Wedding costs in capital area 1.7 times higher than in rest of country

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The cost of getting married in Seoul and the greater capital area is 11.54 million won ($8,200) higher — or about 1.7 times more — than in the rest of the country, largely driven by prices in Seoul’s upscale southern districts, such as Gangnam, a report showed Tuesday.

Based on a survey of 504 wedding service companies nationwide conducted from Aug. 18 to 29, the Korea Consumer Agency reported that couples in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province spent an average of 26.65 million won on weddings.

In comparison, couples outside the capital region spent an average of 15.11 million won — a difference of 11.54 million won, making a wedding in Seoul roughly 1.7 times higher in price.

Compared to June, wedding costs in the capital region rose by 4.3 percent in August, while costs in regions outside the capital area fell by 1.9 percent.

The pace of increase in the capital area also outpaced the national average, which saw a 4.1 percent rise to 21.6 million won.

The agency said that the increase in capital-region wedding costs was largely driven by a 5.2 percent rise in Gangnam, where average wedding expenses rose from 33.36 million won to 35.09 million won. Gangnam’s wedding costs were nearly three times higher than the average of 11.81 million won in the Gyeongsang provinces.

The agency said that the biggest contributor to rising wedding costs nationwide was the increase in guest meal prices.

The median meal cost reached 60,000 won per guest — up 3.4 percent from June. Gangnam again led the trend, with per-guest meal prices rising 6 percent to 88,000 won.

Venue rental fees also saw notable increases, with the national median rising from 3 million won in June to 3.5 million won in August.

In Gangnam, venue fees increased from 6.9 million won to 7.5 million won.

Prices either held steady or increased nationwide for popular packages of studio photography, dress rental and makeup services. Studio photography costs remained unchanged at 1.32 million won, while dress rentals rose by 2.6 percent to 1.55 million won and makeup services increased by 5.5 percent to 770,000 won.

Flower and decoration prices saw a steep increase, jumping 31 percent to 2.62 million won.

The agency also flagged unfair contract practices in the wedding planning industry, finding “problematic” terms and conditions in all 20 wedding service companies it reviewed.

A total of 19 companies charged extra for essential items, such as photo file downloads and dress fittings, and a further 13 failed to specify prices for optional services, listing them only as “additional.”

The agency said it will share its findings with the Fair Trade Commission and urge companies to correct unfair contract terms.