Going to the chapel and we're....NOT :)

Finally, we got to dress up! I haven't gotten dressed up in a dress and heels in over 6 months. For a girl, this is kind of a big deal (or for me at least it is). When you put on a dress and heels and wear makeup, it just makes you feel prettier! So, I was so excited when we got an invitation to a fellow teacher's wedding. Anna is the sweetest girl, and we had no clue she was even engaged until we got our invitation. Her wedding was the perfect event to follow up Valentines Day, and she looked absolutely beautiful. You know how weddings make you feel all nice and loving, well it's no different in Korea. The actual event was quite different than what we are use to, but the loving feelings were all the same.




For starters, weddings in Korea take place in a wedding hall. Wedding halls usually have a number of areas where different couples are getting married throughout the day. There are lots of people! The couple and their guests use the wedding hall, and then they move on, and it's another couple's turn. When the guests first arrive at the wedding, they go to the "waiting area". This is where the bride and all her beauty are on display. People come in, view and obviously make a huge fuss over the blushing bride. She sits there and smiles and talks to the different guests as they give their congrats. The guests also go and officially make their presence known by giving a monetary gift, and in return you receive a meal voucher for the reception. Then it's time for the ceremony. You see, no one makes a big deal about the number of guests you invite to a ceremony here. The people who get there first go in and take a seat, and after the seats are full people just stand. There are also a couple of flat screens on the wall right outside of the wedding hall where people stand out there and watch if there isn't enough room inside. It was really funny to me because right before the bride walked down the aisle there was this really loud music that reminded me of the music that you might hear if you were at Rupp about to watch the CATS play ball (which I'm really missing at this time of the year). I couldn't help myself, I looked at Chris and said, "Are you ready to rumble?" This was followed by brief neon light show, and then the music changed to a more formal arrangement and the bride started down the aisle....so entertaining, but once again Korea wins the tacky award :) The reception is a huge event where everyone eats a buffet style dinner, but all of the different weddings guests are together. There was no wedding cake, which surprised me, and we only briefly saw the bride and groom after the ceremony. They don't go and eat at the reception, which I thought was kinda sad because they didn't get to enjoy the food...it was awesome. Instead, they were getting ready for the next ceremony, the Korean traditional ceremony. All I know about this ceremony is they wear the traditional dress of Korea (as pictured to the right), but I have no clue what it's like because this is a much more private event for family.


It was so interesting to see a wedding in a culture so different from ours. Maybe I'll bring a little Korean tradition to my wedding when I do make it to the chapel! HAHA...just kidding, don't worry I'll just go watch the CATS play if I start craving a light show and the rumble song :) In conclusion, Anna looked beautiful, and I'm so happy for the newlyweds! Their wedding was such a pleasant ending to our Valentines Day weekend.