The night before their wedding, Kim Kwang-yoon and Cho Jin-oh were up until 2 a.m. with the bride's mother, setting tables. Their marriage venue: a room in the basement of Seoul City Hall, rented from the government for $60.
With South Korea's average wedding expenditure last year at nearly $64,000, or about double that of the U.S., more citizens are spurning lavish events for smaller functions as the economy slows, the age at marriage rises and parents nearing retirement have less money to splurge.
South Korean weddings are typically a show of status, with hundreds of guests and expensive gifts. The average expenditure, from a survey by wedding planner Duo, excludes the cost of housing, traditionally provided by parents.