Getting Married in Gangnam Costs Up to 34 Million Won Including Meals... Is a 100,000 Won Gift Too Little?

Large Gap in Wedding Costs Depending on Region and Season
Gangnam, Seoul Has the Highest Venue, Seudeume, and Meal Prices

For engaged couples preparing for marriage, wedding expenses remain a significant burden. Even basic services, such as studio photography, dress, and makeup packages (commonly referred to as Seudeume), as well as venue rental fees and meal costs, can amount to tens of millions of won. Depending on the timing and location of the wedding, the total cost can differ by more than 20 million won.

Wedding scene. Pixabay

On May 28, the Korea Consumer Agency announced the results of a wedding service price survey conducted in April 2025, targeting 370 wedding venues and 152 wedding planning agencies across 14 regions nationwide. As of April this year, the average total contract amount for wedding services for engaged couples was 21.01 million won. By region, Gangnam in Seoul was the highest at 34.09 million won, while Gyeongsang Province was the lowest at 12.09 million won. This means that depending on the wedding location, the cost difference can exceed 22 million won.

Specifically, the median price for wedding venues nationwide was 15.55 million won. Gangnam in Seoul was the most expensive at 31.3 million won, while Busan was the most affordable at 8.15 million won. The median price for the Seudeume package was 2.9 million won, with Jeolla Province being the highest at 3.45 million won and Incheon the lowest at 2.12 million won.

The timing of the wedding also significantly influenced the total cost. All 370 wedding venues surveyed nationwide reported having a peak season. During peak season, the median contract amount was 16.2 million won, which was about 4.5 million won higher than the off-season (11.7 million won). The most common peak months were October (95.9%), May (90.0%), April (89.7%), and November (80.3%). In particular, April had the highest median contract amount at 17.25 million won.

There were also significant regional differences in the so-called Seudeume costs, which include studio, dress, and makeup services. For studio photography (based on a 20-page album and 20R frame), the average cost was 1.35 million won. By region, Gangwon Province was the highest at 1.59 million won, while Gyeonggi Province and Chungcheong Province were the lowest at 1 million won. For dresses (one for the ceremony and three for the photo shoot), the average was 1.55 million won, with Daejeon at 2.22 million won and Seoul (excluding Gangnam) at 1.1 million won. For makeup (ceremony and photo shoot), the average was 760,000 won, with Gangnam in Seoul being the most expensive at 990,000 won and Gwangju the least expensive at 320,000 won.

Meal costs, which often serve as a benchmark for guests’ congratulatory money, also varied greatly by region and season. In particular, newlyweds holding their wedding in Gangnam, Seoul, found it difficult to cover meal expenses with a standard congratulatory gift of 50,000 won.

The median total meal cost (calculated by multiplying the per-person meal price by the minimum guaranteed number of guests) was 11.83 million won. Gangnam in Seoul was the highest at 22 million won, while Busan was the lowest at 7.05 million won, resulting in a difference of more than threefold. The median per-person meal price was 58,000 won, with Gangnam in Seoul at 85,000 won, about twice as high as Gyeongsang Province at 44,000 won.

Among optional wedding service items, fresh flower decorations at wedding venues (2.25 million won), studio original photo purchase fees (220,000 won), dress "first wear" fees (2 million won), and makeup "hair styling" fees (350,000 won) were found to significantly increase the financial burden on engaged couples. In particular, for makeup services, there is an "early start fee" for sessions beginning at dawn, with the median price being the highest at 200,000 won for start times between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m.

Of the 522 wedding service providers included in this survey, 63.6% did not disclose price information. For wedding planning agencies, 86.8% did not provide even the minimum price. The most common reasons for not disclosing prices were "difficulty in standardization" (56.6%) and "concerns about exposure to competitors" (28.6%).

The Korea Consumer Agency stated, "To support the healthy development of the wedding service market and rational consumption by the younger generation, we will continue to survey wedding service prices by region every month and provide information every two months." The agency added, "We will also continue efforts to encourage voluntary price disclosure by wedding service providers."