Here comes the bride~

The only family I have left in Korea is my grandmother's younger brother and his family. In early May, my second cousin, YoSeob, got married! It was a great time to see the whole family and it was my first time to see a Korean wedding. 

I was especially lucky because grandmother's younger sister was also visiting Korea for the wedding. My Aunt Chunam is pretty good at English and she helped me learn more about my family. 

Here is a distant relative (an English teacher who used to live with my grandmother?), my Aunt Chunam, my second cousin, and her daughter. 

The wedding was in a "Wedding Hall." It was a huge building with several floors dedicated to different weddings. There were two on our floor alone. The actual wedding was in a huge room that was decorated very beautifully.

The groom poses for a photo with the bride slightly behind him.

Then, just like an American wedding, the bride's father walked her down the wedding. Unlike an American wedding, I'm pretty sure the bride rented her dress and it would only be used for this brief part of the ceremony.

The parents of the bride and groom sat on separate sides of the aisle in special chairs.

The grooms parents, aka my relatives

The whole ceremony was done on the raised aisle in the middle of the room. The guests had no assigned seats, but were scattered throughout the hall at tables.

The groom receives the bride and her father

Perhaps one biggest differences between this wedding and a western wedding was the staff member whose job was to adjust the bride's skirt for photos.

Skirt fixing..,..

The ceremony seemed really nice. I unfortunately couldn't understand very much.

There were a lot of songs during the ceremony. Here is a staff member singing a Korean song to the couple.

The decorations in the hall were pretty. There were a bunch of fake trees and chandeliers.

The groom gave a singing performance as well. Here he is serenading his bride.

Please, please, please excuse the horrible filming. I wasn't sure how to use my camera.

There were a few speeches. Here is my grandmother's younger brother sharing some words with the new couple.

Then, there was the bowing. Bowing is incredibly important in Korean culture. First, the couple bowed to the brides parents.

   

And then there was the bowing in front of the grooms parent's. I was sitting nearby, so it was probably the closest I got to the bride and groom.

 

 

And then, everyone bows to the guests as a thank you for our attendance.

And now, the bride and groom are married. Here they are posing as newlyweds. And of course, a photo wound't be complete without the woman adjusting the dress in the background.

After the wedding, I had a chance to get some post wedding photos. Here's some more of the family.

 

Even though Korean modern weddings closely resemble western weddings, there was a tea ceremony at the end in traditional clothes. The newlyweds would pour tea for relatives and then the relatives would share some words of wisdom.

My grandmother's younger brother, his wife, his son, and his wife

 

This was actually the first time I had met my female second cousin. Here she is with her husband, and after with me.

 

My cousin's beautiful hanbok :)