By Lauren and Haney

What do ducks and weddings have in common? In Korean culture, ducks and weddings have a lot in common. In fact, wooden wedding ducks are part of the Paebaek traditional Korean wedding ceremony, and we have decided to embrace this tradition in a multitude of ways. We have done this by choosing a duck graphic for our stationary, and we are giving wooden Korean wedding ducks as guest favors. We are putting a twist on the tradition, however, and we are doing this to bridge cultures and explain the traditional symbolism.

It’s tradition for the bride and groom to receive the wedding ducks–not to give them. Our twist on tradition is to give the ducks to our guests as a way to bridge cultures. By giving a pair of wooden Korean wedding ducks as guest favors and having a duck graphic on our stationary, we have sparked a lot of curiosity.

The Korean wedding ducks are an old tradition, and in South Korea today many people know about this tradition, but it’s not always upheld like it was years ago. Traditionally the wedding ducks are passed down from one generation to the next, and they are given to the bride and groom as wedding gifts. During the Paebaek ceremony, the groom’s mother throws the duck, which the bride must try to catch with an apron that she is wearing as part of her traditional Korean wedding attire. According to tradition, if the bride catches the duck, the couple’s first child will be a boy. If she doesn’t catch the duck, their first child will be a girl. Also, the ducks symbolize three things: (1) peace, (2) many children, and (3) togetherness. When the couple brings the wooden wedding ducks home, they can display them one of two ways to display their moods. If the ducks are beak-to-beak, the couple is on good terms; if the ducks are tail-to-tail, the couple is on bad terms. This orientation can change; it’s really a comical display of the relationship that indicates that relationships have ups-and-downs. To ensure that people remember the story, we will include an explanation about this tradition in the reception program. Many share the Korean wedding duck tradition today, and we are happy to embrace this tradition.

It has been fun to put a twist on the tradition and to bridge cultures through iconography and guest gifts. Thanks for reading, quack!