Korean Ceremony marriage

Traditional Ceremony (Before, after & Clothes)

The day of the celebration finally arrives. Members of both families and the local villagers come out to watch the ceremony. The various aspects of the ceremony each have deep meanings and symbolism.

Ch'inyoung (Wedding Parade)
Traditionally, weddings took place at the house of the bride's family. The groom usually rode a horse or pony and his attendants or servants would walk to the bride's house, or wherever the wedding was to take place. The attendants often played musical instruments to make the mood more festive, although the groom had to remain grim faced and hide his emotions.

Jeonanrye (Presentation of Wild Goose)
During the procession, the Girukabi (person leading the way) held a single wooden kireogi (wild goose). Upon reaching the bride's house, the Girukabi gave the kireogi to the groom who then placed it on a small table. After bowing twice to his future mother-in-law, she would take the kireogi into the house.

Gyobaerye (Bowing)
This often marked the first time that the bride and groom saw each other. The groom and bride each had two attendants who helped them throughout the ceremony. First, the groom walked to the east side of the wedding table. Then the bride walked to the west end. The groom's helpers spread a carpet or mat out for the groom, then the bride's helpers did the same for the bride. The bride and groom then faced each other across the wedding table. The helpers washed the hands of the bride and groom. The washing of their hands symbolized cleansing themsleves for the ceremony.

With the aid of her helpers, the bride bowed twice to the groom. With the aid of his helpers, the groom bowed back once to the bride. The bride then bowed two more times to the groom, who bowed back once more. They finished by kneeling down and facing each other. The bowing represented the promise of commitment to each other.

Hapgeunrye (Drinking)
This part of the ceremony had two main variations, due to regional diffferences. The first variation had the couple drinking from the same cup, with their assistants passing it back and forth between bride and groom. The second variation had them drinking from separate halves of a gourd. The drinking signified the destiny of the new husband and wife, as well as their harmony together. Using two halves of the same courd further symbolized that the bride and groom each made up one half and only together could they be considered whole.

First, one of the helpers poured alcohol into a small cup for the groom, who then drank it. Another helper poured for the bride who sipped it or only pretended to drink. The groom's helper then poured into the cup again (or used the gourd in the other variation) and the groom drank again. The bride's helper poured again, with the bride sipping or pretending to drink again.

source by: http://www.lifeinkorea.com