Celebs set new wedding trends

By Park Si-soo

June has long been preferred as the “month of weddings” in Korea; and this year has lived up to its name.

Not even halfway through the month, there are already several celebrities who have unveiled their spouse-to-be or actually tied the knot. Perhaps those who stirred the biggest media frenzy were actor Lee Byung-hun and popular TV anchorwoman Jung Sae-jin.

The 43-year-old actor, who made his Hollywood debut in 2011 and had his hands imprinted in front of the TCL Chinese Theater in Los Angeles last year, surprised the public last week with the announcement of his marriage with top actress Lee Min-jung on Aug. 10. On the same day, by coincidence or not, the 40-year-old anchorwoman of the country’s biggest TV station KBS said she will marry her boy friend on June 21.

Star’s weddings always draw massive public attention. And many new brides and grooms feel tempted to follow the way their favorite star hosts his/her own wedding ceremony.

More important, stars’ weddings are a showcase of new marriage trends. In this regard, the two celebrities are the latest cases reflecting a widening age gap between bride and groom.

Age gap widening

Actor Lee is 12 years older than his bride-to-be, while broadcaster Jung is 11 years older than her spouse. Another star promoting the trend was K-pop legend Seo Tai-ji who announced his second marriage last month with a B-list actress 16 years younger than him.

These are a radical departure from the conventional norm, built upon horoscope data, which claims a four-year gap is ideal to enjoy a trouble-free married life.

In particular, Jung’s case poses a challenge to still dominant couple formation where the groom is normally older than the bride. K-pop diva Baek Ji-young, 37, was another challenger of this kind earlier this month, when she married actor Jung Suk-won, who is nine years younger than her.

There are many male celebrities who tied the knot with women ten years their junior.

Lee Juno of the now-defunct legendary band Seo Taiji and Boys got married to a woman 23 years younger than him last September. Another member of the band Yang Hyun-seok, president of YG Entertainment that manages several K-pop superstars such as Psy, Big Bang and 2NE1, is 12 years older than his wife.

Other contributors to the trend include actor Lee Han-wi (19 years), Lee Beom-soo (13 years), singer-songwriter Joo Young-hoon (12 years) and actor Yoo Joon-sang (11 years).

Premarital pregnancy

Many stars have found themselves or their lovers becoming pregnant before making their marriage plans public.

In the past premarital pregnancy was a matter of humiliation so people tried hard to keep it a secret. As a matter of fact, public criticism over this still exists, but a growing number of people don’t take it seriously, instead they respond with a wink and a nudge.

K-pop diva Baek is the latest example of such a trend shift. Talking about her wedding early last month, her management agency said Baek’s first baby was already on the way. She has stopped working to take care of herself.

Other celebrities who declared themselves or their spouse-to-be be pregnant before marriage include actors Kim Jae-won, Um Tae-woong and Lee Chun-hee, singer Ha Dong-hoon who works under the pseudonym HaHa, actress Ko So-young (wife of actor Jang Dong-gun) and Son Tae-young (wife of actor Kwon Sang-woo).

“Becoming pregnant is obviously something to celebrate. But celebrities are still reluctant to make it public on fears of negative reactions,” said a showbiz industry insider. “But what is interesting is that a growing number of celebrities take the risk to tell all, reflecting a generous shift in public attitudes toward the matter.”

Wedding as donation method

A growing of celebrities use their wedding ceremony as an opportunity to make a donation to underprivileged people. And this has inspired many ordinary people to do a similar philanthropic work.

Comedian couple Yoon Hyung-bin and Jung Kyung-mi made headlines in March for giving all the wedding gifts they received from guests to two rehabilitation centers. Prior to the ceremony, the couple asked potential guests to bring packaged rice as gifts and they collected 370 kilograms on the wedding day.

Another star couple, actor Yoo Ji-tae and actress Kim Hyo-jin donated all cash gifts for their wedding to a construction project for a school in Myanmar. Actor Lee Beom-soo spent money collected during his wedding ceremony hosting a joint wedding ceremony for three interracial couples suffering from economic hardship. Lee took the stage to sing a song to celebrate the event.

Meanwhile, comedian Kwon Young-chan spent cash gifts for his son’s first birthday providing intensive medical care to two children with sight problems.