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These days, prospective brides and grooms want a wedding that reflects who they are as a couple.
November 09, 2009
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Once the wedding date is set, most Korean couples take about two to three months to prepare. The list of things to do seems endless: deciding on a wedding hall, the invitations, the honeymoon, the photos, the wedding dress and the rings. While some of the things on that list are the same as in previous years, this year’s weddings seem to involve customized ceremonies, which inevitably take more planning. It can all be quite daunting, especially if both the bride and groom are working, so some couples are turning to professional wedding planners for help.
“It saves me so much time and it cuts costs,” she said. “I learned how to prioritize and how to get ready for a wedding.” The Wedding Ceremony The trend is for the wedding and dinner banquet to be held in the same location. This has sent hotels scrambling to renovate banquet rooms or open conference rooms. Since 1999, an increasing number of wedding ceremonies are being held in five-star hotels. The Seoul Shilla Hotel is one of the most well known. The hotel works hard to customize each wedding. It invites wedding decoration experts like florist Paula Pryke from England, star florist Jeff Leatham, and art director Kevin Lee to create flower arrangements. The hotel recently refurbished their Grand Ballroom, which has ceilings that measure up to 6.5 meters (21 feet) high - the tallest in Korea. The backdrops can change depending on what couples want, as can the lights and pillars. Outdoor weddings are also popular with couples. Many use a wedding arch, giving the ceremonies a romantic feel. Couples who like spacious fields of green grass can enjoy nature when they read their wedding vows. Many couples want their ceremonies to be near guesthouses, so out of town guests can be accommodated. At the Shilla, the guesthouses are surrounded by tiles and architecture from another era. The guest area is surrounded by nature, and the view is stunning at night. There’s also a pagoda that can be used for wedding ceremonies, the banquet or the reception. The Food The food is also a significant factor in guests’ enjoyment of the wedding. In the past, simple noodles and beef rib soup were served at Korean wedding receptions, but the trend today is toward more elaborate buffets and full-course meals. The Grand Hyatt Seoul usually offers a Western menu. The most popular course here includes a crab bisque soup topped with cognac cream, lime sherbert beef short rib steak and seafood. Scallops, lemon salpicon, pink champagne sherbert and black angus short rib steak are included in the menu as well. The price is 80,000 won to 100,000 won ($69 to $86), which excludes taxes and other services. The Seoul Shilla Hotel is known for their experience with international events and functions. It hires some of the best restaurant chefs to create menus for weddings and other events. The chefs then customize the menus according to their clients tastes. The Grand InterContinental Hotel’s wedding menu sticks to traditional Korean dishes like short rib steak marinated in marinated beef sauce, which is their specialty; the broiled and seasoned meat in marinated beef sauce is also a big hit. From appetizers to desserts, their menu is diverse and offers a wide range of options for wedding couples to customize. The Dress Ten years ago, brides were typically seen in A-line dresses, but now, neo-romantic and mermaid style wedding dresses are becoming all the rage. Shoulder-baring, tube dresses were once considered to be too revealing for a wedding ceremony. Brides avoided wearing them at the actual wedding ceremonies, but they did wear them at the rehearsal dinner. Nowadays, however, women’s fashions are becoming bolder, and women have started baring their shoulders at the wedding ceremony, too. Mini-dresses are also becoming a huge hit with brides. They’re usually worn during the photo sessions, but many women are wearing them for the ceremony as well. Many women are also starting to accessorize and add ribbons to their bridal gowns. If a woman is wearing a tube dress, for example, she usually prefers the gown to have shell-shaped pleats. The colors white and ivory are still the general trend in wedding dress colors. By Oh Du-hwan [estyle@joongang.co.kr] |
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