Facing ‘스드메플레이션’ (rising studio, dress, makeup costs), many young Korean couples are buying low-cost wedding dresses from overseas sites like AliExpress and reselling them on local secondhand platforms to save money. AliExpress reported a 20% year-over-year increase in Korea’s wedding dress GMV in Q2–Q3, with hundreds of affordable styles (some from about 40,000 KRW) listed and the most popular around 60,000 KRW. Accessory sales (veils, bridal shawls, bouquets) also jumped more than 40% quarter-on-quarter. On Korea’s secondhand app Danggeun Market (당근마켓), wedding dress searches rose 15.8% in 2024 vs. 2023 and 23.8% year-over-year this year, and listings include items from 10,000 KRW dresses to headbands and veils. MZ (millennial and Gen Z) consumers treat multiple dresses for ceremony, honeymoon photos, and bridal showers as disposable, using cheap purchases and resale as a cost-effective “circulating consumption” strategy. With average wedding costs in Korea rising (about 21.6 million KRW as of Aug.), analysts expect demand for budget wedding wear to continue growing.
