In Korea weddings are so the same and so different at the same time. Weddings are held in wedding houses. A little bit like a reception hall but then not really. A wedding house is a high rise building. The floors are layered. The first floor is the lobby and the second floor is where a wedding #1 takes place, the pictures with the bride, and the traditional Korean bowing ceremony. On floor three is where the buffet dinner takes place for wedding #1. On floor four wedding #2 takes place and their buffet is held on floor five and so on. There can be quite a few different wedding being held simultaneously. During this time each person who wants to attend the wedding signs into the bride and groom's respective table and gives a cash gift before they can enter the wedding. The guests know that this is a large portion of the way the bride and groom will pay for their wedding. It is also customary to look back in this book in the years ahead to know what the minimum gift would be at future weddings (of guests or children of guests).
Each wedding has four parts. The first part happens in a little room. The bride arrives at the wedding house ready to begin. She sits in the little room and everyone from the wedding party comes and has their picture taken individually with the bride in the little room. Immediately after the last person has had their picture taken the ceremony begins. This part is very similar to an American traditional wedding, with one exception. The bride and groom bow to their parents. There are different types of bows in Korea. A nod of the head is for everyone you meet. A bow at the waist is a for people of an older generation. The bow of deepest respect is when the person kneels on the floor with their hands out in front of them. A bride cannont get on the floor and so she does a deep waist bow. These bows are very moving.
After the ceremony is the traditional Korean bowing ceremony. In the past it has been a ceremony that happens after the wedding. The bride and groom travel to the groom's home where the bride and groom will live. The ceremony is respect for his family as well as the groom's family accepting the bride into their home and family. At the end of the ceremony the bride and groom eat a large nut together. It is said that the person who bites off the largest piece of it has the power in the home. The bride then gets on the groom's back and takes the bride into his home.
Everyone then goes upstairs for a buffet of amazing food!
Dionne and Sung Jin were so excited about this day. They prepared and did so many things to bring not only two families from opposite sides of the world together but also two cultures. After some reservations a touching moment occured after the bowing ceremony when Sung Jin's uncle said to Dionne's dad, "We accept Dionne into our family. We will always take care of her. You do not need to worry." Dionne's family has loved Sung Jin since he came to the United States and they saw how perfect he was for her.
A sweet moment during the bowing ceremony was when Dionne's head piece fell off. Sung Jin's father said "It's okay. She is beautiful. Everything she does is beautiful. Her mistakes everything. She is so beautiful."
It was an amazing day filled with happiness, a fusing of families, culture, and a lot of laughter.
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Labels: Dionne + Sung Jin, Korean Wedding, Korean Wedding Photographer, wedding
