Recently, Nate and I were invited to celebrate a special wedding day with Pastor Jorge & Kerry.
In Mexico, many wedding traditions have roots in Aztec culture with the influence of Spanish and Catholic customs. It was refreshing to partake in a Mexican Lutheran wedding that included some cultural customs, yet kept the main focus on Jesus Christ throughout the special day!
In this culture, some couples getting married are sponsored, financially, by padrinos (sponsors) of the wedding. The bride and groom honor them with a place in the wedding program. The sponsors may present the couple with the following during the wedding ceremony:
Anillos de Boda (Wedding Rings)
The exchange of rings is a sign of united love and fidelity.
Trece Monedas de Oro (Thirteen Coins of Gold)
It is customary for the groom to give his wife thirteen gold coins, during the marriage ceremony. This gesture represents the groom’s commitment to support his new wife.
El Lazo (The Lasso)
As part of the ceremony to symbolize unity, the lasso is wrapped around the shoulders of the couple in the shape of an eight, which represents the joining of their lives together – in Christ in a Lutheran wedding.
El Biblia (The Bible)
Symbolizes that God is the focus of their marriage.
The wedding hall, cake, flowers, food, beverages, and car (just for the day) are also often provided by sponsors.
During their reception, we were introduced to a couple more wedding customs. The groom’s family made all the food. Both bride and groom had to take a bite directly from the delicious tres leches (three milk) cake.
The evening continued with an abundance of dancing, a bridal bouquet toss to the single ladies, and the groom tossing his tie to the group of single men.
La Zapatilla (The Little Shoe)
Sometimes, a little glass slipper is given to the bride. Kerry circulated through the room, presenting the little glass slipper to each female guest. It was a collection of donations for the couple’s luna de miel (honeymoon). Jorge also had the opportunity to collect donations for their honeymoon. The male guests pinned money and wrote messages on his white shirt.
It was a great day to experience new customs together and enjoy Christian fellowship.
