A, 29, who lives in Gangseo District, Seoul, recently began preparing for a first-birthday party. With about six months left until the first birthday, A thought it would be relatively easy to find a venue, but the reality was different. The first banquet hall contacted replied that all reservations for the desired date were already full.
A was only able to set a date for the party after inquiring at four more places. A said, "It was hard enough to book a wedding hall, and I didn't expect the first-birthday venue to be like this," adding, "I heard late that for popular places you have to book as soon as the baby is born."
A "reservation war" to lock down first-birthday venues and related vendors is intensifying. As the number of births rebounds, a "small luxury" trend is spreading in which guest lists are trimmed while expense is concentrated on the venue, photos, and the dol table.
◇ "Booking right after birth"… 'dol-prep' heating up SNS
On the 24th, "dol-prep," meaning preparations for a first-birthday party, was trending on social media (SNS). On Instagram, more than 250,000 posts carry the hashtag "first-birthday prep." In first-birthday prep communities, posts sharing venue-by-venue reservation reviews, expense details, and how to hire photographers are appearing one after another. One related community has as many as 7,700 members.
As reservation competition has intensified, parents appear increasingly eager to share information in advance. According to the industry, reservations for first-birthday parties at major hotels in Seoul have risen about 20% to 30% over the past year. Some popular banquet halls are so hard to book that online communities even describe them as having a "civil service exam–level booking difficulty."
More companies specializing in first-birthday services such as photography, dol tables, and return gifts are entering the market. B, who is preparing a party for next year, said, "I booked a popular photographer 10 months before the party," adding, "For baby shoots, experience and know-how are key, so demand often concentrates on famous photographers."
Package prices bundling related services have climbed to around 10 million won. Despite the high price, weekend and preferred time slots are reportedly booked up quickly.
◇ Births rebound, but the number of wedding halls is slower to recover
The primary reason cited for the fierce competition is the rebound in the birthrate. According to the Ministry of Data and Statistics (MODS), 24,521 babies were born in April this year, up 18% (3,734) from the same month a year earlier. For April, it was the highest in seven years since 2019.
The total fertility rate, which had slipped into the 0.7 range, also recovered to 0.93. The total fertility rate refers to the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime.
However, the industry has not kept pace with the increase in births. According to national tax statistics, as of May this year there were 761 wedding halls nationwide, up 3% (22) from a year earlier, but about 19% (174) fewer than in May 2019, before COVID-19, when there were 935.
The industry also says the recent booking crunch cannot be explained by the increase in births alone. Demand for first-birthday parties is concentrating on highly preferred providers such as well-known hotels, banquet halls, and popular photographers, rather than spreading evenly across all venues.
◇ Small-scale but high-quality services… 'small luxury' trend
Changes in first-birthday culture have also fueled the booking race. Instead of inviting large numbers of people, more are inviting only family and close acquaintances, while raising the quality of individual services such as venue, food, and photos.
Holding a first-birthday party at a luxury hotel in Seoul costs about 10 million won, yet competition to book is intense. A key draw is that the same shooting spaces and hotel facilities used for weddings are available. While a wedding there requires at least about 1 billion won, a first-birthday party offers a similar space and service for a relatively smaller expense.
A spending pattern that concentrates on a single child has also pushed the premium trend. Although the scale of first-birthday parties has shrunk, choosing famous hotels, customized dol tables, and professional photography often raises the total expense instead.
As bookings are made earlier and contract amounts grow, disputes over cancellations and refunds are also rising. According to the Korea Consumer Agency (KCA), applications for relief related to first-birthday services increased steadily from 43 cases in 2023 to 53 last year.
An official at the Consumer Agency said, "Given the trend toward more specialized first-birthday services, disputes are likely to continue," adding, "Before signing, carefully review the transaction details, termination conditions, and other fine print."