A Korean Wedding

The second week I was here, a fellow teacher, Eunice, invited me to her friend's wedding. I was very excited to go! I don't know much about Korean weddings but I learned a few things that Saturday. Most Korean weddings will have a Western type of wedding in addition to the traditional service. I asked Eunice if she wore a white gown to her wedding and she did, and she said even her mother wore a white gown when she was married, so I think the Western style wedding has been popular for some time. The couple doesn't create a gift registry, the typical gift is money. I hadn't brought any semi-formal attire with me and I was worried I wouldn't have anything appropriate to wear to the wedding but I learned that I only needed business casual clothes. Just like in the US, some weddings are fancier than others, with bigger budgets than others and different sizes than others. Eunice's friend's wedding was in Sinchon, an area in Seoul called "Wedding Dress Street" because of all the dress boutiques and other wedding businesses that are located there. (Oddly enough, Sinchon is home to Ewha Woman's University, Korea's first women's college, founded by a US missionary.) The wedding was at the Queen's Ostiel and they were expecting 200+ guests. Most guests attend the buffet lunch and don't attend the service. We watched the beginning of the ceremony then went upstairs to the lunch hall.

A photo of the couple is on display when you enter the hall.

The bride getting some touch-ups done.

 



 



Eunice with the bride.

 

The mothers of the bride and groom.  The bride's mom will wear red or pink and the
groom's mom will wear green or blue.


                                                                             Time to eat!



 

 



Mushrooms!

Jellyfish!  It has a pungent taste.





 

Raw beef

Raw salmon

Another raw fish
 

And my favorite course, dessert.  There wasn't a huge tiered wedding cake, just a lot of finger cakes and fruit.






I don't remember what she called the fruit, but once you peel off the spiky skin, the fruit inside is really sweet and tasty.

 

The bride and groom making their rounds and greeting their guests.

 

Thank you, Eunice, for inviting me to the wedding! I learned a few things about Korean weddings and got a crash-course in Korean and Chinese cuisine, too.