This article is by Kim Ji-ye and read by an artificial voice. Happy faces, joyful tears, loud cheers and endless congratulations from friends — these are what most people imagine when they think of a wedding, and Korea is no exception. After all, no couple wants an empty wedding hall. But in Korea, filling those seats often comes with a stressful prewedding ritual many soon-to-be brides and grooms dread: wedding invitation gatherings. Colloquially known as cheongmo — a portmanteau of cheongcheopjang (wedding invitation letters) and moim (gathering), these gatherings, where engaged couples meet friends, colleagues and acquaintances over meals to personally hand out printed wedding invitations, have become an unofficial yet deeply rooted part of Korean wedding culture. And they are far from cheap. Many couples now set aside a separate budget just for these meetups, typically spending between 20,000 won ($13) and 50,000 won per guest. Considering that a single gathering with four or five friends can easily cost over 100,000 won, the expenses pile up quickly. Multiply that by several rounds of meetings from both the bride's and groom's sides, and the total balloons into the millions of won. For couples already overwhelmed by wedding costs, it becomes yet another financial burden. Korean weddings are already notoriously expensive. Beyond the ceremony itself, couples are expected to prepare the infamous "seu-deu-me" package — a portmanteau of the beginning sounds of the words, studio photos, dresses and makeup — on top of paying for the venue, floral arrangements and meals for guests. "Honestly, it's hard for couples not to feel pressured about wedding invitation gatherings," said Lee Eu-gene, a newlywed who held several gatherings before her wedding. "The only reason I was able to host gatherings for everyone was that I didn't end up spending that much on the wedding itself." So, how did what was meant to be a joyful celebration of marriage turn into a marathon of nerve-wracking social rituals? 'Cheongmo' season Once couples settle on a wedding date, they begin one of the trickiest parts of the entire process: deciding whom to invite — how many people they will serve through the monthslong cheongmo season. "Just like the wedding itself, wedding invitation gatherings felt like something I had to approach carefully, since people were taking time out of their schedules to meet in person," said Kim, a soon-to-be bride currently planning several invitation gatherings. She asked to be identified only by her surname. After finalizing the guest list, the couple starts contacting people individually to arrange the gatherings. At the same time, they also prepare printed wedding invitations to hand out during the meetings — another process that requires both time and money. Despite often being used only once before eventually being discarded, many couples still pour significant thought and effort into designing the invitations. The gatherings are usually held two to three months before the wedding, though in some cases they take place just weeks before the ceremony. During the meetups, hosts hand out invitations containing details about the wedding venue and schedule. As social media has become deeply embedded in daily life, posting photos from gatherings alongside paper invitations has also become something of a ritual for attendees. For those whom the couple cannot meet in person, mobile invitations are typically sent through KakaoTalk. These digital invitations include the wedding date, time and venue, along with pre-wedding photos. In many cases, they also include bank account information so recipients can send a cash gift even if they are unable to attend the ceremony in person. In Korea, it is customary to give the groom or bride a congratulatory cash gift. When did it all start? Like many modern-day "rituals," cheongmo is also a relatively recent phenomenon. "I remember married couples gathering friends for after-parties after t...