Rising Marriages Fuel Wedding Furniture Boom in Korea

Wedding-related shopping by couples preparing to marry is picking up again. With the number of marriages rising for three consecutive years and continuing to increase this year, furniture and mattress companies are increasingly hopeful of a long-awaited boost in sales from newlyweds.
According to the national statistics agency, the number of marriages in South Korea rose for three straight years, from 194,000 in 2023 to 222,000 in 2024 and 240,000 last year. The upward trend has continued this year. A total of 103,299 marriages were registered from January through May, up 3.9% from the same period a year earlier. With both newly married couples and couples preparing for marriage becoming potential customers for furniture and mattresses, the wedding furnishings market is also showing signs of recovery.
According to Simmons on the 14th, sales of its Beautyrest Henry, one of its flagship mattresses for newlyweds, increased by about 60% year-on-year during this year’s spring wedding season from March through May. The increase in marriages is translating into actual purchases of mattresses and beds for newlywed homes.
The way newlyweds buy beds is also changing, with twin configurations gaining popularity. As more couples embrace “separate sleeping,” choosing mattresses suited to each partner’s body type and sleeping habits, interest has grown in twin super-single (TSS) setups that place two mattresses within a single bed frame. May sales of Simmons’ Hauty frame, designed specifically for TSS configurations, were about double those recorded in January, its first month on the market.
More couples preparing for marriage are also choosing to test beds themselves before deciding what suits them. The number of customers using the free “Sleep Lounge” trial program at Simmons Gallery flagship stores in June was about three times the number recorded in March, the program’s first month of operation.
Purchases of expensive premium beds are also increasing. An analysis of first-half sales through Ace Bed’s “Ace Wedding Members” program found that its top-of-the-line Royal Ace mattress accounted for 23.4% of sales, more than 6 percentage points higher than a year earlier. Products costing at least 8 million won for the frame and mattress combined accounted for 16.2% of sales, up 4.6 percentage points from 11.6% in the first half of last year. The figures suggest that despite the economic slowdown, newlyweds remain willing to spend more on larger, higher-quality beds.
The furniture industry is also welcoming the increase in newlywed demand. “Overall furniture demand has been weak because fewer people are moving into new homes or relocating, but the growing number of newlywed customers purchasing wedding furniture is providing a modest boost to business-to-consumer furniture sales,” an industry official said.
The furniture industry has recently struggled to achieve broad sales growth amid a weak real estate market, fewer move-ins and relocations, and sluggish domestic consumption. Newlyweds, who tend to purchase several products at once, are therefore regarded as a key customer group that companies cannot afford to lose. Furniture companies are seeking to increase sales through wedding membership programs, newlywed furniture packages and discounts specifically for newly married couples.
According to Hyundai Livart, the number of orders placed with the company in the first half of this year by members of Hyundai Department Store’s “Club Wedding” program—including both furniture purchases and home interior remodeling contracts—rose 120% from the same period last year.
Newlyweds also appear to prefer furniture that can adapt to changes in their living circumstances after marriage, such as moving or having children. Customizable products such as the Camoa sofa, whose seat depth and other features can be adjusted to suit different spaces, are representative of this trend. Inquiries are also increasing for the Soignier hotel-style bed, designed to create a hotel-like atmosphere at home. Hyundai Livart is targeting this demand by holding wedding and moving fairs and expanding discounts for newlyweds.
Shinsegae Casa is also benefiting from the wedding boom. Membership in its “Wedding Club” increased by about 20% year-on-year in the first half of this year, while sales to Wedding Club members also rose by about 20% over the same period.
“Newlyweds are increasingly applying different spending standards to different product categories,” a Shinsegae Casa official said. “They choose furniture with space efficiency and practicality in mind, while remaining willing to spend a premium on sleep and relaxation. We plan to continue introducing differentiated products that combine stylish design, quality and practicality to meet these needs.”