It’s May, a shining season for weddings. The meaning of wedding is more and more becoming luxury itself. However, the wedding does not mean an event any more but a culture because there are so many professional efforts, like wedding producer, to make a wedding’s flower bloom. Although, not long ago it was narrowly represented by wedding planning or wedding consulting, it is embedded in the major field of study now. Then, what makes it to become a study? The Sookmyung Times (SMT) looked into the study of Wedding Culture and Business.
Wedding Culture and Business In the past, a rite of passage including marriage was mainly dealt with in the family, but with the change into modern times, many family functions have been socialized. Naturally, the change has contributed to form a large-scale wedding industry. “People engaged in wedding planning or wedding consulting need to be brought down to their customers by reflecting the life-style of the younger generation and the trend of consumption,” Ju Young-Ae (JU), Editor-in-Chief of Korea Association of Wedding (KAOW), said. Also, it is required to acquire a special knowledge to properly cope with a field of future weddings. For these reasons, Wedding Culture and Business first appeared in an area of study to systematically, deeply research wedding culture based on the history of the Korea wedding ceremony. According to KAOW, Wedding Culture and Business is largely divided into two courses on the basis of fundamental theory. In Wedding Culture Administration, there are specialized courses which focus on business strategy for predicting and analyzing changes in the wedding industry: Wedding Culture of Foreign Countries, and Theory of Wedding Culture Administration. On the other hand, in Wedding Produce, there are advanced courses, highlighting on contents of wedding culture or development of products in practical business: Banquet Planning for Weddings & Parties, Product Development for Wedding Style, and Contents Analysis for Wedding Directing. Its goal is to cultivate people who head into the wedding industry. So, most students who get a master’s degree after completing these courses will work as a faculty in education for growing specialists who want to be wedding planners or wedding consultants. “Though there are a variety of departments related to it, there is still little demand for the job, but it seems it will increase,” JU said about a bright future in the environment. 
Change across Culture
A marriage in traditional society means combination between families rather than individuals. Accordingly, this tradition still remains and causes a big wedding hall that can accommodate hundreds of people to appear. Recently, however, small forms of house-weddings where there are small numbers of guests coexist with it. So many couples are more and more choosing unique wedding places and differentiated forms. Hence, the form of wedding culture is changing with the western wedding culture coming into it; the bride and groom become a center of the wedding. In addition, weddings are tuning into a higher value-added, culture-oriented business. Why does this trend happen? Wedding specialist Yuna Kim said that “It is just a shame that most Korean wedding is made in a factory. I don’t think we should spend the most blessed and important moment just as a ceremony. When I attempted to plan various weddings in , , many people were critical of it, but a lot of couples were satisfied with it after the wedding. Since then, the hotels have opened the door if some couples want an unusual wedding.” There is a growing need to develop products for customers’ demands for luxury weddings fitted into personal life-style with well-being and worthwhile life high blowing. Then, what efforts should be made to lead a right wedding culture? “At the point of time when multicultural society is becoming common, especially, due to a marriage that reflects property of each country’s culture well, Culture Code will be a key of wedding culture in the future,” JU emphasized power of culture. Therefore, as each country preserves its ceremony, if people refreshingly recognize the historical value that has developed traditional weddings and develop it in a modern way, it could be the driving force of a growing wedding industry. “In order to foster an upright wedding culture, wedding experts need to have professional ethics with pride in that they are in charge of the most important ritual in a customer’s life. Also, it is helpful to introduce a professional qualification and organically study it with connection between the wedding industry and academy,” JU added expert’s qualification. Finally it is necessary to popularize a system of wedding by changing awareness about wedding.
Wedding for Women These days, professional women are getting important in the wedding culture industry. As a woman, what are the advantages of this field? The fact that many women want to work in the wedding industry is very encouraging itself. Although there are lots of areas women can be good at, the subtle sensitivity, consideration and communication abilities unique to women are a greatly lucrative opportunity for women. If women continue to excel, have synergy effects in the field, isn’t that more charming for women? Lastly, JU said that to be a specialist who leads wedding culture industry like a wedding producer, it is necessary to have not only an exclusive knowledge of the wedding industry, but understanding of human, communication skill, and comprehension about a multicultural society, credibility and responsibility. 
1. Park Ok-im, 『Korean Wedding Culture』, Center For Free Enterprise, 1998.10.26
2. Ahn Jin Young, 「Wedding specialist, Yuna Kim」, Hankook Ilbo, 2010.11.17
