Gayeon Marriage Information, Survey of 500 Unmarried Men and Women
As social distancing measures due to COVID-19 have been lifted, the previously frozen wedding market is regaining momentum. Consequently, more people are becoming concerned about both attending weddings and giving congratulatory gifts.
On the 15th, Gayeon Marriage Information conducted a survey of 500 unmarried men and women (ages 25-39, 250 each) from the perspective of wedding guests. The survey found that the "most worrisome wedding to attend" was "a wedding of a classmate who contacted you after a long time (37.4%)."
Following that were ▲weddings held in distant regions (33.8%) ▲weddings of colleagues from other departments at work (14.2%) ▲weddings of former colleagues (9.8%) ▲weddings of a partner’s siblings (4.2%) ▲others (0.6%).
When asked how they would act if invited to a wedding they found worrisome, responses were ▲not attending but giving a congratulatory gift only (47.8%) ▲sending only congratulatory messages (22%) ▲attending if possible and giving a gift (15.8%) ▲taking no particular action (12.4%) ▲others (1.8%). Most of the "others" indicated that their decision would depend on the situation.
The "most difficult weddings as guests" were ▲weddings with inconvenient transportation and parking (48.2%) ▲weddings with bad-tasting or insufficient food (20.2%) ▲weddings with overly long ceremonies such as officiating or congratulatory songs (17%) ▲weddings with cramped venues and insufficient seating (14%) ▲weddings where the guest knows no one and is alone (0.6%).
“Ways to cope with worrisome weddings” differ by gender and age
The response that showed the greatest difference by gender and age was "actions taken regarding worrisome weddings."
By gender, 22% of men chose "attend if possible," while only 9.6% of women did. Conversely, 42.8% of men and 52.8% of women answered "not attending but giving a congratulatory gift only."
By age group, 43.2% of people in their 20s and 52.4% of people in their 30s responded positively to "not attending but giving a congratulatory gift only." Men showed slightly more willingness to attend weddings than women. This is generally interpreted as reflecting the fact that men tend to have a higher proportion of social activities.
Kim Eun-young, a couple manager at Gayeon Marriage Information, said, "As the marriage rate continues to decline and the age of marriage is delayed, the expected number of marriages this year is about 3% higher than last year. Receiving sudden news from acquaintances who have not been in contact for a long time can be surprising, but it is most important that both the bride and groom inviting and the guests invited sincerely celebrate and express gratitude to each other."
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