Hello, my gorgeous people! I am so happy to have you here today to talk about Korean wedding attire for guests. I have already written the guest outfits for the fall and winter, and I have received many requests to write another post about the spring and summer editions! That makes sense, especially because Korea has severe weather conditions—it can be extremely hot during the summer and extremely cold during the winter. So to fit the TPO (time, place, and occasion), here is my post on what to wear to a Korean wedding as guests for both men and women in the spring and summer.

Korean Wedding Attire for Guests | Korean Wedding Traditions & Tips

Korean Wedding Guest Outfit | Autumn Look for Men & Women

Korean Wedding Guest Outfit | Winter Fashion for Men & Women

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Attending a wedding in Korea in the winter? Learn the etiquette and rules about Korean weddings and see the winter wedding guest outfit ideas for men and women.

Introduction to Korean Wedding Guest Outfit

Welcome to my episode of a Korean wedding.

Attending a Korean wedding can be a unique cultural experience. As a guest, choosing the right outfit is about honoring the traditions and customs of the culture while celebrating the event together. Before jumping into the guest outfits, let’s look at the characteristics of Korean wedding culture so you have background knowledge and understand what to expect.

You can also check out my other articles about Korean weddings.

• Korean Wedding Attire for Guests | Korean Wedding Traditions & Tips
• Korean Wedding Gifts
• Korean Wedding Makeup | Natural Romantic Look
• Korean Wedding Hairstyles

Then let’s look at what Korean weddings are about.

About Korean Wedding

1. The Joints of Two Families

In Korea, weddings are more than just a couple getting together. It is about the joints of the bride’s and groom’s families.

Family plays a big role in Korean culture,  and therefore, you will see most of the relatives of each bride and groom.

2. A Formal Wedding

This is another characteristic of a Korean wedding from the old Korean tradition: being formal.

In many Western cultures, they are having a small garden wedding or an outdoor wedding somewhere abroad with only a few close friends and family. People also wear something a little more exuberant, a little close to a beach dress or a party dress, depending on the theme of the party.

Most Korean weddings are held formally at a wedding hall, hotel, or church with a lot of relatives from the bride and groom’s sides. A groom wears a tuxedo and a bride wears a long wedding dress, oftentimes like a ball gown with veils.

So when you are going to a Korean wedding as a guest, try to have this in mind to get yourself dressed for TPO—time, place, and occasion.

3. A Big Wedding

A Korean wedding is relatively big, with many guests ranging from 150 to 250. (I heard some weddings in Korea had nearly 500 guests!)

Other parts of the world hold big weddings like they do in India (I have a few friends who’ve been to an Indian wedding and they all said it was so huge and awesome!) but in many other cultures, wedding guests can be as few as 20 to 50 people. For instance, in Norway, where I live now, weddings are held only with very close friends and family, and the number of guests is around 50 on average.

So I would say a Korean wedding falls somewhere between a couple of hundred and less than a hundred.

This is due to the fact I explained in #1 that a Korean wedding is about the joints of two families. When all the relatives from both the bride and the groom come to the wedding, it can easily become larger. Also, the friends of the bride and groom’s parents love to join and celebrate. They come with their spouse or even bring their children. The number of guests can easily multiply!

4. The Wedding Ceremony is Short

Compared to how big and formal the wedding is, the wedding ceremony per se is quite short.

Here is a brief overview of the common wedding process in Korea.

1. Pre-ceremony information (10 minutes before the ceremony)
2. Opening remarks & wedding officiant’s greetings
3. Ignition of fire on candles
4. Officient’s introduction
5. Groom entrance
6. Bride entrance
7. Bride & Groom wedding bows to each other
8. Wedding vows
9. Declaration of marriage
10. A speech from the wedding officiant
11. Epithalamium
12. Greetings to the bride and groom’s parents
13. The Bride & Groom bow to the guests
14. Bride & Groom’s march
15. Photo time & Closing of the wedding ceremony
16. Banquet hall
17. Buffet

This whole process can take about a few hours, but no longer than 5–6 hours.

