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Just as wedding customs vary around the world, so do wedding ceremonies. Mahurangi Matters spoke to three local couples from different cultural backgrounds who tied the knot.
It was on Valentine’s Day 10 years ago that Warkworth Sushi owners Daniel Kim and Sunny Whang said ‘I do’ at a ceremony in Seoul, Korea.
“We had a small celebration by Korean standards because we were very busy at the time,” they say.
“We went back to Korea in 2015 for our anniversary and that’s when we had our photographs taken.”
Daniel and Sunny met in New Zealand as students – she was studying hospitality and he was studying cooking. Sunny is originally from Seoul, while Daniel comes from KwanJu.
“Weddings are traditionally a very big deal in Korea and it’s not unusual for 200 to 300 people to attend,” Sunny says.
“But guests bring money, which helps cover the costs. The more closely you are related to the bride and groom, the more you are expected to give.
“It once was the custom for the groom’s parents to give the newlyweds a house, while the bride’s parents were expected to pay for the furnishings. That doesn’t happen so much now.”
Even though Daniel and Sunny were married in European-style clothes, it is not uncommon for Korean couples to marry in traditional brightly coloured hanbok costumes.
Although hanboks were once the everyday dress in South Korea, they are now traditionally worn only on festive and ceremonial occasions.
The women’s hanbok consists of a jeogori (jacket), which is a shirt or a jacket, and a chima dress, which is a wrap around skirt that is usually worn full. A man’s hanbok consists of a jeorgori and baggy pants that are called baji.
Red dots on both cheeks of the bride are to ward off ghosts.
The actual marriage ceremony involves simply signing the register with witnesses and the exchange of rings.
The celebration is the dinner and cutting of the cake, which is normally all over within three hours.
Sunny says small weddings are becoming increasingly popular to accommodate everybody’s busy lives.
“Sometimes people can’t attend, but they will still send money.”
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