The Seoul city government announced on the 1st that it will pilot a 'wedding preparation class' to assist engaged couples in planning their weddings.
This wedding preparation class is designed to cover everything from budgeting to comparing wedding types, creating a preparation schedule, and role allocation among family members, as well as communication methods among family members. Additionally, it will provide information on public wedding venues supported by the city.
The reason for the city operating the wedding preparation class is to help engaged couples who feel burdened by the expense of weddings. According to a price trend survey on wedding services released by the Korea Consumer Agency (KCA) in June of last year, the average wedding expense across 14 regions nationwide is 20.74 million won. This amount includes the costs of the wedding venue and the so-called 'SdeM' package, which encompasses studio, dress, and makeup services. Regionally, Gangnam in Seoul has the highest cost at 33.36 million won, followed by the rest of Seoul, excluding Gangnam, at 27.03 million won.
In response, the Seoul city government will conduct the wedding preparation class starting from September 20 for engaged couples and couples dating. It will begin at the Gangbuk Family Center and the Gwangjin Family Center, and will be carried out at family centers across six districts including Gangbuk, Gwangjin, Dongdaemun, Seongdong, Yongsan, and Jongno by November.
Based on the results of this pilot program, the city plans to expand the wedding preparation class to all 25 family centers in the city next year.
Ma Chae-sook, head of the Women's and Family Affairs Bureau of Seoul, said, "We have established this program to allow individuals to plan and prepare for their wedding, an important moment that starts a new chapter in life, in a rational manner." She added, "We will continue to discover and implement various policies that can alleviate the burden of marriage."