Wedding service expense, which had been declining at the end of last year, rose again last month.
According to the "wedding service price survey" released by the Korea Consumer Agency (KCA) on the 30th, the national average wedding expense in February was 21,390,000 won, up 2.3% from December last year. The wedding expense includes the venue deposit and the so-called "studio, dress, makeup" package expense.
By item, the rise in wedding hall rental fees stood out. Last month's median rental fee was 3,500,000 won, up 16.7% from December last year. In particular, Gwangju more than doubled, from 1,000,000 won to 2,500,000 won.
By region, Seoul Gangnam was the highest at 34,660,000 won, followed by non-Gangnam Seoul (28,920,000 won) and Gyeonggi (19,090,000 won). The lowest region was the Gyeongsang area at 12,840,000 won.
Compared with December last year, the rate of increase was highest in Jeju (19.2%), non-Gangnam Seoul (14.3%), and Gwangju (12.5%). In these regions, rising meal prices were commonly analyzed to have driven the overall expense increase.
On the other hand, Seoul Gangnam recorded 34,660,000 won, down 3.7% from the record high (35,990,000 won) in December last year. The per-person meal price also fell 2.2%, from 90,000 won to 88,000 won. Ulsan posted the largest drop, falling 13.9% over the same period to 15,520,000 won.
By meal format, course meals were the most expensive at an average of 119,000 won. Buffet meals were 62,000 won, and set-table meals were about 55,000 won.
Even with the same per-person meal price, the total cost varied widely depending on the minimum guaranteed headcount. While the average minimum guarantee in five regions including Seoul was 224 people, four regions including Busan averaged 102 people. As a result, total meal expenses were found to differ by up to sixfold.
The KCA said, "Even if the per-person meal price is low, a high minimum guaranteed headcount can increase the overall expense burden," adding, "When signing a wedding contract, it is necessary to set a budget by considering the guaranteed headcount together."
It added, "We plan to continuously analyze the actual expenditure structure of the wedding market to ease the burden on engaged couples and create a more transparent consumer environment."