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What's the cost of tying the knot? Depends on where you're getting married.

Published: 29 Jul. 2025, 14:57 Updated: 29 Jul. 2025, 18:04

[JOONGANG ILBO]

The average cost of a wedding in Korea slightly exceeded 20 million won ($14,370) last month, with per-guest meal prices reaching as high as 83,000 won in Seoul’s Gangnam district — double the 42,000 won seen in some southern regions — highlighting stark regional disparities in wedding expenses.

Data from the Korea Consumer Agency released on Tuesday showed that the average nationwide cost of wedding services was 20.74 million won in June, down 1.3 percent from two months earlier. The median per-guest meal price at wedding venues came in at 58,000 won.

The agency surveyed 515 wedding service providers across 14 regions between June 16 and 30, focusing on wedding hall fees and bundled packages for photography, dress rental and makeup — collectively referred to as “studio-dress-makeup.”

The average cost had been on a gradual decline: from 21.01 million won in April to 20.88 million won in May, and 20.74 million won last month. By region, the cost was highest in Seoul’s affluent Gangnam District, averaging 33.36 million won — nearly three times more than the average in South Gyeongsang, which stood at 11.53 million won.

The median cost for a wedding venue — including rental, meals and basic decorations — was 15.6 million won. Gangnam once again topped the list at 28.9 million won, while Busan was the cheapest at 7.75 million won.

Gangnam also had the most expensive median per-guest meal price at 83,000 won, followed by other parts of Seoul at 72,000 won and Gyeonggi at 62,000 won. In contrast, the average in Gyeongsang regions was just 42,000 won.

While venue-related expenses were highest in the capital area, the cost of studio-dress-makeup packages was higher in the provinces. The national median was 2.92 million won, with the most expensive regions being Gwangju at 3.46 million won, Jeolla at 3.43 million won and Busan at 3.34 million won. The cheapest was Incheon at 2.22 million won.

In Gangnam, the average studio-dress-makeup package costs 3 million won, compared to 2.64 million won in other parts of Seoul.

Among optional services at wedding venues, professional photography during the ceremony was the most frequently selected, with a median price of 800,000 won. Switching from basic to fresh flower decorations costs an additional 2 million won.

“We plan to continue conducting monthly wedding service price surveys and provide practical information to help couples-to-be make sound financial decisions in wedding preparations,” said the Korea Consumer Agency.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY HYEON YE-SEUL [[email protected]]