Hello, my beautiful people! As part of my wedding series, I have this new topic for you all: Korean wedding guest winter outfits! As someone from South Korea who held a wedding, helped with my brother’s wedding, and attended many weddings in Korea, I love digging into the Korean wedding topic. If you are going to a wedding in Korea, I wrote this article to help you find the right guest outfit that keeps you warm and comfortable yet looks stylish at a big event like a wedding! Planning to attend a wedding is really fun, and I hope you have a blast.
So to start off, should we look at the winter wedding season around the world?
Winter Wedding Season Around the World
Generally speaking, winter weddings are less common than spring, summer, or autumn weddings around the world. But that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have its own beauty! Here are some of the reasons why people choose the winter season for their weddings.
- Availability: It is easier to book venues, photographers, and many other wedding-related things as the winter is an off-peak season. It also means that there might be some discounts on booking.
- Winter Moods: The snow, candles, fairy lights, and winter scenery can create a magical atmosphere.
- Holiday Season: There is Christmas, New Year, or Valentine’s Day in the winter. This can be a pro and con for the guests—some might be away for the holiday, or some might be able to make time because it is a holiday. There is also a holiday mood for the season.
This means that, for us guests at a winter wedding, we could play our guest outfit with the winter season as well as the holiday mood!
Winter Season in Korea
In South Korea, winter typically starts in December and ends around late February. The temperature can vary quite a lot depending on the region; it gets colder as you go up north, and it is milder near the sea due to the maritime influence.
The average temperature in the winter in Korea ranges from -1 to 5 °C (30-41 °F), with an average of 2.4 °C (36.32 °F) in December. However, please keep in mind that the perceived temperature is way lower in Korea! Due to the high humidity in the air, the air feels so much colder. That means you should wear a thick coat and protect your neck, ears, and head with scarves, hats, and even earmuffs.
However, interestingly enough, there is still bright sunlight in the winter! That’s one thing that is quite interesting about the Korean winter: there is bright sunlight yet cold air and temperature. It can snow now and then in Korea, as well!
☃️ Seollal: Korean Traditional Holiday During Winter
If you are booking a flight to Korea, perhaps you could check the Seollal dates in Korea and try to avoid it. Seollal is a New Year’s Day according to a lunar calendar, which is the calendar method that was traditionally used back in the days in Korea.
It is one of the biggest national holidays, and the flight tickets are higher around the Seollal season.
Introduction to Winter Wedding Season in Korea
Although the winter wedding season is getting more and more popular around the world, it is still less common. So you are attending a special one! There are more and more outdoor weddings held in Korea; however, there certainly will not be an outdoor wedding in the winter. It is freezing cold and will be held indoors. The wedding venue will have a pleasant temperature inside, so let’s keep that in mind when choosing an outfit as a guest for the wedding.
Introduction to What to Wear to a Korean Wedding
So you are attending a Korean wedding. 👰🤵 Picking the right outfit isn’t just about looking fabulous—it’s a thoughtful way to honor the rich traditions and customs of the culture while celebrating the happy couple. But before we jump into some swoon-worthy winter outfit ideas, let’s take a quick dive into the key elements of Korean wedding culture so you know what to expect!
As a Korean who has held a wedding in Seoul and attended a handful of them, I have several blogs about Korean weddings. You can check them out here.
- Korean Wedding Attire for Guests | Korean Wedding Traditions & Tips
- Korean Wedding Guest Outfit | Spring, Summer Look for Men & Women
- Korean Wedding Guest Outfit | Autumn Look for Men & Women
- Korean Wedding Gifts
- Korean Wedding Makeup | Natural Romantic Look
- Korean Wedding Hairstyles
A Little About Korean Winter Fashion
As I went into details about the Korean winter season, I noticed that Korean winter fashion goes along with that.
- Wear winter accessories: The air outside can feel cold and sharp, so wearing winter accessories like scarves, hats, and gloves is recommended.
- Wear in layers: It is usually warm indoors though, so remember to layer your clothes so you can wear and take off depending on the temperature.
- Muted overall colors: Neutral, dark-colored clothes are the classic colors for winter fashion in Korea.
- Add accent colors: Then you introduce a spark of colors into your outfit with some accent colors, such as pastel tones or rich vivid colors such as burgundy or dark green.
A Little About Korean Weddings
Okay, then let’s briefly go over some of the characteristics of Korean weddings so you have background information on what to expect.
1. Joints of Two Families
In Korea, a wedding is so much more than just a couple saying “I do.” It’s a beautiful celebration of two families coming together. Expect to see a crowd full of relatives because family is at the heart of Korean culture!
2. A Formal Affair
Korean weddings are all about elegance and tradition. Think of grand venues like wedding halls, hotels, or churches. The bride typically stuns in a long white gown, and the groom looks dapper in a tuxedo. Unlike those casual outdoor weddings you might see in Western cultures, Korean weddings bring glitz and formality to the forefront!
3. Big Guest List
Korean weddings are usually known for their large guest lists, often ranging from 150 to 250 people. Having less than 100 guests is considered a “small wedding.” Depending on your culture, this number might sound big or small!
Korean Wedding Guest Attire for Each Season
I’ve written articles about guest outfits for Korean weddings for each season and showed some details. Please check these out if you are interested.
