Hi all! It took me soo long to find THE Korean invitation I liked that I’m almost dreading even writing about it, but thought I’d share some of the great sites I’ve came across in my search. I don’t know if it’s because I’m super picky or because my sense of taste is just so different than what is sought after in Asia, but it was only after months and months of searching that I came across one I was content with. My cousin in Korea is in the biz card industry so he was also able to refer me to great card sites… but beware and be warned! some of them are super corny and a lot of English phrases listed just don’t make sense… that it makes my fingers cringe bc I’m so embarrassed for them lol. If they’re going to sell a product to public, I’d think that the proper thing to do would be to have it be proofread first by an English-speaking person. I should be used to it now: I grew up purchasing Morning Glory products, a Korean stationery brand that sells cute character-branded pencils, notebooks, etc., that had horrible formations of English words on it as “decor” that made you go “huh?!” every time you attempted to even read the thing. But this was years ago. And that was a mere pencil or notebook, and this is a once in a life time wedding card. So don’t say I didn’t warn you! Look carefully to see if they’ve added any English (most of them did) and make sure the phrases make sense. So here you go, I’ve listed below some of the most popular Korean sites for wedding invitations:
Bargain invitations that are still cute:
바른손카드 – http://www.barunsoncard.com
그린애플카드 – http://www.greenapplecard.net
Fun invitations/ Photo invitations:
카드큐 – http://www.cardq.co.kr/
Luxury invitations:
투비캄원 – http://www.2become1.co.kr/
예랑 – http://www.yerang.com/
Korean-made American-style invitation in English (by Gloria):
http://www.bweddinginvitations.com/
TIP: For those who visit Korea frequently, buy your invitations in Korea (unless you want to splurge on the most classiest of classy wedding invitations with paid calligrapher which will not be found here). The same quality papers are MUCH cheaper than in America and styles are as cute or cuter if you really dig. (paper and printing is cheaper in Korea) For instance, Korea’s invitations on average ranges from $0.30~3.00 per, while american ones range from $3.00~10.00 (for good quality ones). Make sure you look throughly because a lot of them look really cheap and plain.. but if you dig through, you’ll find a few that’s both decent in quality and price. I believe invitations are the introduction and face to your wedding so it was very important to me that our invitation be classy and in high-quality, but I didn’t want to over splurge and spend $6.50/per card quoted by a few American wedding planners.
To find a decent invitation in Korea, you really have to be patient and flexible. I preferred the American postcard type of invitations, but Korean invitations are mostly “cards” that fold so I had to keep searching around. I also wanted bows in tiffany mint color to match my color theme, but I ultimately went with a pink one because I liked the overall design, and because it was so affordable. I added in the full option which comes with high quality ink that sort of pops up a bit, giving it a 3-D look. After searching all those sites above, here’s the one I chose from barunsoncard:
Here’s the Tiffany colored one by Yerang that Korean actress Shinae (신애) did for her wedding. This was on my top choice because it’s cuter in my opinion (love the long rectangular shape), but the price for the pink invitations were too good to pass up! This is $3.00 (but not expensive at all compared to America’s) and my pink one was only $0.80 cents. Yup, $0.80 cents!
Keep in mind though that while Americans on average invite 80~200 guests to their wedding, Koreans invite 300~600. I guess they’d have to make the invitation prices low in Korea or else everyone would be paying $1000+ for them. The paper is THICK and if you ask, most of the fonts and sentences written can be changed to suit your wedding. If you live in Korea, you can order a sample for free and actually feel it in person, or visit the actual store itself.
I highly recommend Yerang to the brides who are looking for card with the luxurious feel. But Baruonson card was my ultimate choice bc of its as-great quality and its justifiable price!
Note: the sites are nearly impossible to navigate if you can’t read even a little bit of Korean, have your mom, cousin, relative, whoever help you! Also, if you are a foreigner, you will NOT be able to purchase from the site directly. email them and the representatives are very helpful, they will guide you through the process.
Wedding, Cities & Motherhood 