Preparing for a Korean Wedding with My American Husband, Part 1: Budget, Venue, and Studio-Dress-Makeup Timeline
🌏 Language: 🇰🇷 KR | 🇺🇸 EN
We’re a Korean–American couple who got married in Korea May 2024. We decided to hold only a Korean ceremony, while celebrating separately with our U.S. family with a nice dinner and photos later.
Because of that, the entire process followed Korean wedding customs, which felt quite foreign to my husband. It was my first time, too, but I at least had some idea of what to expect from my friends and family. He, on the other hand, had never been exposed to how that process works in Korea — so everything felt new.
For anyone preparing a wedding with an American or otherwise-foreign spouse unfamiliar with Korean wedding culture, I’m sharing our full wedding timeline and practical tips by stage based on our real experience.
1. Right After the Decision: Set a Rough Budget
Once you’ve decided to get married, the very first thing to do is talk about your budget. A wedding is one of the most cash-intensive events in life. Decide together how much you’re willing to spend overall and set a comfortable upper limit for each category.
For Korean–American couples, cultural differences often mean different attitudes toward weddings themselves. It helps enormously to discuss in advance which parts you can’t compromise and which parts you’re willing to adjust — this will make everything later much smoother.
[Example Budget Categories]
- Wedding hall (venue rental, floral design, buffet, etc.)
- Studio + Dress + Makeup package (called “S-Deu-Me” in Korea)
- Suit and wedding rings
- Miscellaneous costs
- Total estimated budget (e.g., around ₩20 million)
Note: Actual spending almost always exceeds the plan (I’m 120% certain of that!). Think of this stage as simply setting a shared psychological ceiling rather than a fixed number.
2. One Year Before: Searching and Booking a Wedding Venue
① Estimating the Number of Guests
For international couples, the total number of guests can vary greatly depending on whether the foreign spouse’s family can attend in person. In our case, since Paul’s American family couldn’t travel to Korea, we arranged real-time YouTube streaming so they could join online. As a result, we held a small wedding with fewer than 150 guests — roughly half the size of a typical Korean ceremony.
② Finding and Booking a Small Wedding Venue
In Korea, there aren’t as many venues as you might expect that truly accommodate small weddings. One of the most important things to check — especially for parents’ generation — is parking availability. Many of the older guests will arrive by car, so make sure there's plenty of parking available nearby.
It’s much easier if the venue has experience hosting international weddings. They tend to be more attentive to details such as bilingual signage, dual-language vows, English-speaking staff, and live streaming setup. We chose Tra di noi, an elegant indoor venue known for its experience with multicultural weddings. Although indoors, it had a beautiful open feel with sunlight streaming through the ceiling — exactly what we wanted.
[Small Wedding Venue Checklist]
- Experience with international or multicultural weddings
- Supports live streaming of the ceremony
- Has English-speaking staff or interpreter available
3. One Year Before: Attending a Wedding Expo & Hiring a Planner (Optional)
If it’s your first time planning a wedding and you feel lost, I highly recommend attending a wedding expo. We went to one hosted by Ainy Wedding (“아이니 웨딩”)—but honestly, most expos are similar in structure and quality.
① What to Prepare Before the Expo
To make the most out of your visit, decide these two things in advance:
- Planned wedding date or month (e.g., next May)
- Preferred wedding atmosphere (indoor / outdoor / traditional hanok, etc.)
With these two details, your consultation will be much more focused and productive. Many people imagine a wedding expo as rows of booths displaying dresses, flowers, and favors—but in reality, the first area you’ll encounter is the planner consultation zone. There, planners will ask when you plan to get married and what kind of wedding style you prefer. Based on your answers, they’ll suggest packages and ask if you’d like to sign a contract. Without clear ideas about timing and style, the consultation can feel vague and less helpful, so it’s best to prepare those basics beforehand.
② Tips When Signing a Wedding Planner Contract
- Freelance Planner vs. In-house Planner
- Freelancers work on a commission basis and may be more proactive, but they could also push for add-ons to increase their margin.
- We chose an in-house planner from the company for better reliability and transparent pricing.
- Payment Schedule
- if you're booking a "Studio-Dress-Makeup" (S-Deu-Me) package at the expo, you'll usually pay a initial deposit.
- The remaining balance is paid about one month before the studio photo shoot, depending on which vendors you choose for each service.
[Tips for Attending a Wedding Expo with an American Husband]
- You’ll likely need to interpret on the spot for your partner.
- Explain beforehand that a wedding expo is not just for browsing — it’s an event where you negotiate and sign contracts for discounts.
- Discuss which items or services you want to explore or purchase ahead of time.
- Be aware, and make your partner aware that immediate payments (deposit contracts) may occur on-site.
- Trying to explain last-minute costs in English while signing can get stressful 😅 — it’s better to set expectations before the expo day!
4. 9–10 Months Before: Choosing the Studio–Dress–Makeup Package, Buying Rings, and Preparing the Suit
① Choosing a Studio & Booking Your Shoot Date
The studio photos will be used later in your mobile-device wedding invitations. Since mobile invites should be ready about 3 months before the wedding, it’s best to receive the final retouched photos at least 4 months prior.
From the shoot to final retouched files typically takes about 3 months because:
- You’ll select photos (the “A-cuts”) roughly 1 month after the shoot, and
- Final retouching is delivered about 2 months after selection.
