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Average Gangnam wedding costs 34 million won, three times that of provinces

Published: 28 May. 2025, 16:08 Updated: 29 May. 2025, 17:48

Six couples get married in a joint wedding ceremony in Gwangju on April 24. [YONHAP]

The average cost of wedding services across Korea stands at 21.01 million won ($15,260), with that in southern Seoul’s Gangnam District topping the list at 34.09 million won — nearly three times the average price in the Gyeongsang region, according to data the Korea Consumer Agency released Wednesday.

The agency conducted its first nationwide wedding services pricing survey, which includes data collected in April from 522 vendors across 14 regions, including 370 wedding venues and 152 wedding planning agencies.

It analyzed the median prices — reflecting regional disparities — of bookings made for 5,000 Saturday weddings between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and of 1,814 contracts for popular wedding packages that include studio photography, dress rentals and makeup services.

The results showed that the national average cost of essential wedding services, including venue rental and catering, plus the popular packages, totaled 21.01 million won.

By region, Gangnam was the most expensive at 34.09 million won, followed by the rest of Seoul at 28.15 million won, Gyeonggi at 18.75 million won, Incheon at 18.34 million won and Ulsan at 17.96 million won. Gyeongsang was the most affordable at 12.09 million won, Busan at 12.27 million won, Jeju at 15.43 million won and Gangwon at 16.27 million won.

The median cost of wedding venue contracts alone was 15.55 million won. Gangnam once again led the list at 31.3 million won, while Busan was the lowest at 8.15 million won.

Wedding dresses are on display at a bridal expo in Daegu on Feb. 11. [YONHAP]

Wedding venues charged more during the peak months of October, May, April and November. The median venue price during peak season was 16.2 million won, 4.5 million won higher than the 11.7 million won recorded in the off-season.

Among individual months, April had the highest average contract amount at 17.25 million won, followed by March at 16.8 million won, May at 16 million won and June at 15.53 million won.

Catering accounted for the largest portion of wedding expenses. The median per-guest meal cost was 58,000 won nationwide. Gangnam topped the chart again with 85,000 won per guest, while Gyeongsang was the cheapest at 44,000 won. Catering costs rose during peak months to 60,000 won compared to 55,000 won in off-season. March had the most expensive average meal cost at 63,000 won.

The median total cost of catering — calculated by multiplying per-guest rates by the minimum guest guarantee — was 11.83 million won. Gangnam ranked highest at 22 million won, while Busan came in lowest at 7.05 million won.

The median venue rental fee was 3 million won, with Gangnam again most expensive at 7 million won. Gwangju and Jeju were the cheapest at 1 million won each. Only in Daejeon did venues charge a separate basic decoration fee, at 500,000 won.

The median cost for packages including studio photography, dress rentals and makeup was 2.9 million won. Jeolla had the highest average at 3.45 million won, followed by Gwangju at 3.41 million won, Busan at 3.11 million won and Gangnam at 2.95 million won. Incheon offered the lowest average price of 2.12 million won.

A couple poses during a wedding photo shoot at Olympic Park in Songpa District, southern Seoul, on Feb. 25. [NEWS1]

Breaking down the package, median prices were 1.35 million won for studio photography, 1.55 million won for dresses (one for the ceremony and three for photo shoots) and 760,000 won for makeup (both ceremony and photo shoot).

Among 58 optional services that could add to the cost, the “early start fee” stood out. This fee applies to makeup services scheduled in the early morning. About 73.6 percent of vendors varied prices by time, with the median price of services between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. reaching 200,000 won — the highest bracket.

Most couples booked their wedding venues roughly a year in advance, with 55.3 percent securing contracts between 12 and 18 months before the wedding date.

Despite the findings, the Consumer Agency noted that 63.6 percent of vendors, or 332 out of 522, did not publicly disclose their pricing, citing difficulties with standardization and concerns about revealing information to competitors.

The agency plans to update regional wedding service prices monthly and release data every two months on its online platform.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY LEE HAY-JUNE [[email protected]]