Soaring Wedding Costs Raise Concerns... Can Jeonbuk's "Public Weddings" Be a Solution?

First Ceremony Held at Jeollagamyeong: Satisfying Both Quality and Cost

Expanding Customized Weddings at Landmarks

Establishing a New Wedding Culture

As the financial burden on couples preparing for marriage continues to grow, Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province is attracting attention by launching a wedding support program that utilizes public spaces.

On the 11th, the first "Jeonbuk, My Wedding" ceremony was held at Jeollagamyeong (Nae-a) in Jeonju. Courtesy of Jeonbuk Provincial Government

According to a recent "wedding service price survey" released by the Korea Consumer Agency on April 11, the national average wedding cost as of February was 21.39 million won. This represents a 2.3% increase compared to December of last year. The wedding costs include the wedding hall contract amount as well as the so-called "studio, dress, and makeup" (Sdeume) package expenses.

By region, Gangnam in Seoul was the highest at 34.66 million won, followed by the rest of Seoul at 28.92 million won, and Gyeonggi Province at 19.09 million won.

Jeju recorded the highest rate of increase at 19.2%, followed by non-Gangnam Seoul (14.3%) and Gwangju (12.5%).

In particular, in Gwangju Metropolitan City, wedding venue rental fees more than doubled, rising from 1 million won to 2.5 million won. By meal type, course meals were the most expensive at an average of 119,000 won per person, followed by buffet meals at 62,000 won and Korean table settings at 55,000 won.

With wedding costs steadily rising, the "Jeonbuk, My Wedding" program launched by Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province is drawing attention as an alternative.

On this day, the first "Jeonbuk, My Wedding" ceremony was held at Jeollagamyeong (Naea) in Jeonju. The wedding, which combined tradition and modernity against the historical backdrop of Jeollagamyeong, received a highly positive response from guests.

This wedding was the result of a public-private partnership between Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province, Jeonju City, and wedding specialist company Marihin Wedding.

Jeonbuk Province oversaw the overall project, Jeonju City provided a subsidy of 1 million won to the engaged couple to cover incidental expenses, and Marihin Wedding was responsible for wedding production and consulting, with each party taking on a distinct role.

"Jeonbuk, My Wedding" is a program designed to reduce excessive wedding costs and promote a differentiated wedding culture. The core of the program is to support customized weddings by utilizing various public spaces in the province, such as Jeollagamyeong, the Provincial Art Museum, and the Provincial Government's lawn square.

Starting with this ceremony at Jeollagamyeong, Jeonbuk Province plans to expand the program in earnest. Additional weddings at the Provincial Art Museum are already scheduled, and interest from engaged couples is growing.

Jo Yoon-jung, Director of Population and Youth Policy for Jeonbuk Province, said, "We will continue to discover attractive public wedding venues to ensure that the 'Jeonbuk-style public wedding' becomes established as a new wedding culture."

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