How Much Money to Give at a Korean Wedding (2026): Amounts, Envelope and Guest Etiquette

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Last updated: 30 October 2026. Every number below was checked on 30 October 2026 against the Korean source: the Korea Consumer Agency's wedding price portal (참가격, September 2026 data), NH NongHyup Bank's May 2026 transfer report, the Gayeon survey of August 2026, Incruit's May 2025 office-worker survey, Kakao Pay's remittance reports, the National Institute of Korean Language on envelope wording, and Statistics Korea's marriage figures. Dollar figures use ₩1,325 = US$1 (US Federal Reserve H.10, ₩1,325.06 on 23 October 2026) and are rounded. Sources are listed at the end.

Short answer: if you attend a Korean wedding and eat the meal, put ₩100,000 (about $75) in the envelope. That is what most of the 844 office workers Incruit surveyed in 2025 said they would give a colleague, and it sits above the median price the couple pays for your plate. ₩50,000 (about $38) is still the single most common amount people transfer, but its share fell from 46.5% to 42.3% in two years, and in Seoul it no longer covers the median meal. For a close colleague most still say ₩100,000, though about a quarter go to ₩150,000 or ₩200,000; married respondents, many attending as couples, name the highest amounts.

The cash gift is called chukuigeum (축의금, "congratulatory money"). Nobody publishes an official rate for it. What does exist is better than etiquette charts: a bank's record of more than five million real transfers, two recent surveys, and the government's own price data on what a wedding meal costs. Below, each number says where it comes from and what it actually measured.

Watch the 8-minute episode: Korean Wedding Ceremony in 30 Minutes: Inside a Korean Wedding Hall — the cash envelope, the ledger at the desk and the ceremony, on screen, before you go.

Quick Answer: How Much Money to Give at a Korean Wedding

Two cautions on that table. First, the bank numbers are what people actually sent; the Gayeon numbers are what people say is appropriate. Those are different questions, and the "appropriate" answers run higher. Second, every gift figure is a private company's data or survey; we found no official statistic for wedding gifts. The only government number about what a guest costs is the meal price.

What Koreans Actually Give: The Transfer Data

The largest real-world record is NH NongHyup Bank's trend report "결혼식 축의금, 얼마 해야 할까요?" ("How much should I give for a wedding?"), reported on 13–14 May 2026. The bank analysed 5.33 million wedding-gift transfers made by 1.15 million customers between January 2023 and December 2025. These are bank transfers, not cash envelopes, so they describe the guests who sent money by app, which is now a normal way to give.

The bank put the two-year rise at 6.9%. By region, Seoul senders gave the most in 2025, an average of ₩134,000 (about $101), followed by Busan ₩128,000, Gwangju ₩124,000, Incheon ₩119,000 and Daejeon ₩118,000, with Sejong lowest at ₩102,000. By age, people in their 20s and 30s gave the most, ₩138,000 on average, ahead of those 60 and over (₩118,000) and those in their 40s and 50s (₩107,000). The most common amount for senders in their 40s and 50s was still ₩50,000.

Large gifts are growing too. Transfers of ₩10 million or more rose from 0.22% to 0.36% of the total, and the bank suggested this was linked to the marriage and childbirth gift-tax deduction that took effect in 2024. For a guest, the more useful figure is the split: ₩50,000 and ₩100,000 together are more than 80% of all transfers. You are choosing between two round numbers, not a percentage of anything.

Kakao Pay, a major app-transfer service, shows the same shift. In its remittance data, ₩50,000 was the most frequently sent wedding amount until 2022, and from 2023 ₩100,000 took first place. Its December 2025 money report said wedding gifts sent in Kakao Pay envelopes passed ₩100,000 on average for the first time in 2025.

What Koreans Say Is Appropriate: The Surveys

Surveys ask a different question: not "what did you send?" but "what is the right amount?"

Incruit (인크루트), May 2025, 844 office workers. For a colleague's wedding where you attend and eat, 61.8% chose ₩100,000 and 32.8% chose ₩50,000; 1.4% chose ₩150,000. For a colleague you only work with, 60.1% said ₩100,000 and 30% said ₩50,000. For a colleague you are personally close to, 59.7% said ₩100,000, 14.3% ₩200,000, 12.7% ₩150,000 and 9.4% ₩50,000. Incruit's 2023 survey had found ₩50,000 the top answer (65.1%) for a same-team colleague you are not close to, so the workplace default moved from ₩50,000 to ₩100,000 in two years.

Gayeon (가연), "결혼 비용 및 축의금 인식 조사", August 2026. The matchmaking company surveyed 506 unmarried and 502 married people aged 25 to 39, between 4 and 11 August 2026; results were reported from 27 August. Asked what is appropriate when attending a friend's wedding in person, unmarried respondents averaged about ₩130,000 ($98) and married respondents about ₩290,000 ($219). Unmarried respondents named closeness as the main factor (76.7%); only 6.5% named the venue and meal cost. Married respondents, who could pick several answers, named closeness (70.7%), the amount the other person gave at their own wedding (60.6%) and whether a companion attends (39.2%).

