This weekend I was fortunate enough to attend a Korean wedding and it was very different to any other wedding that I have ever attended. The wedding was held in a beautiful Catholic church in Daegu. The stained glass windows were beyond exquisite .
As we arrived we were escorted to a table where we were told to leave our envelopes. Yes , envelopes filled with large amounts.of Korean won . It turns out that at a Korean wedding guests .do not give, toasters , plates and wine glasses but instead are required to give the bride and groom an.envelope with money. Anything from 30 000 won upwards. Even numbers are considered bad luck , so that doesn't leave you with many options as to how much money one should give. Sorry for you if you are on a budget , but it doesn't end there . In return for giving an envelope filled with money , you get a food coupon . Don't expect to be given such a piece of paper if you have come empty handed. You wanna eat , you need to pay .So technically my plate of food cost me 30 000 won ... not cheap yo.
After we had traded Korean won for coupons we were shuffled along towards a small room.I asked my co teacher what was going on and she informed me that it was now time to see the bride .... yip , we saw the bride and congratulated her before she had even walked down the isle. Bizarre.
Once the service was over we were told to go to the cafeteria downstairs where lunch would be served. It seems that wedding receptions in Korea are not a lavish affair like in South Africa and other countries. As I mentioned , lunch was served in a cafeteria , not some swanky restaurant or room pimped out with overpriced decor. What awaited us was a buffet styled mountain of food. From sushi , to oysters to every kind of meat one could imagine. For those of you who are champagne and wine lovers like myself, I'm afraid that no such alcoholic beverage was found at this wedding , instead , in true Korean style bottles of Soju ( the cheapest and most popular alcohol in Korea) , beer and cider ( sprite) were waiting for us.Needles to say many people took advantage of this and became filledwith the Soju spirit.
Although I did not partake in the drinking escapades I did enjoy observing the korean eye candy .The guests did not witness the throwing of the bouquet , first dances as
a couple or any speeches but I have been informed that this usually
takes place in a more intimate ceremony with close family and friends
after the wedding.
Although my hope of finding some handsome young heir to the Samsung
or Hyundai corporation did not materialize at this wedding , it was
still a really lovely day and I felt honored to have been invited to
witness this beautiful celebration between two wonderful people.
To wrap up I have complied a short list of how this wedding varied to a Western wedding. This is based on my own experience so please don't accept it as being the case for all Korean weddings
- The engagement period is not very long.
- I did not receive a wedding invitation
Korean brides usually hire a dress . Once again so much more logical than us westerners who spend ridiculous amounts on a dress that is usually never worn again as no one ever keeps that hot sexy body after they are married.- Guests are allowed to see the bride before she walks down the isle
- Guests give money to the bride and groom , not gifts
- Guests receive a meal voucher in return for giving the money
- The receptions are usually very low key. Usually in a cafeteria not some swanky hotel.
- Decor is minimal
- Close family and friends usually take part in a more traditional ceremony after the wedding once they guests have left the reception.
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