Wedding costs in Korea are projected to rise by over 3 million won ($2,070) this year between May and December compared to a year earlier, with catering — nearly 60 percent of total expenses — driven up by soaring food prices, according to data released Wednesday.
The data, released by the Korea Consumer Agency, showed that the average cost of wedding services across 14 regions nationwide is expected to reach 20.93 million won over the eight-month period.
The figure is up from 17.92 million won during the same period in 2025, marking an increase of 6.8 percent, or 3.01 million won.
The costs include a combination of venue rental, simple stage decorations, studio photography, dresses, makeup and catering, with the largest increases expected during the peak wedding season.
Compared to the same months in 2025, costs are forecast to rise by 6.37 million won to 21.58 million won in September and 1.16 million won to 20.62 million won in October.
The increase is even steeper in Seoul’s affluent Gangnam area, where total wedding costs approached 50 million won as of December 2025.
Even the contract price for the venue alone averaged 35.99 million won at that time, up 7.8 percent or 2.63 million won from June of the same year, and even higher when optional services were included.
The agency said that higher food prices are largely behind wedding expenses, pushing up catering charges that account for about 60 percent of total costs.
According to the Ministry of Data and Statistics, headline inflation in January rose 2 percent from a year earlier, marking the slowest pace in five months.
However, fresh produce prices increased faster, climbing 2.6 percent, with livestock products up 4.1 percent and seafood up 5.9 percent.
Source: Korea Times News
