In Korea, folk wedding clothing is very bright, colorful, and elaborately shaped. And we can say this about both male and female wedding outfits. Also, these costumes are interesting because they’re multilayered. The traditional headdresses of Korean newlyweds are cute and intricate as well – not all couples wear them but these headpieces add a lot of charm to the bride and groom, so the wedding look appears much better with a folk headdress.
Korean bride’s attire
The brides in Korea wear several layers of clothing for their marriage ceremony.
First of all, white cotton underwear called “sokchima”. It’s sort of a petticoat with an attached top, it looks a bit like a sundress.
On top of it, a “chima” – Korean traditional skirt tied under the breasts. Usually, it has shoulder straps so that the skirt didn’t slip down. A chima is always brightly colored. Red is the most common color, as it is considered to bring good luck, so many Korean wedding outfits are made with red color dominating the palette.
Modern Korean wedding outfits
Korean hanbok jacket called “jeogori” is next. This traditional jacket is so cute because it is very short (often, it doesn’t even reach the waist), with long sleeves, and a beautiful clasp or ribbon tie in the front.
But the most catchy and belissima garment worn by Korean brides is a long and wide, flowing ceremonial outerwear called “wonsam” or “hwalot”. It is brightly colored – often, with ribbon stripes of different colors on the sleeves. And the sleeves themselves are striking – very wide; when the bride’s hands are bent at the chest height, the bottom of the sleeves might reach her knees or even lower. The hwalot is made from silk and it moves beautifully when the woman is walking.
The hwalot can be belted with a silk ribbon belt called “daedae” decorated with embroidery.
Such accessories as socks and traditional shoes are added to complement the attire and add more cuteness, as such footwear looks really lovely.
And the last step is the headdress. It is always intricate but depends on the region of origin of the bride and groom. Most women’s headdresses look like tiny caps or crowns pinned to the top of the head, higher than the traditional bun hairstyle or updo.
Korean groom’s attire
The traditional wedding costumes of Korean grooms match the bride’s outfit in style and design but are a little simpler. The groom’s attire is called “samogwandae”.
It consists of a shirt with a traditional collar. The shirt is called “cheogori”.
The pants are baggy or loose trousers called “paji”. They can be of different colors, including light and vivid shades – pink, red, blue, etc.
The groom’s outerwear is a dalryeongp'o jacket. It is a loose silk robe that reaches somewhere from the knee-length to the ankle-length. It is a very decorative and festive piece, adorned with embroidery or prints. The robe is belted with a narrow embroidered silk ribbon belt called “gakdae”, it is similar to the bride’s daedae belt.
The groom’s accessories are high leather or cloth boots and a headdress (the design also depends on the area of origin, but most caps are black and a lot simpler than the bride’s headgear).