That 60.6% is the part foreigners miss: most married respondents consider what the other person gave at their own wedding when deciding what to give back.

Why ₩50,000 Feels Too Low Now: the Meal Price

The pressure on ₩50,000 comes from catering. The Korea Consumer Agency (한국소비자원) collects wedding contract prices on its 참가격 price portal. Its September 2026 data puts the median price of one guest's meal at a wedding hall at:

The same data shows a median minimum guarantee of 200 guests: the couple pays for at least that many meals whether or not they come. When the agency first published this survey (contracts from April 2025), the national median meal was ₩58,000. Its September 2026 figures also put the average total for hall, meals and studio-dress-makeup package at ₩22.16 million, of which meals are 61.4%.

So a ₩50,000 guest who eats in Seoul costs the couple more than they gave. The ₩80,000 is a median, so many Seoul halls charge more; at a high-end hall in Gangnam, even ₩100,000 can feel thin to some guests. That arithmetic is behind Korean headlines warning that a ₩50,000 guest who eats is a 민폐 하객, a guest who costs the couple. But in the Gayeon survey only 6.5% of unmarried respondents named venue and meal cost as their main factor; closeness came first. Treat the meal price as a floor for an attending guest, not as an invoice.

If You Cannot Attend, or Want to Transfer

None of the surveys above measured the gift for a guest who does not attend, so we will not invent a figure. What we can say: the meal-cost argument does not apply when you do not eat, the relationship argument still does, and the family will see your name either way.

Transferring is common: NH's 5.33 million records are all transfers. Mobile invitations (모바일 청첩장) often include a bank account for each side of the family. NH's data shows when people send: 33% of wedding transfers went on Saturday and 20% on Friday; the bank notes many guests send the day before the wedding.

• Use only an account the couple or their family sent you directly, and check the holder's name before sending.
• Make sure your name shows on the transfer so the family can tell who sent it.

How to Write the Korean Wedding Envelope

The National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) gives the standard wording:

The institute states the name-on-the-back rule for condolence envelopes and describes the wedding envelope as following the same pattern as other occasions; it adds that writing vertically or horizontally are both acceptable. A foreigner can write the name in Korean if they know it, with the English spelling beside it, so the family can tell who you are. If several people give together, write every name or the group name.

Where to Hand It Over: the 축의금 Desk

In most wedding halls the gift is handed in at a reception desk (축의금 접수대), often one for the groom's side (신랑측) and one for the bride's (신부측). Go to the side of the person who invited you. Many halls give guests a meal ticket (식권) there.

The family keeps a record of who gave, which is how they later know whom to thank.

Funeral Money (부의금): What the Data Shows

The question comes up next for anyone living in Korea. Funeral gifts are called buuigeum (부의금) or joeuigeum (조의금). We found no survey that asks what amount is appropriate. The one data point is from Kakao Pay's ten-year remittance report, released on 7 May 2026: in 2026, for the first time, the share of condolence envelopes sent as ₩100,000 overtook the share sent as ₩50,000. The report did not publish the percentages.

That says ₩100,000 envelopes now outnumber ₩50,000 ones in that app's condolence transfers. It does not say what is appropriate for any relationship. Use the 賻儀 envelope wording above.

Read the Mobile Invitation Carefully

Many couples now send a mobile invitation. It lists the couple's names, the date and time, the hall and floor, maps, the nearest subway exit, parking, sometimes a shuttle, and the account details. Large venues run several halls with ceremonies close together, so save the exact hall name, floor and the couple's Korean names. Korean map apps handle venue entrances better than overseas services; EpicKor's Naver Map guide explains how to save Korean addresses and exits.

Reply when the couple asks for a headcount. With a median minimum guarantee of 200 meals in the Consumer Agency data, the number matters to them. If you cannot attend after accepting, tell them early.

You might like: Korean Gift-Giving Culture: What to Bring and Avoid

Korean Wedding Guest Dress Code

The default is polished, respectful and comfortable enough for stairs, standing, photos and a buffet. A suit, blazer, dress, skirt, trousers or a smart blouse all work. You do not need hanbok unless the couple asks.

Avoid anything that resembles bridal wear, especially a full white or ivory formal dress. Dark suits are a safe default. Very casual clothes are a poor choice for family photos.

On the Day: Arrival, Ceremony, Photos and the Meal

Arrive early enough to find the floor, the right desk and a seat before the entrance. Halls that run ceremonies back to back can have two families and hundreds of guests in one lobby, so check the couple's names on the sign rather than following a crowd. If you are late, do not walk in during the entrance; follow an usher.

A modern program usually includes the entrances, vows or a declaration, a speech or song, bows to the parents and the exit. Some ceremonies have an officiant; others use a host only.

Keep your phone silent and stay out of the photographer's aisle. Group photos usually follow the ceremony; join when your group is called. The meal may be a buffet or a set course, depending on the venue.

Sang-gyeon-rye, Seu-deu-me and Pyebaek

Sang-gyeon-rye (상견례) is the formal meeting of the two families, usually over a meal, before the wedding. Seu-deu-me (스드메) is short for studio, dress and makeup, the standard preparation bundle; the Consumer Agency's September 2026 data puts its median at ₩3 million (about $2,264) nationwide and ₩3.5 million in Seoul. Couples can book a package, pick vendors separately or skip the studio shoot.

