A Foreigner's Guide to Korean Wedding Etiquette: How Much Cash, What to Wear, What to Expect

I went to my wife's cousin's wedding today.

Get invited to a wedding in Korea, and if you're a foreigner, there's a nine-in-ten chance one question hits you first: how much cash am I supposed to bring? I asked the exact same thing the first time. But that's just the opener. How do you fill out the envelope? How does the meal work? And these days, even the invitation itself looks nothing like what you'd expect. Since I was already there today, I figured I'd lay out everything you actually need to know about attending a Korean wedding.

A congratulatory speech

Quick Answer

• Korean wedding invitations go out as a cheongjangjang (청첩장) — these days almost always a digital invitation sent by phone. Beyond the time, venue, directions, and parking info, many now include a bank account number for sending cash directly.
• Chugeuigeum (축의금) is the cash gift Koreans bring to weddings (or funerals) as a gesture of congratulations or condolence. 50,000 won used to be the standard amount — these days, 100,000 won functions as the new floor. Among close friends or married guests, 130,000–290,000 won isn't unusual at all.
• At the venue entrance, you'll find separate reception desks for the groom's side and the bride's side. Write your name on the envelope, hand it over, sign the guestbook, and you'll get meal vouchers matching your party size.
• A neat suit or business-casual outfit is entirely appropriate.
• Ceremonies are usually held on weekend afternoons (commonly somewhere between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.), and the ceremony itself often wraps up in just 15 to 30 minutes. Weddings without a formal officiant have become common.
• Traditional post-ceremony rituals like pyebaek and separate wedding receptions are increasingly being skipped altogether.

1. The Invitation: Digital Is the Default Now

Wedding invitations in Korea go out as a cheongjangjang. Paper invitations used to be the standard, but these days a mobile invitation sent through KakaoTalk or a similar app is far more common.

A mobile invitation typically includes the wedding's time, venue, directions, and parking information as a baseline. On top of that, you'll often find one more thing: a bank account number. It's there so guests who can't make it in person can send their cash gift directly.

That said, this isn't without controversy. A recent survey found that 91.1% of mobile invitations now include an account number — it's become that normalized. At the same time, invitations that show up online with nothing but an account number — no venue, no date — have sparked real backlash, with comments along the lines of "why even bother inviting me if this is all you care about." The issue isn't really the account number itself. It's when an invitation feels like the account number is the whole point.

2. Chugeuigeum: Exactly How Much Cash Should You Bring

This is probably the part foreigners are most curious about. Chugeuigeum is the money Koreans give at weddings (or funerals) as a gesture of celebration or condolence.

50,000 won used to be a perfectly acceptable amount. But as prices have climbed in recent years, that baseline has shifted. One survey found more than 60% of respondents now consider 100,000 won appropriate between coworkers, and a separate 2026 survey found that unmarried respondents consider 130,000 won appropriate on average, while married respondents put that number at 290,000 won. The more chugeuigeum someone has already given at other people's weddings, the higher their own sense of "what's appropriate" tends to climb.

Here's how it breaks down:

• 50,000 won: starting to feel like not quite enough these days.
• 100,000 won: the new baseline for coworkers and casual acquaintances.
• 130,000–290,000 won or more: the range for close friends, close relatives, or anyone attending along with their family.

My family of three gave 200,000 won — a bit more than what would just cover our meals, factoring in both how close we are and how much prices have risen lately.

3. What Happens at the Reception Desk

Walk into the venue, and you'll find separate reception desks for the groom's side and the bride's side right at the entrance.

Head to whichever side applies to you, put your cash into an envelope (either one you brought or one provided on-site), and write your name on the outside. That's how the couple knows who gave what. After that, sign the guestbook, hand over the envelope, and you'll receive meal vouchers matching the size of your party. Once the ceremony ends, take those vouchers to the venue's dining hall and eat. Worth noting: some newer venues have started replacing this whole process with a self-service kiosk.

4. What to Wear

A neat suit or business-casual outfit works fine. This part isn't all that different from wedding etiquette in most of the world.

5. Timing and Length: Weddings Have Gotten Shorter

Korean weddings are usually held on weekend afternoons — somewhere between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. is especially common.

The ceremony itself runs shorter than you'd expect — typically 15 to 30 minutes. Venues run multiple couples' ceremonies back-to-back in a single day, so the time slots are tight. (Factor in the photo session before and after, and it feels longer in practice.)

