Namsan Hannam Wedding Garden is one of five venues that Seoul will open for wedding photo shoots under its “More Beautiful Wedding” program. (Seoul Metropolitan Government) Seoul will offer up to 3 million won ($1,940) to couples who hold weddings at selected public venues, as the city seeks to ease competition for conventional wedding halls and help alleviate the financial burden on newlyweds.“We hope this event will help more couples discover the appeal of different urban spaces,” Ma Chae-sook, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Women and Family Policy Affairs Office, said Friday. “Seoul will continue to find more venues suitable for weddings to ease booking difficulties and help spread a more affordable and distinctive wedding culture.”The subsidy will be available to couples using venues under the city’s “More Beautiful Wedding” program, which was launched in 2023 to open public and landmark spaces, including parks and traditional Korean houses, for wedding ceremonies.The city said some couples have been hesitant to book venues that have not yet hosted weddings, prompting the new support to encourage early use and build a track record for those locations.Seoul plans to select 26 couples who are scheduled to marry from July onward at 35 venues where no weddings have yet been held this year, including SETEC Convention Hall and Seoul Forest’s Seollem Garden. The city initially provided the subsidy on a trial basis to eight couples who held ceremonies in May and June.Couples who have made reservations at eligible venues can apply through the More Beautiful Wedding website by July 8. If the slots are not filled, the city will accept applications on a rolling basis from July 13.Seoul will also make five existing wedding venues available for photo shoots: Namsan Hannam Wedding Garden, the rooftop of the Seoul Water Sports Center, Namsan Hohyeon Wedding Garden, Cafe Maru Wedding Hall and the Literature House Seoul.Under a separate “first wedding photo shoot” event, the city will select one couple for each venue, or five couples in total, and provide up to 1 million won per couple for both the photo shoot and related production costs.