we humbly admit to having difficulty understanding very often, our curiosity drives us to want to see beyond appearance.

Any tradition of marriage is a witness to the identity of a people, even if traditions are less and less respected, but we have discovered that from the symbolic exchange of geese to the melody of the noriage a true Korean traditional marriage is a small journey to the heart of Korea’s vast cultural past.

The rituals of Korean weddings have gone through the ages, are spiritual, are an anthem of family values and deeply respect the sacred meaning of union.
They are not mere ceremonies, but events that must embody love, integration, pride in belonging to a family with the same values.

Every stage of a Korean marriage is more than anywhere else charged with an ancestral symbolism:

Jeonanrye ceremony
Start of the union of two persons and therefore of two families.
At this point, the fiancé offers his future in-laws wild geese, symbolizing the promise of respect for his future wife’s family, as well as his commitment to caring for and respecting their daughter.

Why the exchange of geese?
Because the goose is an important part of Korean traditions.
A goose has only one partner in its life, so it is a symbol of fidelity.
Giving a goose to your future in-laws is a profound message, a promise of unconditional and solid love for their daughter.
Declaration of love and total dedication.

These present celebrations, a subtle mixture of ancient and modern, are not only a union between two people, but also a communion of two families, even two clans, and each ritual, very romantic, must respect a long line of traditions:

Pyebaek 
It’s exclusively for the immediate family.
This is a traditional post-nuptial ceremony.
The bride and groom pay tribute to their parents through various actions, including inclinations, representing their respect and gratitude.

Paebaek 
A split. The bride must offer her future husband dates and chestnuts, symbols of fertility.
Legend has it that the amount the groom catches using his Hanbok predicts the number of children the couple will have.

Kunbere
Ceremony where the bride and groom share a drink – soju – [rice alcohol]
This ritual marks their mutual commitment to sharing their happiness and future sorrows.

Bride entrance
Traditionally, this is the moment when the bride is carried on her back by a male member of her family to cross the threshold of the ceremonial hall.
Symbol of the transition from her original family to her husband’s.

Exchange of rings:
Promise of eternal commitment.

Traditional Wedding Dresses HANBOK
Dresses loaded with symbolism, reflection of a story of love and respect.
Every element of bridal attire in Korea up to the smallest accessory is a sign of feeling.
Wearing them must mean bringing them to life and they must represent the special day of marriage in Korea.

Hanbok.
Far from a simple dress, it represents the Korean spirit and soul.
It consists of the jeogori, a jacket for the woman, and the chima, a long skirt.
For man, it consists of jeogori and baji, a wide pair of pants.
The colours are usually bright and decorated with small details in tribute to the beauty of nature and life in general.
Colour, folds, embroidery have meaning and must reflect the couple’s aspirations for their future as a family.

Accessories
Details are of great importance in Korea and even more so in terms of wedding accessories.
Love jewelry is very important, the engagement ring is restored to its full meaning, an endless circle representing infinite love.
The bride’s veil represents, as in the West, the purity and intimate bond of the two spouses.
The remaining accessories such as crowns, shoes and belts are involved in making a ceremony more or less sumptuous but do not seem to have any special significance.

Norigae
Symbolic representation of wishes for happiness and blessing.
Traditional pendants, mostly offered to the bride by family members or friends.
A set of colorful knots and beads that emit a twinkle as the bride moves, reminiscent of the sound of bells.
More than a decorative function it symbolizes the vows of happiness, prosperity and good health for the bride and groom.

The rich traditions of marriage in Korea reflect a culture where commitment and respect for ancestors are central.
From the profound meaning of bridal attire to the importance of music and festivities, each element reinforces the promise of a shared life and the happiness of the spouses.

We bet you won’t see Korean weddings the same way again…

If you would like to complete the above information or make any corrections, please do not hesitate to provide us with your comments.