We had the opportunity to go to our first Korean wedding today for one of our friends and former coworkers. It was a nice place and the food was very tasty too! Korean weddings always take place at an official wedding hall which are often called "wedding factories" because of the fact they will usually hold five or six weddings in a single day. They get everyone in the ceremony hall, do the ceremony, and then quickly usher everyone into the dining hall so the next ceremony can begin. The next wedding was already close to beginning as we were leaving and there were still plenty of people eating when we left. The Korean wedding ceremony actually has no legality whatsoever and is purely done for traditional purposes. In order to be legally married the couple just has to register at the local government district office. The bride and groom both wear wedding clothes as we would think of them, a white dress and a tuxedo, but then they also change into traditional Korean clothes, hanbok, and do a more traditional ceremony with the family. For gifts, guests are expected to give a certain amount of money, usually in an odd number like 30 or 50. There is an unspoken, but very clear, etiquette as to how much one gives. Friends give much less than family or even a coworker of one of the fathers. Once you give the money in a white envelope with your name written on it you are given a ticket for the buffet following the ceremony. The reputation it has is that it's basically like you just pay for your meal! We both agreed the food was quite delicious, almost even better than our favorite buffet restaurant! There was a ton of food, all different kinds and buffet style. It was a fun time and a nice experience to be able to say we've been to a Korean wedding! After we left the wedding we hung out with the friends that we had gone to the wedding with. Here's a picture of us with the bride and our friends Cara and Jihee.
