🌏 Life in Korea | Living with My American Husband 🌏 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.
Preparing for a Korean Wedding with My American Husband, Part 3: Wedding Day Schedule, Cash Gift Settlement, and Post-Ceremony Tips & Reflections
At last—the wedding day! We arrived at the hair & makeup studio by 7:00 a.m., finished styling, and reached the venue by 11:00 a.m. The ceremony began at noon, but because there was a briefrehearsal* and pre-ceremony shoot, you really should arrive at least one hour before the start time.
(*Don't expect a full, separate rehearsal event a day or more before a Korean wedding ceremony; it'll be short, simple, and right before guests start arriving.)
Guests typically start arriving about 30 minutes before the ceremony. In our case, however, the family bus from our hometown arrived at 10:00 a.m., so the venue was already bustling. 😂 My punctual dad led the entire clan in right at 10! Thankfully, the wedding hall opened the room early and kindly guided everyone so they could take photos and rest comfortably.
Because it was a small wedding, we reserved the entire hall from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.*, which helped a lot.
(*By contrast, a wedding in a typical wedding hall usually gives you about an hour total to get guests in, have the ceremony, take group photos, and go to the dining facilities so the room can be reset for the next group.)
[Pre-Ceremony Prep & Rehearsal]
As soon as we arrived, the staff gave us a quick briefing on the run-of-show, greeting positions, and livestream timing. Then, following the photo/video team’s directions, we did a pre-ceremony concept shoot. It was supposed to be just the two of us in an empty hall, but many guests had already arrived—so we ended up shooting with a friendly audience behind the director. 😆
[Greeting Guests & Livestream]
From 11:30 a.m. we greeted guests and took photos, while the YouTube livestream started at the same time.
We shared the link with our U.S. family and friends. It’s nearly impossible for the couple to send links themselves on the day, so prepare a recipient list in advance and ask a close friend or family member to send it out. It makes everything so much smoother.
[Ceremony Begins]
At noon, the MC invited everyone to be seated. My mom with the groom, and my dad with me, waited around the corner from the beginning of the aisle. When the procession started, we entered as guided by the staff. With about 130 guests close enough to see every face, it was deeply moving to have so many dear people celebrate together.
The ceremony lasted about 30–40 minutes. Group photos with family, relatives, and friends followed, and guests began eating lunch. Meanwhile we changed into our reception outfits and made table rounds to greet and thank everyone. Even for a small wedding, there were more people to greet than we expected—we kept thinking, “So glad we chose a small wedding… 😅”
[Wrap-Up & Settlement]
By the time we finished greeting everyone, it was already 2:00 p.m. Only then did we finally sit down for a late lunch and soak in the afterglow of the day. The relief of a long day ending and the joy of being surrounded by blessings stayed with us for a long time.
But the wedding doesn’t end there—there’s still the venue settlement. After changing into comfy clothes, we paid the remaining balance by bank wire transfer. Many couples settle with cash on-site using the collected cash gifts, but we chose to pay by wire so we could sort gifts at home.
Now everything was truly done. “Finally, let’s go home!”
[Wedding-Day Tips with an American Groom]
Request the livestream link in advance (for U.S. in-laws and overseas guests).
Prepare a recipient list and ask a friend or family member to send the link before the ceremony.
Pre-write the message so you’re not scrambling on the day.
10. After the Wedding: Settling Cash Gifts & Sending Thank-You Messages
If you’re not leaving for your honeymoon right away, the very first tasks are settling the cash gifts and sending thank-you notes. It’s courteous to express your gratitude to guests as quickly as possible.
Of course, the wedding day itself is a whirlwind and physically exhausting, so handling it the next day is absolutely fine. I personally feel at ease only after checking things off, so I settled the cash gifts and sent all my thank-you messages on the wedding night… which I do not recommend. 😅 I was so tired that my brain wasn’t functioning by the end of it.
Take a good rest and send your messages the next day with a calm mind—that's more than soon enough. I learned then that, at this stage, a sense of ease matters more than perfection.
11. Reflections
Writing this out brought everything back to life—the preparation and the big day itself. It’s already been more than a year, but as I put it into words, all those feelings bubbled up as if it were yesterday.
I couldn’t stop smiling while writing, remembering the happiness, excitement, and joy of the ceremony. Our wedding was truly one of the happiest moments of my life. I was deeply moved that so many dear people took the time to gather and celebrate our new beginning.
My husband, me, and both our parents were all smiles that day. Rewatching the video, I look almost too excited—it’s a bit embarrassing. 😂 Many brides look a little nervous or shy, but I was simply too thrilled and happy to stop grinning.
Yes, there were challenges in planning a Korean-style wedding with an American husband, but looking back, the fun and special memories far outweigh the hard parts. There were times I thought “I wish I’d known that earlier,” and I’ve gathered those tips throughout this guide so future Korean–American couples can prepare a little more smoothly.
Even though it’s in the past, reflecting on it now makes me feel like our sense of camaraderie as partners has grown deeper.
Before planning, I didn’t have a grand dream about weddings—and sometimes wondered whether we even “needed” one. But now I know I’d have truly regretted not doing it. A wedding isn’t just an event; it’s a major life milestone and the first gateway you pass through together as a married couple.
There were countless decisions and discussions, but preparing all of it side by side became a kind of “dress rehearsal” for our life together—proof that we can truly function as a team.
We also faced realistic conflicts that never surfaced while dating and learned how to understand and adjust to each other’s differences. Having navigated it all wisely, here’s applause for us for passing the first gateway! As a Korean–American couple, we're going to continue to face every future milestone shoulder to shoulder.
(+) [Korean–American Couple: Meet-the-Parents]
After finishing this wedding guide, I thought it would be helpful to add how we handled introducing our parents.
Both our Korean and American families readily gave their blessing, but arranging an in-person meeting was impractical under the circumstances. Our parents are older and long-distance travel isn’t easy.
So when we visited our U.S. family, we held the meet-the-parents via Zoom instead.
Our Korean & American families meeting for the first time over Zoom
✋ Hold on!
I originally wrote the full one-year timeline of preparing for a Korean wedding with my American husband in a single post. But it turned out way too long... so I rewrote it as a three-part series.
Check the previous parts for everything from contacting wedding venues a year in advance to final pre-wedding preparations!
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.
Comments
Post a Comment