Korean Wedding Toasts: Cheers, Speeches, and Customs

Who speaks, and when

• A master of ceremonies, often a friend of the groom, runs the ceremony. An officiant, often a respected elder or the couple's professor, gives a short address.
• Friends rarely give speeches. More often a friend sings, and the couple's friends cheer.
• The couple bows to both sets of parents, and the parents may say a few words.

How long

The whole ceremony is often thirty minutes, with a buffet after, and many guests leave within the hour. A friend's song is the entertainment.

What you’ll see

• The pyebaek: after the ceremony, in traditional dress, the couple bows deeply to the groom's parents, who throw dates and chestnuts for the bride to catch in her skirt, said to predict children.
• Money is the gift, in a white envelope, handed to a table at the entrance where it is recorded.
• Wedding halls run on a tight schedule, and another wedding may start thirty minutes after yours.
• Wild geese, or wooden ones, are presented by the groom as a symbol of fidelity.
• The groom may carry the bride on his back, or carry his mother and mother-in-law, as a show of strength.

If you’re the guest from somewhere else

• Bring money in a white envelope with your name on it, handed in at the reception desk.
• Dress neatly but not too formally, and eat at the buffet; it is included and expected.
• 'Gyeolhon chukha haeyo' to the couple. A bow to the parents.

A toast you could give

Short, warm, specific to the couple, and ending on the phrase. Swap in your own names and your own detail; the shape is what matters.

Jiwoo is the friend who answers at three in the morning and then asks why you are awake. Minjun, you have the kindest alarm clock in Seoul. Congratulations to you both. Geonbae!