Wedding traditions of Seoul
A city of short, 30 minute halls, the pyebaek ceremony in hanbok and a famous system of cash gifts.
In Seoul, many weddings are held in a wedding hall, with several ceremonies back to back. The couple often add the pyebaek, a traditional rite in which they greet the groom's parents in hanbok.
A wedding here
The wedding has a modern ceremony of about thirty minutes, with a master of ceremonies, a congratulatory speech, and photographs. The pyebaek follows in a side room. The couple bow deeply and are given jujubes and chestnuts, thrown into the bride's skirt by the parents, symbolising children. Guests give cash in white envelopes.
Where weddings happen
Wedding halls, hotels and churches. Same-sex marriage is not legal in South Korea, as of 2026.
The season and the calendar
Spring and autumn weekends are favoured. The date is sometimes chosen by a gunghap reading.
Wedding customs of Seoul
Also part of it, and being written: Hanbok (The traditional dress.), Korean wedding (The customs.), Hahm (The box of gifts brought to the bride.).
A wedding trail idea for Seoul
- Cheongdam bridal boutiques Designer dress shops.
- Gwangjang Market A market for silk and hanbok.
- Namdaemun Market A market for gifts.
- Bukchon Hanok Village A district of traditional houses.
Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, venues and wedding-season dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
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Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Pyebaek: halfGoku, CC BY-SA 2.0, source