There are nearly 7 billion people living today who account for the many different cultures in the world. Imaginably so, wedding traditions are different in every part of the world even by a small variation. Highlighted below are the wedding customs of the Hispanic culture.

Religion and ceremony

The wedding ceremony typically follows Roman Catholicism. 

In most Hispanic weddings, the groom will give his bride 13 coins that represent his support and trust in her. The 13th coin is representative of Christ, which ties back to the religious roots. Another wedding tradition is having a rosary wrapped around the couple’s necks to symbolize unity under their religion.

Attire

The bride will wear a dress and accent it with accessories. Often, the dress was her mother’s and grandmother’s as a symbol of family pride. Popular accessories are a bolero jacket — a modern day blazer — and a mantilla veil.

Similar to the something borrowed, blue, old and new tradition, a bride sews yellow, blue and red ribbons onto her lingerie to represent the abundance of food, money and passion into her marriage. 

A bride will never wear pearls on her wedding day as they represent future failure of marriage. 

Reception

The reception is similar to American weddings in that it’s one big party. Usually lasting long into the night, a Hispanic wedding reception has activities for adults and children. Piñatas are popular to start the night with a dancing break after the piñata breaks. Similar to American culture, the couple shares a first dance surrounded by their guests holding hands, as well as a “money dance” where guests pin money on the bride and groom. Following these, guests are welcome to dance.