Korean wedding traditions

Korean weddings blend traditional practices — some dating to Joseon-era rituals — with a modern Western ceremony. Diaspora practice varies with family origin, religious affiliation, and how many generations the family has lived in North America.

• Pyebaek — 30 min. The formal family ceremony. The couple bows to parents and grandparents, receives blessings, and takes part in dates and chestnuts thrown into the bride's skirt.
• Wine cup exchange — 15 min. The couple drinks rice wine, or sikhye, from cups passed between them. It symbolizes commitment and mutual acceptance.
• Hanbok attire. The traditional Korean formal dress, often worn for the pyebaek and sometimes for other portions of the day.

1. Western ceremony — church, civil, or venue. The couple wears Western attire.
2. Cocktail hour or a brief reception start.
3. Pyebaek — sometimes private with immediate family during cocktail hour, sometimes a public reception segment. The couple wears hanbok. The preset is 30 minutes, during the reception or as a separate ceremony after the wedding.
4. Wine cup exchange — may happen inside the pyebaek or separately. The preset is 15 minutes.
5. Main reception — the couple returns to Western attire or a second outfit.
6. Traditional food — japchae, bulgogi, kalbi, and seaweed soup (miyeok-guk) for the mothers are common.

• Christian Korean weddings. Common. Many Korean-American families are Protestant or Catholic. The Western ceremony is often inside a Korean-language church service.
• Buddhist Korean weddings. Less common in the diaspora, and they do occur, with temple ceremonies.
• Secular Korean weddings. Increasingly common with younger couples.
• North Korean and South Korean family origin. Occasional differences in specific practices. Most contemporary Korean-American weddings reflect South Korean traditions.

For the pyebaek

• Detail of the hanbok — color, embroidery, headpieces.
• Every bow. They are deep, deliberate, and respectful.
• Dates and chestnuts being thrown, and the couple's reactions.
• The pyebaek table — foods and the tea or wine service.

For the wine cup exchange

• The cups themselves.
• The exchange — hands and faces.
• Family passing the cups.

For hanbok

• Full-length portraits before the pyebaek begins.
• Movement. The hanbok silhouette in motion is striking.