Hyun Got Hitched

Last Saturday (the 26th), Andrew and I went to a real live Korean wedding in Seoul. Our first and maybe only opportunity to see this type of an event. We were so honored to be invited by the family who runs the school where I work- the father of the bride is the hagwon (school) director and the bride's older sister has become a good friend of mine.

About 350 people gathered at a Wedding Hall on the Han River in Seoul for a sunset wedding. Every last detail was gorgeous and it could have easily been a black tie affair. I was equally shocked by both how similar and how different this wedding was from an American wedding. First the comparison, then the pictures.

Similarities:

• The bride's father walked her down the aisle to the song "She" from Notting Hill. The mothers were seated to the song "Some Day My Prince Will Come" from Snow White.
• The bride wore a gorgeous white dress and the groom wore a tux. After the ceremony the bride changed into a pink ballgown.
• The dinner menus and the ceremony programs were in English with tiny Korean translations. Even the bride's and groom's names were written in their Romanized letters instead of the Korean symbols. My overall interpretation from living here though is that English is super trendy.
• Dinner was steak and potatoes. Sadly for Andrew, there was no kimchi. No chopsticks either- the whole meal looked exactly like a fancy course meal from any country club in the States.
• The bride and groom cut a cake. Except it was fake and only done for pictures- the guests ate chocolate fudge for dessert instead of wedding cake.

Differences:

• All the guests were seated at dinner tables and watched the ceremony from there. Dinner was served directly afterwards so no one had to move.
• There was no booze at this wedding. I think it follows there was also no dancing.
• A boy band serenaded the couple in the middle of the ceremony.
• The couple had taken full wedding photographs a few weeks before the wedding day and the whole place was decorated with pictures of the bride in her wedding dress and the groom in his tux (and them together). The bride's sister told me they took 7 hours of pictures one Saturday! Can you imagine?
• The wedding videographer and photographer did not blend into the surroundings whatsoever. In fact, one assistant to the photographer only served to straighten the bride's dress. Every time the bride so much as flinched, the assistant would rush in to fix her dress and then hop out of the frame as fast as she could. Very distracting because this happened even while the pastor was performing the ceremony.
• The bride and groom got pictures taken with every single guest at the party in huge groups. During dinner the photographer would announce which group should go up on stage to get a picture taken, for instance bride's friends, coworkers, groom's family, etc. Groups of 30 people were going onstage at once for one huge picture. We had no clue when or if to go onstage but we went up with a bunch of young people when someone elbowed us and motioned to go up. I think we stood out as the only two white people....
• No bridesmaids or groomsmen. No toasts either. That sort of goes with the no booze thing also I guess.
• The whole event was over in two hours flat. As the guests were chewing their last bite of dessert, they were putting on their coats and heading for the door.

Now for the pictures. I was completely blown away by this first one when I walked up!! Yes, that's the couple that got married that day!

The bride's mom is wearing a traditional Korean dress called a "hanbok." After the guests left, the families had a traditional Korean wedding ceremony and ate a special meal in private.

We had a nice time at the wedding and were very honored to have been invited. Even so, neither Andrew or I could shake the feeling that the mood wasn't as celebratory as a wedding in the States. To be blunt, it felt more like a photo-op than like a party. But to each their own! Everyone doesn't want their wedding to be like a frat party.....

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So now we're headed to Japan for an extended New Year's holiday. Happy 2010, everyone!