Bride-to-be Park, 30, has been searching for a wedding venue for months with the goal of getting married early next year, but she has yet to secure a booking.
One wedding hall in Seoul’s Yeouido neighborhood required couples to call at a specific time and date just to make a consultation appointment—making it difficult to even get through. After enlisting the help of friends to make dozens of calls, Park and her fiancé finally managed to schedule a consultation, only to be quoted more than 10 million won ($7,400) above the estimated price they had seen on social media. They gave up on the reservation.
Since then, Park has visited five other venues across Seoul, only to hear that bookings were full through the first half of next year. Most told her that they had no idea when reservations for the second half of the year would become available.
“I’m just exhausted from all this wedding prep,” she said. “At this point, it feels like even if you want to get married, you simply can’t.”
More couples like Park are expressing frustration over how hard it has become to hold a wedding ceremony. The main reason is the steep drop in available venues, which plummeted by 20% during the COVID-19 pandemic due to social distancing restrictions—and have yet to fully recover.
According to the National Tax Service, the number of wedding halls nationwide fell from 890 in 2019 to 714 last year, a 19.8% drop. Although new venues have opened in recent months, the current supply still falls short of growing demand.
With venues in short supply, rental prices for wedding halls have surged. A survey by the wedding consulting firm Duo found that the average rental cost rose from 8.96 million won ($6,600) in 2021 to 14.01 million won ($10,300) this year—a 56.4% increase. The cost has now surpassed pre-pandemic levels in 2019, when it stood at 13.45 million won ($9,900).
On top of rising costs, couples also face a severe lack of accessible information. Most venues do not disclose rental fees, meal costs, available dates, or even when bookings open—leaving couples in the dark.
One Yeouido wedding hall, which has earned a reputation among couples for being reasonably priced and conveniently located, is fully booked through June of next year. The venue has not yet announced when it will begin accepting reservations for the second half of 2025.
“We’re likely to open bookings for the second half of next year around the end of June,” a representative for the venue said. “Check our Instagram page—that’s where we’ll post updates.”
There is a consensus among engaged couples that “wedding venues are hard to book regardless of your wealth.” Shin, a 31-year-old bride-to-be set to marry in September, stated, “I barely managed to book a consultation for a venue ‘worth its value,’ but I was told that the venue is fully booked for the next year and a half.” After doing some research, Shin found that the only venues with some availability are “hotels with high wedding costs,” while mid-range venues face the fiercest competition. Many couples with a set budget say their choices are limited, especially when considering factors like accessible locations and decent meal options.
Wedding venues that also host conferences and networking events tend to prioritize long-term corporate clients over wedding ceremonies. For South Korea’s peak wedding season next April, a hotel in Seoul’s Yongsan District revealed it is only accepting wedding reservations for two days that month. A hotel associate explained, “We first secure corporate event bookings before opening the rest for weddings.”
With wedding costs rising alongside inflation, some couples are rushing to the altar just to secure a date. Lee (30), who tied the knot last year, shared, “Our initial plan was to book a day at a venue known for its value around October or November. After failing multiple times, we had to give up on finding a date.” Afraid the new year would bring higher costs, the couple exchanged vows in December—the only available option. From floral arrangements to photo frames, add-ons can cause the total bill to snowball.
One of the biggest challenges engaged couples face is the fluctuation in wedding expenses. Costs vary widely depending on the season, day of the week, time, and add-ons. Even booking a “pre-consultation” is difficult, prompting many couples to rely on reviews from social media or anecdotes from newlywed friends. Yet, even after a proper consultation, many are told that their prior information was “inaccurate.”
Venue representatives explained, “Many venues that shut down during the pandemic due to widespread wedding cancellations are only now beginning to reopen,” adding, “The rising costs are not a result of intentional price hikes.”
Among young adults of marriageable age, who view weddings as a significant financial burden, a new dating trend has emerged. Jung (29), a bride-to-be, reserved a wedding hall in Seoul’s Gangnam District just two months after meeting her boyfriend on a blind date last year. She said the decision came naturally after visiting a wedding fair together. “If we start preparing after dating for a year, we’d have to wait another two to three years to get married,” Jung said. “But since we can get our deposit back as long as we cancel at least six months in advance, it doesn’t feel like a big risk.” The sense of urgency to secure a venue is so high that many couples say, “If we break up, we’ll just cancel the reservation then.”
Even proposal trends have shifted. Rather than proposing before planning the wedding, many couples now book the venue, take their studio photos, and complete most preparations before the proposal—even if it happens just ahead of the ceremony. The meaning of a proposal has shifted from “Will you marry me?” to “Thank you for marrying me.”
