My First Korean Wedding

Yesterday, Bongkyu, one of the teachers at my school, got married.  Dionne and I got all gussied up and attended, and let me just tell you, it was fantastic (and beautiful and really interesting!).

First, we got on my usual bus to go to Seoul and not too long after we got on the bus, three of my student pals also boarded the bus, en route to the same wedding.  Delightful.  We walked to the wedding with them amid comments about Dionne's and my outfits (Oh Teacher!  Dress code very very good!) and them sneakily putting on makeup (and one adorable student complaining about how heartbroken she is over this teacher getting married because she's madly in love with him - I love teenage girls.)

Dionne and I walked into the wedding hall - where there are several weddings daily, like one right after another, all day, every day - and found our way to the correct wedding on the third floor of the building.  So many people were gathered outside the actual room where the wedding was to be held and it was so fun to see all of the students and teachers from our school.  We were warmly greeted by several students and teachers, which obviously made us feel super welcome as the only foreigners at this wedding.  During the wedding, Dionne and I stood in the back of the room (there were no more seats available) with another teacher from school who translated parts of the service for us.  The wedding was pretty interesting - much of the pageantry of an American wedding without all of the parts that make a wedding a wedding at home (though they did read something about their promises for married life to each other).  It's hard to explain what I mean by that...

First, Bongkyu walked down the aisle, which was more like a raised runway.  Then, the bride's father walked her down the aisle.  After the MCs made some announcements, they read from a binder about their promises for marriage.  (Apparently, if they fight, she promised to make him breakfast in the morning - that's the only thing that got explained to us...)  Next, Bongkyu's father gave a short speech and the pastor from school said a short prayer.  Then a guy sang a song to them.  After that song, Bongkyu's homeroom assembled on the stage around the couple and sang them a real cute song.  Then, they walked back down the aisle, kissed at the end of the runway and it was over.  The whole time, they were being re-positioned for the best possible photo-ops by the two photographers and one videographer by the attendants who work at the wedding hall.  After several pictures with their families, friends and students, it was time to eat.

We all assembled in a banquet hall on the second floor of the same building for a beautiful buffet dinner.  After the dinner was over, Dionne and I, along with the teacher who had been with us in the first wedding, went back upstairs to watch the traditional Korean part of the wedding.  Bongkyu and his wife were now dressed in traditional Korean garb and posed for several different pictures doing traditional Korean wedding rituals.

It was all very interesting, and beautiful, and so, so different, but incredibly meaningful at the same time.  Their wedding was without the religious (or legal) motions - it was more about the ceremonial parts of deciding to spend the rest of their lives together.  What was pretty cool for Dionne and me was how excited Bongkyu was to see us at his wedding.  He waved to us several times, motioned us into pictures and was genuinely grateful for our presence there.  I'm so glad we were able to share in celebrating such a special day!