Reducing High Wedding Costs
and Spreading a Value-Centered Wedding Culture
Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province is set to actively promote the "Jeonbuk, My Wedding" program, a support project for "small and meaningful weddings" utilizing public facilities.
According to the province on August 26, this initiative was established to alleviate the high costs, which are one of the main reasons people avoid marriage, and to spread a value-centered and reasonable wedding culture instead of excessive formalities.
The Jeonbuk My Wedding project aims to help engaged couples hold weddings economically by using public facilities in the province, moving away from the excessive conditions of private wedding halls such as high rental fees, expensive catering, and guest limitations. Public spaces such as the Provincial Art Museum and Jeollagamyeong will be used as wedding venues, with pilot operations planned in Wanju and Jeonju.
The pilot project will target ten couples who have lived in Jeonbuk for at least six months and wish to have a small-scale wedding. The program will provide free venue rental (excluding food and receptions) as a basic benefit, along with support for studio, dress, and makeup services, and wedding loan interest assistance, to substantially reduce the financial burden. By collaborating with wedding specialists, an integrated wedding package will be offered to further ease the preparation process.
Engaged couples wishing to participate can apply through the provincial website and the Gongyu Nuri platform. As the project is linked to promotional content production, participants must agree to the use of their wedding photos and videos for provincial publicity. If there are more applicants than available slots, priority will be given based on income and other criteria. The province also plans to continuously improve the program through satisfaction surveys conducted after the weddings.
This project not only provides tangible benefits to engaged couples but also increases the utilization of idle public facilities and marks a new beginning for couples as members of the local community. By reducing excessive wedding costs and creating an environment where anyone can marry without financial burden, it is also expected to help address the low birthrate issue.
The province plans to select specialized wedding partners, promote the project, and recruit participants, with pilot operations scheduled to begin in 2026 to encourage public participation.
Kim Kwan-young, Governor of Jeonbuk Province, stated, "Marriage is a personal choice, but the reality where that choice is delayed or abandoned due to financial reasons is a problem we must solve together. Through small but warm weddings, we will create an environment where young people can choose marriage, and together, we will overcome the low birthrate issue."
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