Wedding Day!

Hey guys! I went to my first Korean wedding today! (Though to be honest I've been to one with a Korean bride before and there were some similarities). I did my best to take photos and videos so you all could be included in the festivities. Also, I learned a good amount about Korean culture through talking to some church friends while at the wedding.

This was an absolutely gorgeous wedding. A lot of the people I talked to said this was the biggest, and most expensive wedding they had ever seen. There were roughly 500 guests in a giant hotel banquet hall. Well you'll get to see the setup on the video. There was so much food though, just a crazy amount. It was so good too, I had two plates and was full. I guess I can't put it away like I used to.

Pre-wedding practice

Food spread! This was 1 of like 20 tables around the edge of the room filled with food.

Uhhh Spanish Churros anyone?

So at a Korean wedding, they want money. Not gifts, no registry, just cold hard cash. From what I could gather you can give either the equivalent of $30 or $50. Also I was told that you can either give your money to the groom or the bride. The money also does not go to the happy couple, but to the parents. I guess this helps pay for the wedding itself. This is pretty different from the time honored American tradition of the bride's parents paying for the wedding. Though honestly I don't know if this is the custom anymore...it's been awhile since I've gotten married. (Jay Kay El Oh El)

Man this really was a beautiful wedding though. The venue was pretty amazing. The standard dress seemed a bit less than formal. Some people were dressed to the 9's, others were in jeans and tshirts. Hey, I'm not judging I'd never wear anything but sweats if I didn't have to. Here is a video of the spread, I unfortunately couldn't include the other 2 videos of the food spread since they were so big.

 The ceremony itself was beautiful as well. First the mothers in their traditional Korean 한복 (Han Bok) went up first to some candles and lit them I believe. (Maybe they extinguished them, hopefully someone can help me with this). I couldn't quite see from where I was. We ended up sitting at the back of the room even though we got there first. This was a good vantage point to see the bride and groom as they prepared for the ceremony though.

Bride and Groom! Congratulations David and Sue!

Here are the mothers in their Han Bok.

So, since I've only been to one Korean wedding I can't speak to how typical this ceremony was. I thought it was really cool though. David, the groom started his introduction with a song. He sang accompanied by a live band that featured his brother (a drum major) on drums. He walked to the front of the stage while singing, then when he was done it was the bride's turn. Sue, the bride took her turn singing to David as she walked up the steps to join her father in giving away his daughter in marriage. I thought that was touching, and a nice little addition to the current customs.

After that the pastor of our church said some words, and the couple gave their vows. Then afterward they walked back down the stage together and out of the room. There were many prayers on their behalf, and I personally put up a prayer to God to join them together with their main focus to be on Him. I'm honestly not trying to be presumptive here, but I'm pretty sure I could have been married a few times already in my life. I chose to wait because I haven't found the right person yet. I think I would have been a good husband and father from a young age because I was always forced to be mature.

This came from a family upbringing where I was the only child in a group of 6 adults. Family parties were usually confined to discussing current events, and the more intellectual side of subjects. I had to sit and listen to this for hours at a time at every get together for years. Now, mind you, I'm not complaining at all. I'm merely stating that it had a huge impact on shaping my mind and personality. Therefore, from the time I was 18 or so and seriously began to think about marriage, I believe I would have been successful, but I digress.

My point was that as my relationship with God grows, I'm learning more and more about myself, and what consists of a proper romantic relationship. This may seem funny seeing as how I'm not in one. I'm more talking about how it's so easy to think that the right person will solve all your problems and marriage will ultimately be the utopia you've been waiting for. What a horrifically impossible weight to place on someone else. I touched on this earlier in one of my posts, and a bit yesterday in my soul bearing post.

If there's anything in your heart above God, that is your true god. That is what I wish for David and Sue. And ultimately for everyone else out there looking to get married, or already married. Place God at the front of your attention and focus. Developing a relationship with him will not only better your life, but it will better the lives of everyone around you.

If you and your spouse both focus on becoming one with him, your relationship will grow and flourish. I'm not saying to forget about your spouse or anything silly like that, you certainly need to care for and about them. God joins you into one flesh when you say I do, and you need to take care of your spouse as you would yourself. What I'm saying is that focusing on your relationship with God will strengthen you. He's the one being that will never let you down. Your expectations will always be met. Most importantly you won't be putting the pressure of your relationship on someone else. You will become a true team player.

Imagine that relationship! One that is rooted in faith. That's what I want. It's funny, I talked with my boy Matt Tolbert about this a lot when I was back home in Chicago. He's a fellow church goer from ODM. We both shared our feelings on how when we truly began our walk with Christ, our priorities in a mate changed. Finding someone who has a real living relationship with God catapulted to the top of the list, basically leaving all the other requirements in the dust.

So why haven't I married the first girl I've found who has a great faith? Haha good question, unfortunately I'm still a man, and there are those fleshly desires of attraction. I am also completely open to the possibility that God has plans for me to remain single the rest of my life. If that's the case, well then I'm all for it. I'm learning more and more that God can, and should fulfill the entire void in our lives. The same one that we search day in and day out to fill with things like money, food, sex, drugs, etc.

Anyways that's enough about me. The food was incredible. I wish I could share these movies I took of the layout. Most of it was traditional Korean. Things like Kimchi, Kimbap, and your plain white rice. They also had other Asian dishes like Sushi and Sashimi.  There was even a burger station for those of you who want your western food fix for the day. Surprisingly I only ate two plates and was full. I stuck with as much meat as I could muster. I definitely maxed on some chicken, and ham. Oh they also had spaghetti and red sauce if you're into that kinda thing.

After we ate it was time to head back to the dorm. Heavy G dropped me off the dorm and I got a nap in. I wasn't hungry for dinner so things ended up being pretty chill the rest of the night. I got a chance to relax and visit with some of the students. Then Heavy G decided he wanted to get the other RA's to play Starcraft. Yeah, I've never played Starcraft in my life. They're also all Korean. I didn't last long. I didn't even know what was going on really, but hey at least I can say I did it.

They made me do it...

That's about it for today. Tomorrow is the world premiere of the Concordia-Daegu connection! Stay tuned for an update on the first ever international special needs video conference! I'm so excited to be a part of this!

Korean Word/Phrase of the Day:웨딩(Wedding) Haha yeah I did.결혼하다 (Kyeol Hon Ha Da) This is to get married.

TL:DR I'm in Korea.