Korean couples ditch luxury wedding halls for $19 public venues

Suwon Saebit Ddeul inside Gwanggyo Historical Park, a public wedding venue in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province / Courtesy of Suwon City

By Hankookilbo

• Published Jul 4, 2026 8:10 AM KST

Local government offers public parks as $19 wedding venues to combat low birthrate

With his wedding just four months away, 29-year-old Kim Yun-ho nearly canceled the ceremony. Faced with venue and catering costs reaching tens of millions of won, he considered settling for a family dinner. But his plans changed when he discovered a city-run wedding venue in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, that cost just 30,000 won ($19) to rent.

"I applied because I could have a special outdoor wedding at a low cost," Kim said. "I am now able to hold a wedding surrounded by the blessings of family and friends."

Kim's experience highlights a growing trend, as local governments nationwide open public facilities and parks as low-cost wedding venues. The initiatives aim to ease the financial burden on engaged couples and encourage marriage to combat Korea’s low birthrate.

Suwon began taking applications last month for four public sites, including Gwanggyo Historical Park. By June 23, the city had received 22 requests, with three couples finalizing their bookings. The city charges 30,000 won for a two-hour rental. Meals follow standard city rates, starting at 35,000 won per person for boxed options and 50,000 won for catering.

A Suwon city official said the wide lawn at Gwanggyo Historical Park is popular among couples seeking outdoor weddings. For a budget option hosting 200 guests, the total cost comes to about 13.6 million won.

"This allows them to save 10 million won compared to the average cost of a private wedding hall, which ranges from 20.19 million won to 23.79 million won," the official said.

Seoul operates the "More Beautiful Wedding" program across 61 locations, including Namsan Hannam Wedding Garden, Yongsan Family Park and the Peace Park in World Cup Park. The city provides engaged couples with 1 million won to help cover setup costs. Launched in 2023, the initiative hosted 155 weddings in 2024 and 280 in 2025.

One couple who used a public venue in Seoul said parks hold a deeper meaning because they can always be visited, unlike commercial wedding halls that sometimes close down.

"When we have a child, I want to tell them that this is the place where mom and dad got married," one of them said.

Ulsan introduced a similar program this year, opening eight outdoor locations, including Taehwagang National Garden, for free. The city also offers four indoor venues, including the Ulsan Garden Support Center, for under 100,000 won. Kwon Hyuk-min and Lee Bo-kyung, who married at theUlsan Garden Support Center last month, said they applied for the city's support while planning a simple ceremony rather than a lavish one.

However, low rental fees present other logistical challenges. Some venues lack the parking and dining facilities that couples expect, leading to zero bookings in certain regions. Daegu operates nine public wedding venues but not one has hosted weddings this year. Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, had no bookings across its six locations in 2025.

Kim, 27, who is planning her wedding, said the lack of basic amenities made her avoid public sites.

"Although the rental fee is cheap, flower decorations, sound equipment and lighting are not provided, making it burdensome to hire private vendors," she said.

Sung Jung-hyun, a professor at Hyupsung University and former president of the Korean Association of Family Relations, said efforts are needed to change the social perception that public venues offer low-quality weddings.

"If additional incentives, such as providing home appliances upon childbirth, are provided to users of public wedding venues, it could significantly boost use," Sung said.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.