Korean traditional marriage

         In Korea, the marriage between a man and woman represents the joining of two families, rather than the joining of two individuals. As such, the event was often called Taerye (Great Ritual), and people from all over participated. Steeped in traditional Confucian values, the ceremonies and events surrounding the actual marriage were long and elaborate, from the pairing of the couple to the rituals performed after the ceremony.
Professional matchmakers paired up likely candidates for marriage, with the new couple often meeting for the first time at their wedding! The families considered many factors in the decision, consuting with fortune tellers for predictions about the couple's future life together. During the Chosun period, people married in their early teens, with the girl often being several years older than the boy.
The groom usually traveled to the house of the bride for the ceremony, then stayed there for 3 days before taking his new bride to his family's home. The actual ceremony involved many small rituals, with many bows and symbolic gestures. The participants were expected to control their emotions and remain somber.
Although Koreans have kept several aspects of the traditional ceremony, most modern ceremonies resemble Western marriage ceremonies more than traditional Korean ones. However, many folk villages and museums across the country regularly perform ceremonies to keep the traditions alive.

 Traditionally, commoners wore white or subdued clothing except for special occassions and festivals when they wore bright, festive colors. As marriage represented the most import event in a person's life, the participants were allowed to wear clothes fashioned after the costumes reserved for members of the court. In addition to the clothes, they also wore ceremonial head gear. The groom wore a black hat, while the bride wore a veil covering her face until halfway through the ceremony. Additionally, she wore a long hair pin. (For more information, see the Traditional Clothing spotlight.)

Wedding clothes

Bride's Costume Wonsam or Hwalot The bride wore an elaborate topcoat with flowing sleeves over her other clothes. Similar to the costume worn by queens and noblewomen of the time, a Wonsam was made with blue silk on the inside and red silk outside. The front and back had embroidered flowers representing wealth, longevity, and nobleness. The billowing sleeves had blue, yellow, red, fabrics, with a wide strip of white at the cuffs, which also had colorful embroidery.
The wonsam replaced the hwalot during the Chosun Dynasty (1392-1910), and many brides followed suit. Princesses wore green ones. The wide sleeves often had 4 or 5 colors, with wide white strips at the cuffs.
Daedae
A daedae (belt of red woven silk with gold embroidery) was wrapped around the wonsam or hwalot and tied in the back.
Jokduri (Ceremonial Coronet)
The Jokduri was fashioned after a cap used by Mongolian women when they went outside the home. The Korean version became smaller than the original size and is used mostly as an accessory. Jokduri worn by royal family members contained 7 different colors.

Yongjam and Daenggi
The bride's hair was pulled back tightly and tied at the back of her neck. A yongjam (long hairpin with a dragon head at one end) was placed through her tied hair. A dot'urak daenggi (a long, wide piece of dark silk, embroidered with gold lettering) attached to the jokduri and hung down the bride's back. A thinner ap' daenggi hung from each side of the yongjam, resting along the front of the wonsam.

Dangui and Hwagwan
The queen, princess, or wife of a high ranking government official wore a dangui during minor ceremonies in the palace. Women of the Yangban (noble) class also wore it as a wedding costume. It was usually made with green silk outside and red inside or purple silk outside and pink inside. The costume had narrow sleeves and a half-moon shape on the bottom hem. Similar to the jokduri, but more ornate, a hwagwan was worn for a headdress with a dangui.
Groom's Costume
Called Samogwandae, the groom's costume closely resembled the clothes worn by the lowest ranking court officials during the Chosun Dynasty. The color and belt decoration symbolized the person's position within the court hierarchy. As marriage represented the most important event in a man's life, the groom was allowed to wear this uniform, even though he did not hold any position in the palace. (Those of higher rank would wear different clothes during their own marriage ceremony).

Paji and Cheogori (Traditional Pants and Jacket)
The paji had wide legs as baggier pants were more comfortable for sitting on floors than narrower pants. Two straps of cloth (called Daenim) bound the cuffs of the paji around the ankles. This prevented the cuffs from covering up the boots. A cheogori was the traditional shirt worn by men of the time.

Dalryeongp'o (Jacket)
This jacket, usually of blue or maroon color, contained an embroidered picture (hyungbae) of two red crested white cranes on the middle of the chest. A gakdae (belt) tied the dalryeongp'o together, similar to the bride's daedae.

Completing the costume were a pair of black cloth boots (Mokwha) and a samo (a stiff cap with "wings" on the sides).