I just got back from my first Korean wedding. My cousin Hee-jung tied the knot with her new husband on December 15, 2007 in Oryu-dong, which is located in Central Seoul.
A Korean wedding is very similar to an American wedding, with the usual nice tux and gowns goinng on, but the location was such a different thing for me to experience: a wedding hall.
Wedding halls are major centers of wedding ceremonies throughout Korea. They are like businesses that cater to major weddings and their receptions. Back in America, the locations vary where people want to get married: churches, country clubs, outdoors, or even more zany locales to tie the knot. For Koreans, wedding halls here are a more convenient for wedding parties to do their thing and keep the reception close at hand.
What surprised me the most was this: when we got there for the wedding, there was a wedding already going on. Another party was doing their wedding in the same hall that Hee-jung's wedding was going to be set in, so there were just loads of people from our party and theirs inter-mingling in the lobby of the floor. There was no quiet, it was like a market...hustle and bustle while this shot-gun wedding was proceeding (just kidding).
To me, it was sort of like a legitimized Vegas wedding hall, because one party got married, and the next came in! The same pastor, just him saying different names and giving different blessings.
So Hee-jung and her fiance come in, the Moskanim ("Pastor" in Korean) did his thing, said some blessings and prayers, and a couple sang a song. 5 minutes, a kiss, and they were already did their vows...wait, I didn't even hear vows. Interesting. I think those are implicit...maybe?
Well, it was essentially THE FASTEST wedding I have ever seen. I thought Koreans were really down with ceremonies and want to draw out each moment in Korean-esque, Joseon Dynasty traditional mo-jo, last Korean warrior plus Buddhism concentration, but nope. We were out of there as fast as New York Knicks fans when they watch their team at the Garden. What was cool about this ceremony was the groom and bride bow to each of their parents in respect. I think that's really high class.
The reception was similar to an American one. Lots of food, the food was good, and Hee-jung and her new husband came out in traditional Korean duds, glad handling their guests. My cousin looked really beautiful, and her mother (my mom's youngest sister) and my aunt were dressed in beautiful "Hanboks," or traditional Korean dress. It is the equivalent of a Japanese woman's kimono, used for special ceremonies.
So, the wedding was an eclectic mix of traditional Korean and Western wedding styles, which is interesting.
The bride and groom were very happy to married, and off to their honeymoon they go.
When will I get married? When God Wills It.
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