Pyebaek (폐백) is a family ritual in which the couple, often in hanbok, bows to the family; jujubes (red dates) and chestnuts may be used symbolically. Whether to hold it is up to the couple and their families. If you want to wear hanbok yourself outside a family ceremony, EpicKor's hanbok rental and palace etiquette guide explains respectful use.

Weddings are rising again. Statistics Korea counted about 240,000 marriages in 2025, up 8.1% on 2024, after a 14.8% rise in 2024; Etoday's report on the release notes it was the most since 2018. More weddings in the same halls is part of why meal prices and the gift norm have moved.

Etiquette for a Foreign Guest

Your foreignness is not a problem; most couples are delighted you came. The useful etiquette is practical:

• Learn the couple's Korean names so you can find the correct hall.
• Save the address in Korean and a screenshot of the invitation.
• Ask before bringing a partner or child, and adjust the gift if you do.
• Offer the envelope with both hands if it feels natural; no need to perform.
• Keep congratulations brief if a line is forming.
• Follow the couple's wishes on social posts and photos of guests.

A simple gyeolhon chukahaeyo (결혼 축하해요), "congratulations on your marriage," is all the Korean you need.

Common Mistakes With Korean Wedding Money

• Writing no name, or an unreadable one. The family cannot thank you or record you.
• Going to the wrong side's desk. Your gift ends up with the other family's record.
• Giving an unround amount such as ₩73,000. The sources above report round amounts: ₩50,000, ₩100,000, ₩150,000 and ₩200,000.
• Forgetting what they gave you. If the couple gave at your wedding, match it at least.
• Publicly comparing envelopes. The amount is private between you and the family.

FAQ: Korean Wedding Gift Money

Q: How much money should I give at a Korean wedding? If you attend and eat, ₩100,000 (about $75). In Incruit's May 2025 survey 61.8% of office workers chose that amount for a colleague's wedding with the meal. For a close colleague most still say ₩100,000; about a quarter say ₩150,000 or ₩200,000.

Q: Is ₩50,000 rude at a Korean wedding? Not rude, but increasingly thin if you attend and eat. It was still 42.3% of NH NongHyup Bank's 2025 wedding transfers, but the median wedding meal is ₩60,000 nationwide and ₩80,000 in Seoul.

Q: What is the average wedding gift in Korea? ₩117,000 (about $88) in 2025 across NH NongHyup Bank's transfer data, and ₩134,000 (about $101) in Seoul. ₩50,000 and ₩100,000 together make up 82% of those transfers.

Q: Can I send wedding money by bank transfer? Yes. Use the account in the couple's own mobile invitation, check the holder's name, and put your full name in the memo. 20% of NH's wedding transfers went on a Friday, often the day before the wedding.

Q: What do I write on a Korean wedding envelope? 祝結婚 (or 祝華婚) on the front and your name on the back, following the National Institute of Korean Language's envelope guidance.

Q: How much do you give at a Korean funeral? No survey we found measures an "appropriate" funeral amount. The one data point: in Kakao Pay's condolence transfers, ₩100,000 envelopes outnumbered ₩50,000 ones for the first time in 2026.

Q: Can I wear a dark suit to a Korean wedding? Yes. A dark suit is a safe default for a guest.

Sources

• Korea Consumer Agency, 참가격 결혼서비스 통계정보 (September 2026 data: meal median, minimum guarantee, total cost, 스드메 median)
• Korea Consumer Agency webzine, July 2025: first nationwide wedding price survey (April 2025 contracts, ₩58,000 meal median)
• Segye Ilbo, 14 May 2026: NH NongHyup Bank trend report on 5.33 million wedding-gift transfers
• Herald Economy, 13 May 2026: NH NongHyup Bank report, regional and age averages
• Segye Ilbo, 27 August 2026: Gayeon wedding cost and gift perception survey
• Seoul Shinmun, 26 May 2025: Incruit survey of 844 office workers
• Digital Times, 8 May 2026: Kakao Pay ten-year remittance report, condolence envelopes
• Herald Economy, 9 December 2025: Kakao Pay 2025 money report, average wedding gift over ₩100,000
• National Institute of Korean Language, 새국어소식: envelope and 단자 wording for weddings and funerals
• e-National Indicators (Statistics Korea, 2025 Marriage and Divorce Statistics, 19 March 2026)
• Statistics Korea: 2024 Marriage and Divorce Statistics (222,000 marriages, up 14.8%)
• Etoday, 19 March 2026: 2025 marriages, most since 2018 (258,000)
• SBS Biz: "축의금 5만원 냈다간 민폐하객" headline on meal prices
• Korea.net: modern wedding customs, pyebaek, hanbok and seu-deu-me
• Korea.net: marriage traditions and the changing role of families
• Exchange rate: US Federal Reserve H.10 via FRED (DEXKOUS), ₩1,325.06 per dollar, 23 October 2026.

Practices vary by family and venue; the invitation and the couple are the final authority.