My First Korean Wedding

On Sunday, Lucas and I attended our first Korean wedding. Hyun, one of the reinforcement team, was marrying his girlfriend of six years. We were told that we should get there before the time because the weddings start promptly, and are over quickly. We were also told that the gift you should bring is money, nothing like a toaster, or what we would buy back home. So we get to the Airport Wedding Hall, and there are so many people milling about in the lobby area. There were two open rooms that you could see, one was small and set up in a traditional manner, and the other was just a little bigger and had all the seats in it. When we got there, we saw the end of another wedding. These rooms are WIDE open to the lobby, there are no doors, so anyone can see what is happening inside. Hyun was standing my the table where you brought gifts to thank people, and he was with his mother. She was absolutely beautiful, dressed in her hanbok. We said hello to Hyun then took our seats. You just sit anywhere.

So, the ceremony begins with te two mothers walking down the aisle in a spotlight, then going to the main part at the front and lighting a candle. There was this woman who was directing them to do everything, even holding their hands to basically light the candle for them. Next came Hyun, dressed up in his shiny silver and light purple suit, walking down the aisle in a spotlight, then bowing deeply to both mothers. Seung Hwa, she came next in her spotlight with her dad, then the ceremony really began. The man who was administering everything, he started talking, we had no idea what he said, all we know is that Hyun said "Ne!" very loudly (which means yes). Seung Hwa said nothing the whole time. Then, it was over. It was so fast. No exchanging of rings or anything. Then the lady who was constantly fixing Seung Hwa's dress shot confetting out of a trumpet, and the bubbles started to flow. There were two bubble machines that worked very hard throughout the ceremony. Hyun did a couple push ups with her on his back, and then Chris (foreign teachers manager) said a speech in Korean, Marla (teacher) sang a song, and two kids played music. I suppose that was the reception? It was all in the "wedding hall". Now came the picture part. First with his family,then hers, then friends, then there was just one with all the foreigners who came.

After this was done, Hyun and Seung Hwa left to do another tradtional ceremony in their hanboks with just their parents in the other room. Everyone else went to the buffet. Back home, weddings last for hours. Here in Korea, you eat and leave. You eat fast and leave. We were eating and talking, and we pretty much the last ones to leave. The whole thing, ceremony, "reception", photos, and food, took and hour and a half. Korean weddings are so fast paced, and they seem like they are not a life changing thing. You go in, you go out. Doesn't seem like anything happens really.