Wedding-season boom lifts furniture and bedding sales

Wedding shopping is making a comeback as more couples prepare to tie the knot. With marriages rising for a third consecutive year and the upward trend continuing into this year, the furniture and bedding industry is growing increasingly optimistic about a long-awaited newlywed spending boom.

According to the Ministry of Statistics, the number of marriages in South Korea climbed from 194,000 in 2023 to 222,000 in 2024 and 240,000 last year, marking three consecutive years of growth. The trend has carried into this year: the cumulative number of marriages from January through May reached 103,299, up 3.9 percent from the same period a year earlier. With both newlyweds and couples still in the planning stages entering the market as potential customers, the bridal furnishings sector is seeing a welcome revival.

Sales of Simmons' flagship bridal bed model, the Beautyrest Henry, surged about 60 percent during the wedding season from March to May compared with the same period last year, the company said Friday. The figures confirm that rising marriage numbers are translating directly into bridal bed purchases.

A shift in how newlyweds buy beds is also fueling demand for twin configurations. As "independent sleeping" — each partner using a mattress suited to their own body type and sleep habits — gains popularity, interest has grown in Twin Super Single (TSS) setups that place two mattresses side by side within a single frame. Sales of Simmons' TSS-dedicated frame, the Hautie, roughly doubled in May compared with its launch month of January.

More couples are also visiting stores to try beds in person before buying. The number of customers using Sleep Lounge, a free sleep-trial program that Simmons runs at its flagship Simmons Gallery stores, tripled in June compared with the program's opening month of March.

Demand for high-end beds is also on the rise. An analysis of first-half sales data from AceBed's wedding membership program, Ace Wedding Members, showed that its top-tier Royal Ace mattress accounted for 23.4 percent of sales — more than 6 percentage points higher than in the same period last year. The share of products priced at 8 million won ($5,650) or more for a combined frame and mattress set expanded from 11.6 percent in the first half of last year to 16.2 percent this year, a gain of 4.6 percentage points. The data suggest that even amid a broader economic slowdown, couples are unwilling to compromise on their bridal bed.

The furniture industry is welcoming the uptick in newlywed demand. An industry official said that while overall consumer furniture sales have been sluggish due to fewer move-ins and relocations, growing purchases by newlywed customers are providing a modest offset.

The sector has faced a difficult environment, with a sluggish real estate market, declining move-in and relocation volumes, and weak domestic consumption all weighing on sales. Against that backdrop, newlyweds — who tend to buy multiple items in a single purchase — have become a prized customer segment. Companies are responding with wedding memberships, bridal packages and newlywed-exclusive discounts to drive sales.

According to Hyundai Livart Furniture, orders placed by customers enrolled in Hyundai Department Store's bridal membership program, Club Wedding, for furniture purchases or interior remodeling contracts at Hyundai Livart Furniture in the first half of this year rose 120 percent from the same period last year.

Newlyweds tend to favor furniture that can adapt to lifestyle changes after marriage, such as moves or the arrival of children. Customizable pieces — like the Camoa sofa, whose seat depth and configuration can be adjusted to fit different spaces — are a prime example. Inquiries about the Swanie, a hotel-style bed designed to bring a luxury feel to the home, have also increased. Hyundai Livart Furniture has been hosting wedding and moving fairs and expanding discount benefits for newlyweds to capture this demand.

Shinsegae Casa is also riding the wedding boom. Membership in its Wedding Club program grew about 20 percent in the first half of this year compared with the same period a year earlier, and sales to Wedding Club members rose by the same margin over the period.

"Recent newlyweds are becoming increasingly selective by product category — choosing furniture with space efficiency and practicality in mind, while sparing no expense on premium products for sleep and relaxation," a Shinsegae Casa official said. "We plan to continue introducing differentiated products that combine sensible design, quality and practicality to meet these evolving needs."