Korean wedding traditions differ from American weddings in many ways, but one of the biggest is the pre-wedding “rehearsal” photos that couples take. Weeks or months before a couple gets married, they visit a Korean photo studio for a photoshoot that takes up to 8 hours. Couples typically rent between three and six different outfits for their session, and finish with photos in traditional Korean outfits.
Because this custom is not popular among American couples, it is difficult to find Korean style studios in the United States. Couples often travel to studios in Los Angeles, Atlanta, New Jersey, or even as far as South Korea to conduct these sessions.
When we took over the space that housed Chicago Baby and began building our wedding brand in 2017, we were excited to remodel the space to house both the children’s photography space and a Korean photo studio that could accommodate rehearsal photo sessions in the Midwest.
Ha Yong contacted us after he found Chicago Baby, and made a reservation before our remodel was even finished. We were so blown away by Yeom and Ha Yong’s trust, and were beyond excited to have booked our first rehearsal photo session!
The bride wore dresses owned by our studio, and scheduled an appointment to do hair and makeup in our dressing room on the morning of the shoot. After several hours of photos in the studio, we went to Lincoln Park to get photos with the Chicago skyline in the background and finished the day down on the shores of Lake Michigan for golden hour photos.
We hope you love seeing this beautiful tradition as much as we enjoyed photographing it!
Soohyun and Saehee
