“You look stunning! That dress looks even better than in the photos you sent me. Everyone else is on their way,” I said to the bride as I stepped into the wedding waiting room. The room was filled with white flowers.
She smiled brightly, thanked me for coming, and hugged me with an ease that was surprisingly natural. This was the first time we had met.
For 15,000 won (about 12.60 USD) for an hour and a half, she had hired me to pretend to be her friend on her wedding day.
My first job as a rented friend started with a short recruitment post in a KakaoTalk group chat.
“Hong Minh-jung. 30 years old. Works at a company in the province. Wedding on [date], at [time] at [venue]. Looking for up to 10 friends. If interested, please contact us.”
I applied with a brief CV including a photo, age, and other personal details, sending it three days before the wedding.
There were some basic rules I had to follow for this job. First, I needed to take photos with the bride in the waiting room before the ceremony. Second, I had to join a group photo shoot after the wedding. Third, I wasn’t allowed to talk to the bride’s family members. And finally, I couldn’t forget or mix up the bride’s name.
After reviewing the guidelines, I headed to the banquet hall to join the “temporary” group of friends. They were also actors hired to play friends of the bride or groom at the wedding.
Role Assignments
About 30 minutes before the ceremony, at a café near the wedding venue, I met the other actors attending that day. The manager from the service company that hired me and nine other “fake” guests for Min-jung was there too.
“Let’s split into three groups with different roles: coworkers, college friends, and high school friends,” the woman said.
Since I was the same age as the bride, I was placed in the high school friends group with two others in their twenties.
Then the “performance” began. I entered the waiting room and saw the bride for the first time. She was surrounded by her real friends and family, or at least that’s what it looked like to me.
The next moment, Min-jung and I talked as if we had known each other for years. We linked arms, shared warm smiles, and whispered heartfelt conversations.
A Real Job
Hiring guests to fill seats at weddings has become popular in South Korea since the early 2000s. Since then, it has expanded to other family gatherings, from first birthday parties to funerals.
Just typing “wedding guest rental” on Naver, South Korea’s largest portal site, brings up a long list of service providers nationwide.
The cost to hire someone through a service company is around 20,000 to 30,000 won per person.
“You only need to pay 29,000 won per person. We have an experienced part-time team and guarantee client confidentiality,” said an employee at one company.
They added that if clients want, they can hand cash to the actors up to two days before the wedding. The actors then use this money as a wedding gift for the bride and groom, so their relatives won’t suspect anything.
Businesses in this field, along with the entire wedding industry, suffered during the prolonged Covid-19 pandemic as gatherings were restricted. However, things have gradually stabilized as the government eased health rules.
For the actors, this is an appealing job. Although the pay isn’t as high as full-time work, it can be a weekend gig with the bonus of enjoying a nice meal. The current minimum hourly wage is 8,720 won.
I spent about an hour and a half at this wedding, enjoyed a buffet meal, and was paid 15,000 won.
Song, 29, was part of the “high school best friends” group with me. She said she recently graduated and earned 60,000 won in one month after attending four weddings.
“Some couples hire people directly through online communities related to wedding planning. They post recruitment notices there,” she added. Direct hires without going through a coordinating company usually pay more.
Song also shared a tip: if you get chosen to catch the bride’s bouquet, you can earn an extra 3,000 won.
Lies to Save Face
After the ceremony, guests moved to a large banquet hall downstairs. Soon, the newlyweds began visiting each table to greet their guests.
“Thank you for coming, my dear friends. Let’s all get together after my honeymoon,” Min-jung said. She introduced us to her family and other friends at the table as her high school friends.
This moment probably mattered more than our brief appearance in the bride’s waiting room, where only a few people saw that she had many “friends.” The hall was nearly full, and conversations filled the space. The wedding was a success.
I spoke with a sociology professor to understand why this service keeps thriving.
“In Confucian cultures like South Korea and Japan, chemyeon (face or social reputation) is very important. People value reputation, honor, and dignity in personal relationships,” said Yoon In-jin, a sociology professor at Hankuk University.
He added that community consciousness is deeply rooted in Korean tradition. Older generations often focus on having large weddings with many guests, which creates pressure for the bride and groom.
Right after leaving the wedding hall, I got a message from the service company: “Payment has been sent. The next wedding is scheduled for XX. Message us if interested.”
Source: The Korea Herald
