The Complete Guide to Korean Traditional Wedding Ceremony
Korean traditional wedding ceremony is full of colors and excitement. Fifty and some shades of colors in the traditional house’s courtyard and traditional live music have the power to make you dance in your heart. Even though we have this valuable tradition, for a certain period of time, having a traditional wedding was considered old-fashioned. Koreans were focused on modernization. But now, Korean wedding is reclaiming the glory. Getting out of the western-style wedding, now lots of couples choose to be married in a traditional setting. Of course, the much-increased amount of international marriage is another reason for the popularity.
Every little detail in the traditional ceremony means something. The dress, accessories, position, food, and even all the bowing and drinking indicate something.
The ceremony itself takes about half an hour, but there will be celebratory performances before, and photo shoot, and dining after the ceremony. Our ceremony at Korea House took about two hours including everything. The details of the ceremony can be different depending on the host, but the core program would be the same.
Here is the complete guide to the Korean traditional wedding ceremony.
Pre-Korean Traditional Wedding Performance
-Samulnori: traditional percussion quartet, literally means play of four objects.
Four instruments and their meanings are:
Kkwaenggwari (a small gong): thunder
Jing (a larger gong): wind
Janggu (an hourglass-shaped drum): rain
Buk (a barrel drum similar to the bass drum): cloud
-Buchaechum: Korean traditional fan dance
Chinyoungrye(親迎禮): Bride’s family greets the groom
-The groom enters the courtyard (the wedding was usually held in the bride’s family house) with girukabi (person leading the way with the wedding geese – best man).
-The girukabi hands the geese to the groom.
Jeonanrye(奠雁禮): Presentation of wooden geese
-The groom places wild geese on a table and bows twice to his mother-in-law.
-Mother-in-law takes the wild geese into the house.
*The wild geese symbolize harmony and love between husband and wife. Wild geese (it’s actually a mandarin duck, to be exact) mate for life: they keep their promises of love and never find another, if they lose their partner.
*Wooden geese is used nowadays, instead of live one.
Gyobaerye(交拜禮): Facing each other and bowing
-The groom stands on the east, and the bride walks to the west side of the wedding table.
-The helpers (two each for the bride and groom) wash the hands of the bride and groom.
-The helpers spread the mat on the yard for each other.
-The groom bows, then the bride and groom stand on the mat, facing each other (the bride holds her hands to cover her face).
-First, the bride bows twice and the groom bows back once.
-The bride bows twice again, then the groom makes a deep bow and kneels down.
*The bowing represents the promise of commitment to each other.
*The bride’s bow is required to sit cross-legged on the floor and stand up. That’s why the helpers are a must!
*In the olden days when arranged marriage was the custom, the wedding ceremony was the first time the bride and groom saw each other’s faces.
Hapgeunrye(合巹禮): Combine the gourd dipper
-The helpers of the bride and groom prepare drinks (usually rice wine) and side dishes.
-The groom bows, then the bride and groom present drink and side dishes to the sky (to the greater existence who’s looking down on everyone).
-The helpers pour the drink. After the groom bows, the bride and groom raise their cup.
-The helpers fill the cup which is made of gourd dipper and groom bows.
-Bride and groom exchange gourd dipper.
*The two halves of the gourd dipper represent the bride and groom to be one whole with one another.
Seonghonrye(成婚禮): Declaration of wedding
-Bride and groom bows to both families and guests.
Picture time!
-Bride and groom, and with friends and families
Pyebaek(幣帛): Korean Traditional Wedding Custom for Family Members Only (traditionally groom’s family)
-For the ceremony, the bride’s family prepared jujubes (Korean dates) and chestnuts, which symbolize children.
-The ceremony begins with the parents (of the groom) seated on cushions behind a table in front of a painted screen, with the newlyweds opposite them.
-The newlyweds perform a deep bow.
-The bride offers the cup (rice wine) to the father, and the groom offers the cup to the mother.
-The parents then share some wisdom on marriage from their advanced experience.
-Finally, they will throw the jujubes and chestnuts back at the couple, who has to try catching them with her wedding skirt.
*Traditionally pyebaek is only for the groom’s family, but the bride’s family also participates in modern weddings.
#All the photos were taken by our wedding photographer from Korea House.
