Here’s the wedding blog you’ve all been waiting for and a description of all the traditions it held!
A catamaran tour off the coast was a fantastic way to start the weekend of festivities the day I arrived. Jeju Island is tropical and with the ceremony location being on a bluff right above the water, it gave me the feeling that they were getting married on the bow of a ship…pretty spectacular.
In addition to Anna’s dress and Ron’s suit, they would be changing into two different traditional Korean hanbok costumes. After the wedding ceremony was the first clothing change so they would arrive at their inland reception ready to party. The third costumes were extremely ornate and were worn for the ceremony called Paebaek or Korean Traditional Wedding ritual where they bow to their parents and share rice wine with each other. Ron is wearing the kings headdress but normally the bride would wear the highest rank. It originally signified the grooms family accepting the bride, but has been modernized to include both sides of the family.
One item that held significance during this ceremony were two wooden mandarin ducks. The ducks symbolize peace, fidelity and plentiful offspring. They are displayed in the couples home after marriage to show marital status. Mandarin ducks are chosen because they mate for life and morn if the other dies.
The next ceremony predicted how many children Ron and Anna would have. The two mothers threw dates and chestnuts onto the brides apron which was held open by the bride and groom. According to legend, the number of dates caught signify girl children and chestnuts for the boys. Later the bride/groom are supposed to eat the dates and chestnuts. From the looks of it they’ve got some work ahead of them because they caught 3 chestnuts and 2 dates – 3 boys, 2 girls!
Directly following came the Dangsangnye ceremony where those not married could slap the bottom of the grooms feet with a fish (we ate the fish with chilli paste the following night around the fire). Well, all I can say is that from the painful look on Ron’s face, these guys were definitely inflicting some revenge on the guy who stole the maiden (which is the concept to the ceremony).
One of the more memorable events of the night, after these ceremonies took place, was when three of the couples friends from Stockholm sang a very funny song, played guitar and juggled for the entertainment of everyone. Watching Staffan juggle as well as jump up and click his heels all the while yelling, “coo co” like a bird made everyone laugh for sure.
Congratulation to you both as it truly was a wedding day to remember!
All the best,
Byron
Incredible wedding dress by our very own Bella Brides Bend