Korean Wedding Attire for Guests | Korean Wedding Traditions & Tips
Korean Wedding Attire for Guests | Men & Women’s Outfits | Spring & Summer
Korean Wedding Guest Outfit | Autumn Look for Men & Women
Korean Wedding Attire for Guests | Dress Code for Men & Women
Korean Wedding Attire Dos
✅ 1. Choose Formal or Semi-Formal Attire
If I had to explain the Korean wedding attire style in one sentence, it would be formal or semi-formal attire. You could even put on your best business attire for the Korean wedding! It’s not just polite, but also a very popular choice for the guest attire.
You can choose formal attire or semi-formal business attire.
✅ 2. Choose Smart Casual
If you don’t have any formal clothing or want to feel more relaxed, you could rock your smart casual attire. This also works if you are a young student.
Parkas are also a popular choice in Korea. You could just take the outerwear once you are in the indoor wedding venue, so you could choose something warm and comfortable for you.
Smart casuals are usually a great choice of clothing for those of you seeking comfort but also style!
✅ 3. Keep It Classy & Humble
Aim for something stylish yet humble. Incorporating natural fabrics like cotton, linen, or silk could make you look elegant and chic. And less skin is more when it comes to Korean weddings. A touch of modesty in your outfit will be appreciated.
Korean Wedding Attire Don’ts
Now let’s look at guest attire that we should avoid when attending weddings in Korea. These rules overlap in many other parts of the world, too.
❌ 1. All-Black Attires/ Funeral Clothing
All-black attires are undeniably classy, chic, and powerful. But there is certainly a difference between beautiful all-black attire and funeral clothing!
In modern times in Korea, people generally wear all-black clothing to the funeral. The funeral clothing would be all-black without any introduction to a color. It would also cover the whole body. You could certainly wear black items or even black attire at a Korean wedding at a guest, but remember to add some colors to your accessories such as jewelry, shoes, bags, and scarves. Then you are ready to look classy and fun at a wedding!
❌ 2. White Attires
At a Korean wedding, the bride usually rocks a stunning white gown, so it is strictly prohibited to wear white outfits. It is especially true if you are a close friend to the groom or the bride because there will be time to shoot pictures with the bride and the groom. You can certainly shine as a guest with a beautiful color that suits you, and I’m sure you can rock so many varieties of colors!
A shot from K-drama The Glory on Netflix.
Have you watched the K-drama called The Glory on Netflix? In there, the girl who is wearing a white blouse has always been jealous of the bride. And she wasn’t the brightest. So she decided to wear a puffy white blouse to her friend’s wedding. Yikes!
✅ A little touch of white in your outfit works fine.
Just a little bit of white color in your attire like this picture below works all right. You can also put on some gorgeous light-colored outfits, like beige or other pastel shades instead of white.
There are many beautiful colors perfect for the winter and the holidays! I will show you some examples just down below.
Wearing a white shirt and blouse like this should work great!
Korean Wedding Guest Outfit | Winter Fashion for Men & Women
1. Wear for Winter & Holiday
Wearing for the winter is not just about wearing warm clothes – you could wear light, an icy color resembling winter snow or velvet and gold jewelry to show the holiday mood.
Match some gold accessories like a gold brooch, necklace, or buttons for the holiday mood.
A wedding in the winter is also a holiday event, isn’t it?
2. Wear Layers
Wearing in layers not only keeps you warmer than wearing one thick coat, but you can quickly change your clothing depending on the temperatures. It is freezing outside during the winter but toasty or moderate indoors. Layering your clothes can make you feel comfortable at all times.
You could also protect your skin from vulnerable skin like neck, hands, and ears by wearing layers.
Layering a shirt, a sweater, a blazer, and such is a great choice.
💡A Little Tip at the Korean Wedding
I would skip super tight dresses, skirts, or pants for a Korean wedding – unless you are a model or don’t want to enjoy the food! Koreans put a huge importance on providing good food and feast to their guests, and therefore, you are in for a treat here.
I always choose a roomy or an A-line skirt so I can still look good and stuff myself with amazing food. 😏
3. HANBOK: Korean Traditional Clothing
Family members often wear hanbok, the traditional Korean clothing at Korean weddings. Usually, the mothers of the bride and the groom wear the hanbok so you will be able to tell who are the mothers of the wedding among many other people. Sometimes other close family members also choose to wear hanbok, adding a touch of beautiful tradition to the celebration!
The bride’s mother wears a red-shade skirt and the groom’s mother wears a blue-shade skirt at the wedding. So you could tell whose mom they are by the color of their hanbok.
Summary of Korean Wedding Guest Attire for Winter
I hope you enjoyed this article about the Korean wedding guest attire for the winter! Attending a Korean wedding in winter is about balancing style, comfort, warmth, and cultural respect – Formal or semi-formal attire including business attire. I hope you found these examples for the winter season interesting and helpful.
Remember, when in doubt about your outfit, ask your hosts for their opinions. And have fun!
More Articles on Korean Weddings
Korean Wedding Gifts | Traditional & Modern Examples
Korean Wedding Makeup | Natural Romantic Look
Leave a Reply