Wedding Invitations... Sorry to Send, Sorry Not to Send

From 'May Bride' to 'September Bride'
Continuously Changing Government Guidelines
Prospective Newlyweds Clash with Wedding Halls over Guaranteed Guest Numbers
"Empty Formalities, Nuisance, and Gift Money Business"
Twice Hurt by Harsh Words Lacking Empathy

[Asia Economy Reporter Minyoung Cha] "Why does it have to be my turn? Why is a marriage that everyone else does normally so painful and heartbreaking for me? I resent it." Kim Sera (pseudonym), a 30-year-old bride-to-be who dreamed of being a May bride, postponed her wedding once from spring to September due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), only to be caught again by the virus. After the announcement of raising social distancing to level 2, she had to spend an hour repeatedly calling the wedding hall and the responsible district office because no detailed guidelines were issued. She is also in conflict with her parents over the guest issue.

On the morning of the 21st, right after waking up, Kim accessed an open KakaoTalk chatroom where about 40 brides-to-be in similar situations gathered to carefully check if there were any newly added details. After first hearing the news on the 15th that the number of guests was limited to 50 indoors and 100 outdoors, she felt hopeless and looked for other brides getting married during the same period, but it only caused more confusion. Although the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the responsible district office issued detailed guidelines on the 19th, the problem is that they change daily. Seoul announced that if the wedding is postponed within three months, the wedding hall cannot charge a penalty fee. On the 21st, the Fair Trade Commission extended the postponement period to six months. However, it is practically impossible to reduce the guaranteed number of guests even if the wedding is postponed, leading grooms and brides to say, "It doesn't help at all." Having already postponed once, Kim decided it would be difficult to delay again until December and chose to proceed in September, but she can only sigh.

The wedding hall Kim contracted with said immediately after receiving the official document, "Meals such as set menus are completely prohibited, so all will be replaced with return gifts," but an employee from the responsible Gangnam District Office said, "Single dishes served by staff, not buffet style, are allowed." Ultimately, they decided to provide meals.

In Kim's case, since May is peak season, she signed a contract with a hall rental fee of 1.5 million KRW, a meal cost of 50,000 KRW per person, and a minimum guaranteed number of 250 guests. When Seoul limited the number of guests to 50, the wedding hall stated that they could invite a total of 100 guests, with 50 in the wedding hall and 50 in the banquet hall. Some wedding halls include staff in the guest count, while others do not. Kim had to call the district office again to inquire. After making her wait for a long time, the district office staff informed her, "The number inside the hall can be counted excluding the wedding hall staff."

Kim is also experiencing generational conflict with her parents in their 60s during the guest selection process. Assuming 100 guests, Kim can only invite 50 people. Her parents want to invite mainly relatives, but this means friends and colleagues might not be invited at all. Especially since the guests must be divided between the hall and the banquet hall, the hall is already full with just the families of the groom and bride. Her parents suggested seating the elders in the hall, but Kim values friends who sincerely celebrate her more than distant relatives she hasn't seen for years, so the atmosphere is tense. They barely reached an agreement, but Kim finds it hard to call about 150 guests, nearly half of those already invited, to ask them not to attend the wedding.

The most contentious issue is the conflict with the wedding hall over reducing the guaranteed number of guests. On the 21st, the Fair Trade Commission and the Korea Wedding Industry Association agreed to adjust the minimum guaranteed number, but since it is only a recommendation, consumer disputes are likely. Kim paid a deposit of 2 million KRW out of the total wedding cost of 14 million KRW, including the meal cost (50,000 KRW per person) for the guaranteed 250 guests. The wedding hall stated that for September, they cannot reduce the guaranteed number by more than 20%. Eighty percent of 250 is 200. Considering the maximum capacity of 100 guests, Kim has to reluctantly pay about 5 million KRW for meals for roughly 100 guests she cannot invite. Kim sighed, saying, "500 million KRW is a huge amount for newlyweds who are not financially well-off. Having to pay for meals for people we won't even invite is unreasonable, and it feels like a wedding where we spend money and only get criticized." The stress is compounded by online comments like "Getting married at a time like this is a nuisance" and "They won't even serve food and are just after congratulatory money."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.