5. A Big Buffet After the Ceremony

Instead of cutting a huge wedding cake at a wedding in America, people just go straight into the buffet after the wedding ceremony is done.

A buffet is one of the most important parts of the wedding, as it is a way for the wedded couple to show gratitude towards their guests. My mom always said, “The top three things people remember about the wedding are the wedding hall, the bride’s dress, and the feast.” If the buffet had a great variety and quality, guests would be happy.

Now that you’ve learned the main characteristics of a Korean wedding, let’s get to the fun part: the dos and don’ts of Korean wedding attire for guests!

Korean Wedding Attire for Guests | Dress Code for Men & Women

Korean Wedding Attire Dos

1. A Formal or Semi-Formal Suit

A formal or semi-formal suit is acceptable for both men and women at a Korean wedding for guests.

2. Stylish yet Toned-Down

It is best to avoid clothes that are too flashy or too shabby. If it is too flashy, you need to be considerate so that the bride and the groom become the center of attention.

Clothes that are too casual can make the bride and groom feel like you are not considerate of how much effort they have put into this wedding event.

So try to be stylish, professional, and considerate of what you wear at a Korean wedding as a guest.

3. Be Humble

As a Korean wedding is still a formal event that evolved from Korean wedding traditions and has many older relatives coming, you want to have humble clothing without showing too much of your skin.

Opt for a classic suit that fits your body well and makes you feel comfortable.

Korean Wedding Attire Don’ts

It’s a wedding, not a funeral! Avoid all black that looks like funeral attire.

1. No Funeral Attire

In Korea and many other places in the world, wearing all black is funeral attire. Wearing all black that reminds people of funeral attire is not permitted.

However, it might be difficult for men’s attire to distinguish funeral attire from wedding attire.

Reserve white for the bride to flaunt at her wedding. If you dress like this, people will think that you are there to crash the wedding!

2. No All-Black or All-White 

This is also common in many other places, where a bride wears a white wedding dress but avoids wearing all-white attires.

I would recommend not wearing a full white top or a skirt either. A little bit of white color in your attire is alright.

But when you doubt whether you should wear something or not, I recommend not wearing it and you can choose something else. You don’t want to risk wearing something inappropriate at your friend or family’s wedding and have that as proof on their wedding picture.

If you want to wear something bright, then opt for beige or light colors.

All-black attire also resembles funeral attire, as mentioned, so avoid that as well.

This is a great outfit, I love it! Just not at a Korean wedding…

3. Not Too Flashy

Your clothing should not be too flashy, as in not showing too much skin or being too exuberant. Remember, the bride and groom should be the center of attention at their wedding.

1. FORMAL ATTIRE

Formal Attire for Women

Formal attire is the safest way to present yourself at a Korean wedding.

Think of business formal attire for both men and women. That’s a great attire to wear at a Korean wedding!

Tops for Women

• Blouses or Shirts: Choose light blouses or shirts made from breathable and natural fabrics like cotton, linen, or silk. Short-sleeved options are also appropriate. It can be very hot and humid in Korea during the spring and summer!
• Blazers: Lightweight blazers might come in handy because it can be chilly or even cold in the indoor wedding hall. The wedding halls usually turn the AC on so that the bride and groom can feel comfortable in their long dress and a formal suit.

Bottoms for Women

• Skirts: Pencil skirts or A-line skirts that fall just above your knee or below are great!
• Pants: Ankle-length or cropped trousers that fit your figure are amazing.

Dresses for Women

• Sheath Dresses: Wearing long party or garden dresses is quite uncommon in Korea. Look for formal business dresses, like sheath dresses.

Shoes for Women

• Heels: Low to mid-height pumps or wedges are good choices. Open-toes can work if not overly casual.
• Flats: Ballet flats, loafers, or stylish flats are comfortable and fashionable.

Formal Attire for Men

Pastel-toned linen shirts are a great summer investment for men.

Shirts for Men

When dressing for formal attire in the summer, men should focus on staying cool while staying professional. But don’t worry; most wedding halls would have an AC on in the spring and summer.

