Incorporating Two Worlds

So, we live in Daejeon, South Korea. Home of Korea's most prestigious science and technology university (KAIST), an autumn hot air balloon festival and 4 unattractive government complex buildings that were relocated from Seoul. We also have a pretty cool blue and red pedestrian bridge over the Gapcheon River a mile from our house.
Okay, so it's not the most exciting Korean city. It pales in comparison to the vibrant insanity of Seoul, but we love it here. Daejeon is our new home. South Korea is a "foreign" country that we no longer consider foreign.

Of course, we've only been living here for EXACTLY 16 months today, not an incredibly long time some might argue. But when you move to another country and secure your first "real" steady, full-time job, it feels like the new life you have created for yourself has become something bigger than you ever thought possible. It's true, we didn't plan on staying in Korea for more than a year, most people don't. Most people come for the experience and move on to bigger and better things, or go home and settle down, or continue traveling. But not us. Korea means something more to us, and it's extremely important for both of us to incorporate it into our special day.

Deciding to have the wedding in Maine was obviously a no-brainer. We can't possibly have a destination Korean wedding, being 8,000 miles and a $1300.00 plane ticket away from the majority of our friends and family. Besides, even though Korea is our home, Maine is where we met in junior high, where we share so many incredible memories with those we love, and where we will eventually go back to.

So, how do you weave two completely different lives into one wedding day?

That's the fun part. Although I don't want to spoil a lot, I will share some ideas that Matt and I have come up with already.

We are going to be using an Asian symbol in our wedding, for the stationary, and also as decoration at our reception. Although the actual symbol is Japanese, it also is strongly associated with Korea and Koreans have certain beliefs about this symbol.

We're also going to use lanterns at our reception. While most likely Chinese lanterns, they will give the party an Asian feel, while still being surrounded by gorgeous Maine woods.

We will be singing a few songs in Korean at the reception.

Tables will most likely be labeled as cities that we've been to instead of by numbers or letters. We really like the idea of including our love of travel in the wedding.

Depending on how everything goes, we might have a reading and/or Korean tradition woven into the ceremony.

One last thing is a big surprise, but includes some kind of culmination of our time in the Land of the Morning Calm. After the wedding, we will only be in Korea for another 6 months before heading off to travel. To wrap our lives up here we will be showing our guests something special to give them an idea of some of the experiences we've had here.

We can't wait!

I'll reveal more details at a later date :)