Koreans slim down weddings amid economic woes, but social norms bite

Saying "I do" has become an extravagance in Korea, where an average wedding costs over 100 million won ($99,039) and buying an apartment in Seoul is more like a bucket list item for office workers.

With the employment rate at a record low for 15-29 year olds, the high costs are prompting young couples to postpone their plans for marriage and children.

Data by Statistics Korea showed that the average age for first-time marriages reached 32.2 for men and 29.6 for women in 2013, rising 2.1 years and 2.3 years each from a decade ago. It also showed that the number of couples who tied the knot is trending lower. The figure slipped 1.3 percent on-year in 2013, falling for the second straight year.

The grim reality for twenty- and thirty-somethings has even coined the term "sampo-jok," which loosely translates to "those who have given up on three things -- dating, marriage and children -- due to economic reasons."

But for couples whose bondage has prevailed over economic headwinds, smaller and more frugal weddings are becoming a realistic option.

Kim Go-eun, a 29-year-old social worker, skipped the conventional studio photo shoot and instead asked her sister and cousin to take photos of her and her husband at their favorite dating spots.

"I wanted to take special pictures rather than pretty but identical pictures. I could also do the job at half the price it would have cost at a studio," Kim said from her home in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province.

"There was a lot of work to do, compared with hiring a wedding planner. But I really enjoyed it. Also, I could spend more on my honeymoon," she said.

As a growing number of brides are following suit, businesses that specialize in these self-organized photo shoots are turning into a small but significant sector in the local wedding industry.

A quick search on Korea's most-visited portal Naver easily digs up hundreds of companies, ranging from those that sell mock wedding dresses to those that offer venues for photo shoots.

The recent trend has also changed where couples make their nuptial vows. An increasing number of couples are selecting public institution buildings over "wedding halls" as their ceremonial venue.

Wedding halls are buildings exclusively designed for marriages. They conveniently provide hall decorations and food catering, and in some cases even wedding dresses and make-up, all in one package at a lower price compared with luxury hotels.

But despite the convenience and the price, young couples have disdained cookie-cutter ceremonies at these wedding halls that can sometimes lead to conveyor-belt processions, with a dozen newlyweds walking down the same aisle on the same day in their allotted hourly time slots.

Such demand has led public buildings, such as libraries, town halls and even the presidential office, to open up their space on weekends.

The Seoul Citizens Hall, located in the basement of city hall, is one of them. Couples that have applied six months in advance can borrow the space for 66,000 won.

"The competition to reserve a date has doubled over the past year as demand for small but meaningful weddings is on the rise," explained Woo Sarang, who works at Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture.

While wedding hall marriages can end in an hour, ceremonies at the city hall can last two to three hours since the hall accepts only one reservation per day, she said.

In order to promote a smaller wedding, the foundation also recommends couples limit their wedding budget to 5-6 million won and cap the number of guests at 100-120.

"With the money they save, couples invest more in their honeymoon or in their house, since housing costs are so expensive these days," said Woo.

A survey by the Korea Consumer Agency showed that would-be newlyweds were most pressured by having to find a place to live.

On average, they spent 272 million won on housing or an average of 154 million won for "jeonse," a house rental system in which tenants pay a lump sum under a two-year contract, according to the survey.

Wedding businesses have joined the trend. Cho Wan-joo, who managed wedding dress shops and studios in Seoul for over 20 years, founded Seoul Wedding Culture Cooperative that cuts costs by directly connecting with clients.

"Most of my clients are satisfied because they can save money by eliminating unnecessary steps, such as buying a custom hanbok," referring to traditional Korean costume worn by brides and grooms as part of wedding ceremonies.

Cho also noted that most of her clients used the saved budget to buy or rent a house. One couple used the money to go on a cruise with their parents and in-laws for their honeymoon, she said.

But while these simple and no-frills ceremonies can help ease financial burdens, they can also create frictions with parents and in-laws.

"In Korea, weddings are still considered as events for parents rather than for the bride and the groom," said Cho, mentioning how some parents jokingly say they have to "collect" all the gift money they have paid at other people's weddings.

"Parents who wish to invite hundreds of people to their child's wedding tend to think it's unfair if their child opts for a small wedding," she said.

Kim, who took her wedding pictures without the help of a professional photographer, agreed.

"Couples are not the main characters in the play called the wedding. It's basically an event for parents to invite their acquaintances."

"In that sense, my in-laws told me that we didn't have proper wedding photos because they wanted huge, blown-up pictures of us in front of the wedding hall rather than the ones I took," said Kim.

While brides and grooms struggle to balance themselves between tradition and practicality amid an economic slump, market watchers expect these no-frills weddings to be here to stay for the time being.

"Today's young people have grown up rebelling against their parents. They will get what they want, eventually," said Cho.

"Besides, it may no longer be a choice in today's backdrop." (Yonhap)