Between enjoying the drama often written into kdrama weddings and hearing about the ceremonies of kdrama actors, you may wonder what exactly is involved in a real-life Korean wedding.
As you may have noticed from seeing the weddings in "Personal Taste," "My Daughter Seo Young," "Shark" or "Mary Stayed Out All Night," Korean weddings have become increasingly westernized, but they do still incorporate some uniquely Korean elements.
How Couples Meet: One distinction between Western and Korean weddings is the use of a matchmaker to introduce the couple. While Western couples might use a dating agency to meet suitable partners, marriage is more of a family affair in Korea. It's not unusual for parents to arrange a blind date through a matchmaker.
The match-made couple does not have to go on a second date if they don't like each other but if they do date and decide to marry, at least they know their parents will not object. Love marriages are more common these days although many couples meet on blind dates arranged by friends or on group outings with friends.
Wedding Photos: Formal wedding photos are taken before the wedding and that works because it's not considered bad luck to see the bride in her grown before the ceremony.
Where Couples Marry: Depending on their faith background, a couple might marry in a house of worship but it is common to marry in a hotel ballroom or hall used specifically for wedding ceremonies. In a house of worship, the ceremony would be officiated by a minister but in a hall, a friend or a person the couple respects is invited to serve as the emcee.
Weddings are usually registered in advance so the couple is legally married before the ceremony takes place. The event is a celebration to share with friends and family.
What Couples Wear: Traditionally, a woman wore a short jacket known as a jeogori and a high-waited wrap around skirt. Silk shoes were worn with white cotton socks. Men wore a costume known as gwanbok. But these days traditional costume has become rare. Most brides wear white wedding gowns and men wear tuxedos, although some parents still wear hanbok. And many members of the wedding party wear white gloves.
What People Give: Some ritual gifts may be exchanged between the bride and groom and their families before the wedding. But at the actual wedding, the gift of choice is usually money, as it is in many Western weddings. Traditionally, it was believed that the amount of the gift should be an odd number.
Also, traditionally, the ceremony would end with a more intimate ceremony for family members. In that ceremony the bride formally greets her new in-laws and the groom may give a piggyback ride to his mom and his new bride.
And fortunately, for real life weddings, there is little of the drama that makes kdramas so entertaining.