Korean Wedding Dresses: The Hanbok

Let’s turn our eyes to the East for a change and get inspired by the colorful wedding garb of Korean brides – the hanbok. The hanbok is not actually a Korean wedding dress per se; rather, it refers to the traditional Korean costume. There are many different kinds of hanbok, which are classified according to their purposes – everyday hanbok, ceremonial hanbok, and special hanbok. Ceremonial hanbok are worn for formal occasions like a child’s first birthday or a bride’s wedding day, while special hanbok are for government officials and shaman. Obviously, since this is a wedding blog, I’ll be showing you some gorgeous bridal hanbok I just found on the internet.

The women’s hanbok is made of two parts – the jeogori or the shirt, and a full wrap-around skirt called a chima. Men also wear a jeogori, but with loose pants called baji.

Korean brides can get married in white Western wedding gowns these days, but if she chooses to wear a traditional hanbok to her wedding, she usually wears the wonsam (the ceremonial silk top coat) or hwarot (a silk embroidered robe, usually red) over the hanbok.

Aren’t the colors of the hanbok so cheery and vibrant?