The combined average contract price for a wedding venue and a bridal package covering studio photos, dress rental and makeup has risen 1.66 million won in a year to surpass 21 million won. Spending on the bridal package itself declined, but an 11.3% jump in venue costs drove the overall increase. Catering prices are also rising, led by Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi and Incheon area, adding to the burden on couples and guests alike.
The combined average contract price for a wedding venue and bridal package came to 21.12 million won in October this year, up 1.66 million won, or 8.5%, from 19.46 million won in the same month last year, according to the Korea Consumer Agency's price information portal Chamgagak on the 12th.
That means venue and bridal package contracts alone cost an average of more than 20 million won. Bridal package spending actually fell from October last year, but a sharp rise in venue costs pushed the total higher.
The average venue contract price stood at 17.88 million won in October this year, up 1.82 million won, or 11.3%, from 16.06 million won a year earlier. The increase in venue costs far exceeded the 160,000 won decline in bridal package spending.
The median venue contract price also climbed, rising 1 million won, or 7.0%, to 15.2 million won from 14.2 million won over the same period. The data show a substantial cost increase not only at the average but also at the midpoint of contract prices.
The average bridal package contract price, by contrast, fell 160,000 won, or 4.7%, to 3.24 million won in October this year from 3.4 million won in October last year. The median also dropped 60,000 won, or 2.0%, to 2.94 million won from 3 million won. Because the decline in bridal package costs fell short of the rise in venue prices, total wedding spending still increased.
Couples who have already signed contracts for weddings in October next year face even higher costs. The combined average contract price for venues and bridal packages for that month stands at 22.14 million won, 1.02 million won, or 4.8%, above the 21.12 million won recorded this October, according to Chamgagak. Compared with 19.46 million won in October last year, that marks an increase of 2.68 million won, or 13.8%, over two years.
Catering Costs Rise in the Capital Region
Catering prices for guests are also climbing, led by Seoul and the Gyeonggi-Incheon area. The added cost falls not only on couples paying for the meals but also on guests, who typically set their cash gifts with the price of the meal in mind.
The nationwide median price per person for wedding hall catering was 60,000 won as of August, unchanged from the same month last year. In Seoul, however, the figure was 80,000 won, and in the Gyeonggi-Incheon area it was 62,000 won, both above the national median. While the national median held steady, catering costs rose in Seoul and the Gyeonggi-Incheon area.
The median price per person in Seoul rose 3,000 won, or 3.9%, to 80,000 won in August this year from 77,000 won in August last year. Over the same period, the Gyeonggi-Incheon area saw an increase of 2,000 won, or 3.3%, to 62,000 won from 60,000 won.
With catering costs rising on top of venue contract prices, couples planning weddings in these regions face a heavier financial burden.
Meanwhile, the average amount sent through wedding cash gift envelopes on Kakao Pay exceeded 100,000 won for the first time last year, according to the company's 2025 Money Report, which analyzed its own remittance data. That is roughly double the average of about 50,000 won in 2019, reached in a little more than five years.