Seoul Expands Public Wedding Venues to Support Couples

On June 19, 2025, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced its plan to create an additional 40 public wedding venues tailored to the preferences of engaged couples as part of the 'Expanded Support Plan for More Beautiful Weddings.' Currently, Seoul operates 25 public wedding venues, and the city aims to establish 40 more indoor and outdoor locations by 2030 to assist couples facing financial challenges related to wedding costs.

The initiative will begin with the construction of 20 indoor public wedding venues, which will include scenic cafes, conveniently located wedding halls, and unique venues utilizing cultural and welfare facilities, as well as district offices.

One notable venue is the Seoul Women's Plaza International Event Hall, located right in front of Daebang Station on Subway Line 1, which is being remodeled to a hotel-standard public wedding venue named 'Pium Seoul,' set to open in July. Additionally, the Namsan Creative Industry Hub Opera Hall is scheduled to be transformed into a complex wedding hall by 2027, and a wedding hall at the Banpo Jugong 1 Complex redevelopment site will be available by 2028, offering free rental for up to 300 guests.

Other upcoming venues include a cultural complex convention center in Jungnang-gu (2029) and the 'Design Center Cheongdam' on the former Cheongdam High School site (2030).

The cafe 'The Hills Namsan' will also be repurposed as a wedding hall starting in September, along with the 20th-floor cafeteria 'Maru' at City Square in Seosomun-dong.

Four cultural performance venues, including Seogyo Square, will host weddings in a musical or concert style, while three welfare facilities, such as Yeongdeungpo Oullim Plaza, will also be utilized as wedding halls. Six new accessible venues, including the newly built Gwangjin District Office and Yongsan Art Hall exhibition space, are also set to open.

In addition to the indoor venues, Seoul plans to add 20 outdoor public wedding venues, doubling the current number to 40, with a focus on traditional hanok and gardens to cater to couples' tastes. Four hanok-view wedding halls will begin operations in September.

Venues like the rooftop of the Hanseong Baekje Museum and the grassy area at Seodaemun Ansan will be available for weddings this year, while Seoul Forest's 'Seolleim Garden' and the Four Seasons Garden at Children's Grand Park will be ready next year. Rooftops at the Seoul Water Sports Center and the Han River Bus Dock will also host weddings starting this year.

To further support couples using public wedding venues, the city will offer benefits such as up to 1 million KRW for 'studio, dress, and makeup' costs for couples adhering to standard pricing. Additionally, 100 couples who submit their 'happy stories' will receive coupons worth 1 million KRW for purchasing household and childcare items.

After registering their marriage, couples will be eligible for special health check-up costs of up to 1 million KRW, and the first couple to use a newly established public wedding venue who agrees to share their wedding photos will receive up to 3 million KRW for event production costs.

To implement this wedding support plan, the city has allocated a budget of 1.2 billion KRW for this year and plans to increase it to 2.5 billion KRW next year. Mayor Oh Se-hoon stated, 'We will make Seoul a city where young people can easily get married.'