Latin-American culture is a mix of Spanish, indigenous and African cultures. Because the culture is quite varied, Venezuelan weddings can be quite different from Ecuadorian traditions. However, common threads and traditions that came from the same roots, have become a shared aspect of Latin American weddings. Let’s explore some of the most popular Latin American Wedding Traditions.
Las Arras
A gift of gold coins, presented to the couple during the ceremony, is a wedding tradition commonly held in many Latin American countries. This tradition originates from Catholicism and is a symbol of wishing prosperity for the couple. Usually the coins are presented in a beautifully decorated box or some special container. The couple’s wedding godparents, also known as los padrinos y madrinas are often the ones to sponsor this gift.
Who are Los Padrinos y madrinas?
Los padrinos y madrinas are a main feature of the Latin American wedding tradition. They generally sponsor a large portion of the wedding, and make sure that everything is organized well for the wedding day.
Laso wedding ceremony
Common in Catholic weddings, el laso is similar to a traditional handfasting ceremony. Basically, the only difference is the name and in some cases a cowboy’s lasso is used as the handfasting cord. Otherwise, it’s a simple unity ceremony where the couple’s arms are tied together to symbolize that they are strongly bound through marriage.
Wedding Doll
This is generally a Puerto Rican wedding tradition. A doll is dressed up and seated at the table with the other wedding guests. Similar to the traditional Spanish wedding dress, it’s commonly dressed in black to symbolize the couple’s promise to stay faithful until death.
What are Capias?
Capias are small charms or sentimental pieces of nature like shells or feathers that are passed out to wedding guests. It’s one of the couple’s small gestures of thanks to those attending the wedding.
The Money Dance
In some Latin American countries like Costa Rica and El Salvador, performing the El Baile Del Billet, or Money Dance is part of the wedding reception. In this tradition, guests pin money on the couple to have a chance to dance with them.
Wedding Rings, Los Anillos
In Chile, couples wear their engagement rings on their right hand and switch them to the left ring finger on wedding day. Moreover, couples in Argentina will wear silver engagement rings and then upgrade to gold ones for their wedding.
Venezuelan Goodbye
It’s especially common in Venezuela for couples to exit the wedding reception party early. Fortunately everyone is prepared for this scenario, in fact, it’s even considered good luck if the couple makes a swift exit.
Officiate a Latin-American Wedding Ceremony
Don’t miss the opportunity to officiate a Latin-American wedding ceremony for one of your friends or family. You can get ordained online for free with a number of online organizations by just filling out a simple form that only takes a couple minutes to complete. We highly suggest getting ordained with American Marriage Ministries. Once ordained, you’ll have access to a library of information to help you learn all the aspects of wedding from writing your speech to filling out the marriage license. Just keep in mind that ordination with AMM is only legally recognized in the U.S., so if you plan on officiating a wedding abroad, you’ll need to look into local laws.
-Bernard Paul