We attended one of Bob's work colleagues wedding this weekend. It was really nice and of course the couple was beautiful and looked so happy. They are honeymooning in Switzerland which reminds me--I did not have a proper honeymoon, anyone willing to babysit?
The wedding was held in a 6 story building that was basically a wedding "factory". Weddings are held all day on each floor. The fifth floor was a cafeteria where all the wedding guests ate together. They had a dress shop and sold wrapped gifts and car decoration kits on the first floor. However, the best gift to give is cash in an envelope.
When we arrived the groom graciously greeted us and introduced us to his Mother (Oma) and Father (Opa). He looked handsome dressed in a Tux with tails. Eun Young took me to a tiny reception room where the bride, who was dressed in a western gown, sat on a pink couch surrounded by pink and white balloons with two bridesmaids behind her. This was quite different because she seemed to be on display.
The ceremony itself, although I could not understand what was said, was similar to a western wedding. The groom stood at the alter, the mothers of the bride entered and were seated in special seats, behind their son/daughter. The father of the bride escorted her down the aisle and gave her away. There were no attendants. The minister performed the ceremony and then the couple bowed deeply to each set of parents. This was really touching, the groom was completely on the floor. The bride teaches at an all boys school and her class seranaded the couple. Very nice. Then the groom was lifting the bride in his arms and at certain times yelled out "I love you" but I really didn't follow all of it. Then they took pictures. The groom was taking pictures with his side of the family and one of the Koreans told me this was a new trend. The couple finished the pictures, left the chapel and we went to the fifth floor for lunch. No wedding crashers here, you have to present your lunch ticket to eat!!
The major differences in the ceremony was that it was much more casual. The guest do not stand when the bride walks down the aisle and everyone just keeps talking during the entire ceremony. In fact, many guests didn't even sit down but stood in the back during the entire ceremony. The bubble and fog machines were surprising special effects.
The cafeteria was not very special. The room was not decorated and while the food was good presentation didn't seem to be a concern.
While we were eating, Bob's counterpart offered to take me to watch the Korean ceremony or Pyebaek. I felt very privileged and thankful to be able to witness this because it is private. The bride and groom wore traditional Korean wedding clothes and paid respect to the grooms parents. They bride and groomed poured tea together, offered it to the parents and then bowed. The mother-in-law then throws jujubes into the brides skirt as a wish of many children. Jujubes signify honor and male heirs.
The wedding was great and the couple treated us with great respect and made me feel like an honored guest. Bob's counterpart and his wife are always gracious and so helpful to us. I especially enjoyed witnessing the Pyebaek. To me it was the most interesting and the traditional clothes were amazing. The white embroidered silk piece the bride is carrying has both family names and signifies they are one.
I'm really disappointed in these pictures but here they are anyway. I've repeated these facts as they were told to me and have not checked for accuracy. Please let me know if I've made a mistake.
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