There's another reason ceremonies have shortened: weddings without a formal officiant have become common. Solid up-to-date statistics are hard to come by, but a Seoul-based survey from around 2017 already found more than half of weddings skipped the officiant, and the trend appears to have continued since. Drop the officiant's remarks, and the ceremony naturally gets shorter too.

6. The Ceremony Sequence at a Glance

Here's roughly how today's ceremony unfolded.

1. The emcee announces the start of the ceremony (often preceded by both mothers lighting candles).
2. The groom enters.
3. The bride enters (usually walked in by her father).
4. The bride and groom exchange bows.
5. Vows are exchanged and the marriage is formally declared.
6. A congratulatory speech.
7. The couple bows to both sets of parents and to the guests.
8. A congratulatory song or performance.
9. The couple exits.
10. Photos.

The exact order can shift slightly depending on the venue or couple, but the overall shape stays consistent.

7. Fading Traditions: Pyebaek and the Reception

There used to be a ritual called pyebaek held right after the ceremony — the bride, dressed in traditional wedding attire, would formally greet the groom's parents to mark officially becoming part of the family. These days, more and more couples skip it. It's an extra hassle to prepare for, and there's less of a sense that it's worth making guests wait around for.

A separate wedding reception afterward is also becoming less common. That said, it's probably not accurate to chalk this up simply to "everyone drives now" — the more documented factors are the added cost, venues' tight scheduling, and a broader shift in preference toward simpler ceremonies over elaborate celebrations. These days, it's typical for everyone to eat together after the ceremony, exchange a few words, and head home.

8. Today's Meal: Steak Plus Semi-Buffet

Today's meal had a little something extra. Everyone got an individually plated steak topped with grilled shrimp first, followed by access to the buffet.

The industry has a name for this format: semi-buffet. One or two main dishes get served individually at the table, while everything else is buffet-style, help-yourself. The buffet stations had slightly fewer options than usual to make room for the steak course. But once I'd had the steak, having fewer buffet options honestly didn't bother me at all — if anything, it felt like a smart trade-off.

FAQ

Do I have to pay chugeuigeum in cash? Cash in an envelope is the traditional method, but sending it in advance to the account listed on a mobile invitation has become more common too. If you're attending in person, though, handing over an envelope on-site is the standard approach.

What should I write on the chugeuigeum envelope? Your own name, at minimum. Give it to whichever side — the groom's or the bride's — you're personally connected to.

If I'm invited but can't attend, do I still need to send chugeuigeum? It depends on the relationship, but if you're close, sending the money to the listed account is common. That's part of why mobile invitations now include account numbers in the first place.

Why are Korean wedding ceremonies so short? Venues run multiple couples' ceremonies back-to-back in one day, so time slots are tight. On top of that, skipping the formal officiant has become common, which shortens the ceremony even further.

What to Do Next

Once you know the steps, a Korean wedding isn't complicated at all. You get the invitation, prepare an appropriate amount of cash, hand over the envelope at the reception desk, get your meal vouchers, watch the ceremony, and eat. The part that trips people up is simply not knowing what "appropriate amount" and "the steps" actually mean going in.

Three things to try:

1. Once you're invited, decide on a chugeuigeum amount based on how close the relationship is (100,000 won for acquaintances, more for close friends).
2. Don't forget to write your name on the envelope.
3. Arrive at the venue a little early so you're not rushed through the reception-desk process.

TL;DR

1. Korean wedding invitations are digital by default these days, and frequently include a bank account number alongside the venue and time details.
2. Chugeuigeum used to run around 50,000 won; 100,000 won is now the new baseline, and close friends or married guests often give 130,000–290,000 won or more.
3. Ceremonies themselves run just 15–30 minutes and increasingly skip the formal officiant, while traditions like pyebaek and separate receptions are being phased out.

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Related reading: A Foreigner's Guide to Using Korean Hospitals, Korea Made Healthcare Boring. That's Why It Works: Inside the National Health Insurance System

Sources: 축의금 관련 설문 - Segye Ilbo; 2026년 결혼 관련 설문 - Seoul Economic Daily; 모바일 청첩장 계좌번호 설문 - Baby News; 주례 없는 결혼식 - Namuwiki; 피로연 - Namuwiki; 세미뷔페 - Direct Wedding