Korean Wedding Customs
Korean wedding ceremony consists of many parts:
In Korea, the marriage between a man and woman signify the merging of two Korean families, rather than the joining of two individuals. Traditional Confucian values are deeply rooted in Korean wedding customs where ceremonies and rituals surrounding the actual marriage are long and elaborate.
Today Koreans have forego several aspects of the traditional wedding ceremony. Most of Korean wedding ceremonies are Western style rather than traditional Korean wedding customs.
Many Korean couples like to have a small and intimate traditional wedding ceremony wearing traditional Korean attire followed by a formal 'Westernized' ceremony with tuxedo attire and white wedding gown.
Before Korean wedding ceremony
In the ancient times, matchmakers paired up suitable couple by consulting their precise lineage records and compatibility in status and earning potential.
The groom usually traveled to the house of the bride for the ceremony, then stayed there for 3 days before taking his new bride to his family's home. The actual ceremony involved many small rituals, with many bows and symbolic gestures.
Traditional Korean wedding ceremony
The traditional Korean wedding is held at the home of the bride's family Traditional Korean wedding ceremony consist of:
Wedding parade
The groom usually rode on a horseback to the bride's house. The attendants played musical instruments for a lively festive wedding parade.
Presentation of the wild goose
The groom gives the bride's mother a wild goose as Wild geese mate for life, so the groom's gift signify his promise that he will care for her daughter for life.
Drinking from a gourd of wine
Vows are taken in a ceremony called kunbere : Bride and groom bow to each other and seal their vow by sipping a special wine poured into a gourd.
Wedding banquet
Traditional Korean wedding banquets can be very simple: Noodle soup is the only required dish. Long noodles symbolizing long and happy life are boiled in beef broth and garnished with vegetables.