Working backwards, the most relaxed timeline is to schedule the studio shoot ~7 months before the wedding. This is a generous plan—you can adjust using the timeline below.
If you plan to receive the raw files and retouch elsewhere, you can shorten the overall turnaround considerably. Also, while I allowed a full month to produce the invitations, it’s possible to finish in about a week if your design is approved quickly. In other words, with an aggressive plan, you could potentially have finished invitations within ~1 month of the shoot (using raw files retouched elsewhere).
[Shoot → Retouch → Invitation Timeline]
Studio Shoot → (after 1 month) A-cut Selection → (after 2 months) Final Retouched Files → (≤ 1 month) Invitation Production → (3 months later) Wedding Day
Once you have a rough shoot date, it’s time to choose the studio. Decide first whether you prefer people-focused portraits or scenery-forward images, a modern indoor aesthetic or a lush, nature-inspired look—this makes shortlisting much faster. We chose a scenery-forward studio with lots of greenery.
[Common Studio Styles in Korea]
- People-Focused Studios
- Emphasis on upper-body or bust shots rather than full length
- Feels like “Look at our best portrait/profile!”
- Background/Scenery-Focused Studios
- Lots of wide, full-length images
- Feels like “Look at us in this beautiful setting!”
- Modern Minimal Studios
- Often overlap with people-focused; clean indoor sets
- Less on background, more on expressions and mood
- Lush Nature-Inspired Studios
- Large outdoor spaces or big sets to capture wide, green backdrops
- Great for couples who love natural light and greenery
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| (Our wedding photos) Example of a greenery/scenery-forward studio #1 |
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| (Our wedding photos) Example #2 |
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| (Our wedding photos) Example #3 |
[Tips for an American Husband on Studio Shoots]
- Many Americans might find a staged “studio wedding shoot” unfamiliar.
- In the U.S., natural wedding-day snapshots are more common than posed studio sessions.
- My husband joked it felt a bit “fake” at first—until we started shooting. Then he had fun and loved the results!
- If your partner feels the same, explain gently that, with an open mind, the shoot often turns out to be a surprisingly fun, memorable part of preparing for the wedding. :)
② Dress Tour
Once the studio date and location are set, book a dress tour to match the shoot concept. I shared my preferred style (e.g., a simple silk mermaid silhouette) with our planner and sent a few Instagram screenshots. Our planner then recommended and booked three dress shops that matched my taste.
[On-Site Dress Tour Tips]
- For a studio package, you’ll typically try 4–5 dresses per shop.
- Most shops don’t allow photos during fittings, so have your partner jot down quick notes on each dress. (Our planner was with us and even made little sketches!)
- Memories blur after a full day of changing and traveling—so you and your partner should rank your favorites immediately after each fitting.
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| Our planner's dress sketches |
[What to Prepare]
Because wedding dresses are dramatic, arriving bare-faced can make everything look “off.” Wear a bit more makeup than usual. Many shops will do a quick, pretty up-do—so the whole day feels a bit like a royal dress-up! 😊
[Dress Tour Fees & Decision]
We paid about ₩50,000 per shop in cash for the tour fee. Although shops usually give you a week to decide, our choice was clear on day one: the clean, understated style of The Aisle was our runaway #1, so we confirmed our studio-shoot dresses right away.
③ Makeup Vendor
Similar to the dress tour, share reference photos and your preferred look with the planner; they’ll suggest suitable artists. I wanted a clean, natural look with subtle contouring, so I checked each studio’s Instagram portfolio and chose the one closest to my taste. No special tips here—I’m not a makeup geek 😅. “Clean, natural, and still me” was my brief.
④ Wedding Rings
Studios often use rings as props, and most rings are made to order. Choose the design early and allow enough lead time so the rings are ready before the shoot, all within your budget.
⑤ Suit/Tuxedo Selection & Contract
Maybe it’s just my husband, but he really didn’t want to spend money on a tuxedo, due to its limited wearability outside of super-formal settings 😅. Still, when you’re standing next to a wedding dress, a coordinated look matters. We decided to rent outfits for the studio shoot and buy a custom suit for the wedding day.
(You can rent for the wedding day too, but the price difference wasn’t huge for us. My brother-in-law also said his tailored suit became a great everyday business suit afterwards—so we went custom.)
[If Your American Husband Is Renting for the Shoot]
- If he’s tall, sleeves and trouser legs on rentals may run short — confirm length adjustments are possible before signing.
- Otherwise you risk paying for a suit that looks awkward in photos.
- Small details like these dramatically affect the final images—don’t skip the check!
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| Rental fitting for the studio shoot — trousers were too short initially. |
✋ Wait a moment!
I originally wrote the entire one-year Korean wedding-preparation timeline as a single post. But it turned out way too long... so I decided to split it into three parts.
The next parts will cover the actual wedding studio shoot, family makeup and outfits, and the final wedding day preparations!
👉 Preparing for a Korean Wedding with My American Husband, Part 2: Wedding Photoshoot & Ceremony Prep Guide
👉 Preparing for a Korean Wedding with My American Husband, Part 3: Wedding Day Schedule, Cash Gift Settlement, and Post-Ceremony Tips & Reflections
This article is the English version on Today 1 Step.
🌏 Life in Korea | Living with My American Husband
Daily life in Korea as a mixed-nationality family.
The real problems we run into, how we solve them, and what it actually takes to build a life here long-term.
👉 See more: All posts in Life in Korea
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