A couple weeks ago, JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul invited us to their Harmony Orchestra Wedding Showcase. For those unsure as to what that is, let us explain.
The 5-star hotel has been around for quite a while, but in recent times is trying to highlight their wedding venue. To do this, JW Marriott Dongdaemun held a “wedding showcase” – basically, a fully prepared mock wedding ceremony that would show what a wedding at the hotel could look like. And if that weren’t enough, the hotel invited acclaimed Designer Bride Sonyunhui to showcase her latest wedding dress designs in a fashion show after the ceremony.
Perhaps what we saw that day was the epitome of what the dream wedding would look like in Korea. Long gone are the days of rushed half hour ceremonies and tasteless masses of after-wedding buffet food. Long gone are the boring white wedding decor used at every other ceremony in the last 20 years.
Say hello to your dream wedding in Korea.
The day started with a lovely spread of canapes and desserts by JW Marriott’s acclaimed star chef.
And then, before the event started, we were lucky enough to receive a special sneak preview of the ceremony hall.
We loved the incredible detail of the decor, the place settings, the dark colour palette, mixed in with the warm glow of the candles.
And after another half hour or so of devouring canapes and sipping on wine, the ceremony began.
Perhaps our favourite part of the ceremony was the 30 piece full orchestra playing in the background as the bride walked down the aisle – which, we later found out, is a complementary gift from the hotel to those who host their weddings at the JW Marriott.
Dum dum da dum 
Dum dum da dummmmm 
Or maybe our favourite part was the Large Format Display Screen, which changed along to the live full orchestra playing in the background.
It’s kind of hard to decide, really.
The “bride and groom” went through the whole bit – including the wedding vows followed by a kiss (pressured by all the photographers at the event). #troopers
But soon enough the “wedding” ended, and then came the fashion show, featuring the latest designs by acclaimed wedding dress designer Bride Sonyunhui.
Each dress was more gorgeous than the last, each model more stunning after another. The dresses ranged from traditional to incredibly modern and watching them go down the runway could probably make the most cynical of wedding cynics want to try one on.
It might be safe to say that the JW Marriott Hotel gave us a taste for what our dream wedding in Korea should look like. But, if a wedding isn’t in your short-term plans, have no fear: the next best thing would probably be to stay in JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul as a guest.