Black, not pink: Why Jennie’s outfit reflects Korea’s wedding guest dress code

“Korean wedding culture is so insane; everybody looks like they’re going to the office,” read one English-language comment online. Another stated, “Korean people treat weddings like funerals.”

Wedding guest attire, or what Koreans call the “hagaek look” — using a Korean term for “wedding guests” — follows a set of unspoken yet rigid guidelines. The fact that these rules are not explicitly stated but rather implied makes dressing for a wedding in Korea a tricky task.

“I felt pressured at times when attending weddings in Korea. [The hagaek look] can feel restrictive, especially for someone who enjoys expressing their personality through clothing and enjoys colorful dresses on the weekends,” said Yu Jin-sil, a 34-year-old Korean who spent her university years in Britain.

“I first encountered this ‘unspoken rule’ when I was invited to a friend’s wedding in my early twenties. I realized that all my friends attending the wedding had chosen dark outfits. This surprised me as I was used to Western weddings, where guests often wear bright colors to enhance the celebratory atmosphere.”

Just looking at the viral reaction to good and bad examples of the hagaek look worn by celebrities shows how much emphasis Korean society puts on wedding guest attire.
 
Celebrities like singer Lee Hyo-ri and actor Kim Min-hee were seen to have nailed the look back in the 2010s with fashionable yet polite outfits that are still referred to as exemplary cases.

What actress Kim Min-hee wore to a wedding in 2010 is still referred as an exemplary case of an appropriate hagaek look. [YONHAP]

Just looking at the viral reaction to good and bad

In the case of actor Lee Yu-bi, on the other hand, her appearance at her sister’s wedding in a matching bright pink blouse and skirt ensemble was publicly criticized so much so that she had to clarify on a TV show that the outfit was approved by her sister beforehand.

The top priority of a hagaek look is to be in muted tones so as not to outshine the bride. Anything that’s white is forbidden at a wedding and will be pointed out for being disrespectful. Something that’s extravagant, whether it’s too shiny, too revealing or too colorful is also discouraged. But don’t get it wrong because wearing all-black from top to toe will also be frowned upon for being too somber on a joyous occasion.

“At the core of the hagaek look stands strong awareness that the bride and the groom are the main protagonist of the event,” said Lee Soo-jin, a research fellow at the Consumer Trend Center at Seoul National University.

“It has to be refined but not too subdued, so a lot of guests decide to add a fashionable touch with accessories and handbags.”

Why does the hagaek look in today’s form persist in Korea?

The unwritten rule of modest wedding attire partly stems from the cultural perception that a wedding is not just for the bride and groom but also for their parents.

Influenced by Confucian traditions that once dominated Korean society, weddings are still seen as the union of two families rather than just two individuals.

“Parents of the bride and the groom are still called ‘honju,’ which means they are the masters of the wedding,” said Lee Eun-hee, a consumer science professor at Inha University.

“It is not just celebrating and enjoying the festivities but paying respect to the parents of the marriage, which is why there are more rules to follow.”

Not outshining the bride is the fundamental premise of the subdued dress code, but this tendency gained stronger-than-expected traction when met with the collective inclination to fit in among Koreans.

“Koreans are strongly aware of what others think about them, and if that recognition gets out of hand, they feel anxious about being the odd one out,” Koo Jung-woo, a sociology professor at Sungkyunkwan University said.

“That sense of collectivism has influenced the hagaek look and resulted in everyone wearing a similar dark-colored office look. The punishment of finger-pointing and saying ‘what’s up with them’ has accelerated the trend and settled in as a very strong rule.”

An opportunity for matchmaking?

Search “hagaek look” on either YouTube or any search engine widely used in Korea, and a countless amount of content suggesting outfits and makeup piles up.

A source from the fashion industry hinted that a clothing line themed around the hagaek look and marketed that way is considered a cheat code because it is always well-received by consumers.

“A lot of our customers inquire about whether certain items would be appropriate to wear to a wedding,” said the source, who runs her own fashion label in Korea.

“Our products that fit into the hagaek look, such as lace dresses and tweed jackets, are always well-received even though they are a bit more expensive since we have to take extra care of the details.”

Looking picture-perfect at a wedding isn’t just about showing respect for the couple and their families — it’s also about seizing the opportunity to meet a potential match.

In Korea, where natural opportunities to meet potential partners — such as parties or social gatherings — are relatively limited, a friend’s wedding is often seen as a rare occasion to actively search for a future partner.

Even for those not looking for a match, it remains one of the few occasions where wearing an expensive outfit and jewelry doesn’t feel excessive. That explains why there are so many Chanel handbags at a wedding in Korea — so much so that one feels reluctant to carry a certain model because there will be at least a dozen of them at the venue.

“There’s a tendency to showcase one’s best self at modern weddings, and from a consumer sentiment perspective, feelings of admiration or envy often arise not from strangers but from those within a similar social circle,” said research fellow Lee from Seoul National University.

“In that sense, a friend’s wedding is attended by people who, while not part of one’s daily life, are still perceived to come from a similar background. This partially explains why guests put so much effort into their appearance — potentially to look for their future spouse or to just look nice.”

What was it like before?

If wearing dark color is considered a virtue at today’s weddings, was it like that in the past as well?

Historical records suggest quite the opposite.

To mark the special occasion, wearing clean attire — typically white — was once considered the proper etiquette.

“During the Joseon Dynasty [1392-1910], weddings were held at the bride’s home and served as community celebrations. Village guests would join the festivities dressed in clean, white clothing as a sign of respect, rather than the darker tones they wore for labor,” said Kim Kwang-sik, head of the Korea Traditional Wedding Institute.

Although Korea has, for the most part, adopted Western-style wedding traditions, with the bride wearing a white dress and the groom a tuxedo, one longstanding tradition remains unchanged: The mothers of both the bride and groom still attend the ceremony in a traditional Korean outfit, the hanbok, following specific color guidelines.
Traditionally, the bride’s mother wears a red-toned skirt, while the groom’s mother wears blue. Red symbolizes a mother’s sorrow in sending her daughter off to another family — a reflection of Confucian-era values — while blue represents prosperity, like the deep ocean.

“Korean weddings are a hybrid of Western and Eastern influences,” said Professor Lee Eun-hee from Inha University.

“The role of mothers in supporting and even sacrificing for the family is still considered an important value. While most wedding attire has shifted to the Western style, the tradition of mothers wearing hanbok has endured.”