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By Forever Farrah Published 2026-09-17.
What padrinos do, how the lazo and the 13 arras coins work in a Catholic ceremony, and what a tornaboda is, with tips for planning a Mexican wedding today.
The best-known Mexican wedding traditions are the padrinos, sponsors who each take on part of the wedding; el lazo, a cord or rosary placed around the couple during the ceremony; las arras, 13 coins blessed and handed between the couple; and the tornaboda, a smaller party after the main celebration. The lazo and arras come from Catholic ceremonies, and US Catholic bishops approved both as options in the English and Spanish marriage rites. How each is done varies by region, parish and family.
| Tradition | What happens | When |
|---|---|---|
| Padrinos and madrinas | Sponsors who give or pay for a specific element and are honoured in the ceremony | Chosen during planning |
| El lazo | A cord, rosary or garland placed around the couple's shoulders | During the ceremony, before the nuptial blessing |
| Las arras | 13 coins blessed and passed between the couple | During the ceremony |
| The reception | A long party with food, music and dancing, often late into the night | After the ceremony |
| La tornaboda | A smaller, relaxed gathering for family and close friends | After the reception, often the next day |
Padrinos and madrinas are the heart of a traditional Mexican wedding. Rather than one best man and one maid of honour, a couple may ask several people or married couples to sponsor a part of the day. The Diocese of Des Moines' liturgy guidelines describe the arras as gifted by the wedding godparents, and the lazo as usually given by padrinos de lazo, a married couple the new spouses choose as role models for marriage.
Beyond the ceremony objects, families often ask padrinos to cover other things too, such as the cake, the rings, the Bible and rosary, or the music. There's no fixed list; it depends on the family and what help is wanted. A few tips:
The lazo is a large cord, often a double rosary, a silk rope or a flower garland, placed around the couple's shoulders in a loop, usually in a figure of eight. It symbolises the two being joined for life. The Des Moines guidelines note that if included, it takes place before the nuptial blessing.
In December 2013 the US Conference of Catholic Bishops announced that the blessing and exchange of the arras and the placing of the lazo or veil are approved options in both the Spanish and English matrimony texts for the United States. If you're marrying in a Catholic church, talk to your priest about where they fit in your ceremony. The lazo is usually removed by the padrinos at the end of the ceremony, and many couples keep it as a keepsake.
The arras are thirteen coins, often in a decorated box or pouch, which the priest blesses and the couple pass to one another. The number is commonly explained as Jesus and the twelve apostles, or as the twelve months of the year plus one for the poor. The exchange is traditionally read as a promise to provide for the family and trust in each other; many couples today frame it as a shared commitment to care for their home together. The custom is also used in Spain, other Latin American countries and the Philippines.
Some couples have a child carry the arras down the aisle alongside the ring bearer. If you're weaving this into a mixed or bilingual ceremony, see bilingual wedding ceremony ideas for how to explain each moment to guests.
Mexican wedding receptions are known for going late. A Mexico News Daily writer describing his own wedding in Mexico recalled a party that ran well past 2 a.m., with food served in waves long after dinner and extended family, from children to grandmothers, on the dance floor. Customs you may also see include mariachi, a snake-like line dance called la víbora de la mar, and a money dance, though these vary widely by region and family.
When you plan, budget time and food for a long night, and check your venue's closing time before you book. If most of your guests are family, a seating plan that keeps each branch together and puts padrinos near the couple saves a lot of wandering. The where do parents sit at a wedding reception guide covers the family tables.
A tornaboda (roughly "wedding return") is a smaller, relaxed gathering after the main reception, often the next day and often at a family home, for close family, padrinos and friends. The Mexico News Daily writer describes it as a casual day-after gathering where guests reconnect over food. It's also a chance for the two families to actually talk, after a night that was too loud for it.
If you plan one, send the details with the main invitation or on your wedding website so out-of-town guests can book an extra night. Keep it simple: leftovers or a taco stand, and comfortable clothes.
For customs elsewhere in the Spanish-speaking and wider world, see wedding traditions from around the world and Filipino wedding traditions, which share the arras and cord.
Seating a multicultural guest list? See how Matchmaker seats families together automatically.
It depends on the family. Padrinos traditionally give or sponsor a specific item, such as the lazo, the arras, the rings, the Bible and rosary, the cake or the music. Ask each person for one clear thing, and never assume.
Usually the padrinos de lazo, a married couple chosen as marriage role models, place it around the couple's shoulders during the ceremony and remove it at the end.
The 13 coins are commonly explained as representing Jesus and the twelve apostles, or the twelve months of the year plus one for the poor.
No. They come from Catholic ceremonies, but many couples include them in civil or non-religious ceremonies as cultural traditions. In a Catholic church, check with your priest first.
A smaller, casual gathering after the main wedding reception, often held the next day at a family home, for close family, padrinos and friends.
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