• Dress Shirts: Choose a light-colored dress shirt made from natural fabrics like cotton or linen. You can wear short-sleeved shirts or roll up the long sleeves.
• Polos: You can also wear polos in neutral, toned-down, or light colors

Suits for Men

• Lightweight Suits: Invest in suits made from linen, cotton, or lightweight wool blends. Light colors such as grey and beige, and some dark colors like navy are versatile and summer-appropriate. Black might feel and look too hot.

Accessories for Men

• Belts: You can match your belt with your shoes, opting for lighter shades for the spring and the summer.
• Pocket Squares: A pocket square can be very elegant and stylish, adding a fun touch to your style.

2. SEMI-FORMAL ATTIRE

The second style of Korean wedding attire for guests is semi-formal attire. Formal attire for business can be an easy choice for people who already have those attire. But if you want to have more fun with your look, semi-formal attire offers a variety of styles and colors!

Semi-Formal Attire for Women

When it comes to semi-formal attire for women, there are many dress options for you to choose from.

A wrap dress is a gorgeous wedding party dress that looks modest yet so stylish! Look for chiffon, cotton, linen, or silk materials.

Dresses for Women

• Tweed Jacket & Skirt Set: These are a great choice! It’s quite popular in Korea to wear these, and they can come in many colors, checkers, and buttons. I love them personally.
• Wrap Dress: These are flattering and versatile.
• Midi Dress: Choose a midi dress in a light fabric like silk or cotton. Floral prints work well, as well as pastels and solid colors are great too.
• A-line dress: An A-line dress that falls just above the knee to below the knee can feel comfortable and elegant.

Lace Dress is a classic lace dress you can wear on many other occasions.

Accessories for Women

• Jewelry: Simple and elegant jewelry can work very well. Avoid statement jewelry that can draw too much attention.
• Pumps & Flats: In Korean culture, the best way to stylize is to wear great shoes or bags. The clothing can be somewhat neutral, but it is not neutral if you accessorize it with shiny, hot pink heels and a cute bag with flower embroidery!

Shoes

I love fun and elegant flats, pumps, and ruffles from Larroudé. They are elegant with a pop of colors that can really add a fun touch to your look.

Semi-Formal Attire for Men

Semi-formal attire for men is quite similar to the formal attire for men. You can introduce more fun, bright colors and patterns to the shirt or suit.

Polo Shirt

Make sure you get 100% cotton polo shirts that are breathable like this. Many shirts have polyester blends which are cheaper materials, but they absorb body odor and oil. That is not very nice in the summer, is it? Also, cottons are a sustainable choice. I recommend this good quality and good-priced polo shirt!

3. HANBOK: Korean Traditional Clothing

The groom’s mom wears a Hanbok in a blue-shaded skirt, and the bride’s mom wears a red-shaded skirt.

Hanbok, Korean traditional clothing, is usually worn by a close family. Especially, if you are the mother of the bride or the groom, you usually match the Korean traditional clothing, hanbok with different colors of skirts. If you are the groom’s mother, you wear a blue skirt. If you are the bride’s mother, you wear a red skirt.

As an older sister to my brother, my mom also asked me if I wanted to wear Hanbok for my brother’s wedding.

My Thoughts on Korean Wedding Attire for Guests

I hope you enjoyed this post about the Korean wedding attire for guests. These are the general rules, but the dress code might vary depending on the type and the people. To be sure, ask your host if there is any dress code or if the attire you are going to wear is appropriate.

For instance, I had my wedding in Korea in the summer, and my sister-in-law asked if she could wear a hot pink silk dress. She thought it might be a lot for a Korean wedding guest dress. I said, “Yes, of course, you can wear it!” My other Norwegian friend wore a pink wrap dress which is very common guest attire to wear at a Norwegian garden wedding. It was different from what people generally wear at a wedding in Korea, but all of us thought it was gorgeous. We just thought it was so sweet of her to fly all the way from Norway to Korea for my wedding, and people found it so interesting to see a different style from a Korean.

So yes, unless you wear something outrageous like a long white dress or a clubbing party dress to the wedding, it should be good. When in doubt, ask your host. What is important is that you wear something that you feel comfortable inside out. And most importantly, have fun at the wedding!

Lots of hugs from me.

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