Korean weddings are somewhat similar to weddings in the US, but there are some very distinctive differences. I'm actually not sure about how weddings were different in the past, but these days many Korean weddings are in a wedding hall. What's interesting about it though is that people reserve the wedding hall for a specific time of the day, and the ceremony and reception often last an average of about 2-3 hours. Also wedding halls usually have more than one chapel, so there can be many weddings going on at the same time.
What surprised me the most when I went to a Korean wedding for the first time is that there were so many people at the wedding hall, but not all of them were there for the same wedding. There were many different couples getting married at various times in different chapels, and it was a bit strange seeing so many people who weren't necessarily going to the same wedding.
In addition, in Korea there is no limit to how many people can go to a wedding, and so you don't really need a formal invitation. Typically as a gift you are only required to give money (usually about $30), so as long as you give the couple money, there's no problem with you going to a wedding. (My housemate Yoon-Seo and I thought about crashing a wedding sometime for fun!)
Of course this greatly contrasts with Western weddings, which are traditionally held in a church, and there is only one wedding going on, and an invitation is a requirement for the most part. However, much of the ceremony is similar in a lot of ways. Both the bride and groom convene at the front of the church, with a member of the clergy as the wedding officiant. The pastor says some things and they kiss and such. But one difference is that the couple must bow before the parents, and the groom has to bow down to his knees!
Following the wedding is the reception, but at the wedding hall they prepare a buffet for everyone, so people from all of the weddings gather in the same area to eat, and you simply just sit at a table with the people that you know. Of course at a buffet you can eat and drink as much as you want, but since there are so many weddings happening in one day, your usually can only sit down for about an hour and a half.
To say the least it was an interesting experience. I don't think I would want to have a wedding like this, but it's really convenient only having to pay a fee for a wedding to a wedding hall, and then everything for the most part is taken care of. Also I like the idea of people just giving money. It's much simpler than having people go out and buy a gift for you that they think you might need.
Also not every wedding is exactly like this. I've been to four weddings, and only one of them had the ceremony at a wedding hall. Three of them were at a church, and one of them had the reception at a wedding hall. So even though many couples get married at a wedding hall, it's not a requirement. I think most people get married at a wedding hall because it's so convenient.
