Catholic Wedding Traditions: Lazo, Arras, Veil & Flowers to Mary Explained

Some of the most memorable moments of a Catholic wedding aren't just beautiful details. A cord draped around a couple's shoulders, a small chest of coins passed from hand to hand, a veil resting over two bowed heads, a bride laying her bouquet at the feet of a statue of Mary—these are not simply pretty wedding traditions. They speak. They express prayer, fidelity, unity, generosity, cultural heritage, and reliance on God at the very moment two lives are being joined.

But here is the distinction that shapes everything else in this article: none of these customs is what makes a marriage a sacrament. The heart of a Catholic marriage celebration is the couple's free consent, given before God and His Church. The lazo, the coins, the veil, and the flowers to Mary are meaningful additions, but not the essence. The U.S. bishops describe the wedding liturgy as the high point of the Catholic wedding day precisely because of what happens at its center: two baptized people freely giving themselves to one another in a covenant God Himself seals.

So if you've been gathering ideas and wondering about Catholic wedding traditions- when they happen, and whether you can include them; this guide is for you.

What are some Catholic wedding traditions? Catholic couples may encounter traditions such as the arras (wedding coins), the lazo, the wedding veil, and presenting flowers to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Some are formally provided for as optional adaptations in the U.S. Order of Celebrating Matrimony, while others are devotional or local customs. Couples should always discuss optional traditions with their priest or parish wedding coordinator, since practices vary by parish, culture, and family.

The Difference Between the Catholic Wedding Rite and Wedding Traditions

Browse Pinterest or a typical wedding site and you'll see everything filed under one heading: "Catholic wedding traditions." It's a helpful shorthand, but it flattens some real distinctions. Liturgically, these customs don't all stand on the same footing.

It helps to think in three layers.

The first layer is the sacrament and its rite—the essential liturgical celebration of Matrimony. It includes the exchange of consent (the vows), the reception of that consent by the Church, and the nuptial blessing.

The second layer is approved options and adaptations. When the U.S. bishops prepared the Order of Celebrating Matrimony, Second Edition, they incorporated several time-honored customs as optional elements couples may choose to include: the blessing and giving of the arras (coins), and the blessing and placing of the lazo or veil. These are genuinely part of the approved ritual books for the United States—but they are options, not requirements.

The third layer is devotional and cultural customs that live alongside the liturgy rather than inside the official rite. Presenting flowers to Mary is the clearest example. It is a beloved practice, but it is not itself part of the Order of Celebrating Matrimony.

Keeping these layers straight matters, and not just for accuracy. It frees couples from a subtle pressure. You do not need to add every Catholic-looking ritual you've seen online to have a "proper" Catholic wedding. Some couples will include several of these customs because they carry real family or cultural meaning; many couples include none of them and are no less fully married in the eyes of the Church.

Tradition	Meaning	Required?	Common association
Arras	Sharing God's gifts and resources in married life	No	Hispanic/Latino cultures
Lazo	Unity and the indissoluble bond of marriage	No	Hispanic/Latino cultures
Veil (velo)	Unity and married life under God's blessing and protection	No	Filipino, and some Hispanic traditions
Flowers to Mary	Marian devotion and prayer	No	Catholic devotional custom

A word of caution before we go deeper: these customs are not universal or identical across countries and families. What's standard in one Hispanic led parish may differ from a family's practice in the Philippines, Spain, or the Filipino-American community down the street. Treat the descriptions below as a starting point for conversation with your own priest and family, not as fixed rules.

The Wedding Lazo — A Symbol of the Couple's Union

What Is a Lazo in a Catholic Wedding?

The lazo is a cord, ribbon, or oversized double-looped rosary that is placed around the shoulders or necks of the bride and groom, joining them in a figure-eight shape. Some families use an ornate braided cord; others use a rosary specifically made for the purpose, so that the couple is quite literally bound together in prayer.

Its symbolism is beautiful in its simplicity. The two loops joined at the center picture two people made one, and the U.S. bishops' resources present the lazo (and the veil used the same way) as a sign of the union the couple has established—a bond meant to be lifelong and indissoluble. The figure-eight shape is often read as a symbol of that unending union.

The lazo is most strongly associated with Hispanic and Latino Catholic wedding traditions, and it appears across many Spanish-speaking cultures. Even so, the details differ from country to country and family to family, so it's worth asking your own relatives what the custom has looked like for them rather than assuming a single "correct" version.

When Is the Lazo Placed During a Catholic Wedding?

Timing is flexible. The ritual itself acknowledges this: if the lazo has not been placed earlier and it's convenient to do so, it may be placed after the exchange of consent, and in practice it is frequently placed around the time of the nuptial blessing. The U.S. bishops note that timing and implementation vary by region and family. Where the lazo lands in your particular celebration is a question for your priest, who is fitting it into the flow of your specific liturgy.

Who Places the Lazo?

This varies too. In many families, sponsors (padrinos) or specific relatives are honored with the task of placing and later removing the lazo. That's a lovely way to involve loved ones—but it's a custom shaped by family and local practice, not a rule prescribed by Church law. Decide it with your parish and your family together.

Does Every Catholic Wedding Use a Lazo?

No. The lazo is an optional custom. Plenty of Catholic weddings include it; plenty don't. Its presence or absence has nothing to do with whether the marriage is valid or fully Catholic.

Las Arras — The 13 Wedding Coins

What Are Arras in a Catholic Wedding?

The arras are wedding coins—traditionally thirteen—often presented in a small chest or tray. During the celebration, they pass between the spouses as a tangible sign of what the couple will share throughout married life. The custom has deep roots in Spanish and Latin American culture and was formally made available as an optional element in the U.S. rite.

You'll frequently see the number thirteen, and many families cherish their own explanations for it. What is clear and authoritative is the liturgical meaning the Church attaches to the gesture: the arras represent the good gifts the couple will share, and a pledge to hold everything they receive in married life in common.

What Do the Arras Symbolize?

The heart of the arras is generosity and shared stewardship. Passed between the spouses, the coins express a commitment to mutual sharing, to trust, and to caring together for the material blessings God provides—treating them not as "his" and "hers" but as gifts entrusted to the household they are forming.

When Are the Arras Exchanged?

In the U.S. rite, the optional blessing and giving of the arras is situated around the exchange of consent, so that the sign of shared goods sits close to the moment the couple gives themselves to one another. As with the lazo, the exact placement should follow your parish's celebration of the Order of Celebrating Matrimony—confirm it with your priest rather than assuming.

Are Arras Only for Mexican Catholic Weddings?

No. While the arras are often associated with Mexican Catholic weddings, they belong to a much wider set of Spanish-speaking cultures and Hispanic wedding traditions. Practices differ considerably by country, region, and family, so a couple with roots in Spain, Central America, or the Caribbean may know the custom in a form that looks a little different from the Mexican one—and all of them are authentic.

The Catholic Wedding Veil Tradition

Here, we're not talking about the bride's personal bridal veil, the one she wears down the aisle. In the context of Catholic wedding customs, the veil (or velo) is a ceremonial cloth placed over or around the couple together as part of certain cultural traditions.

What Does the Wedding Veil Symbolize?

Used this way, the veil expresses the couple's unity and their new life together under God's blessing and protection. In the U.S. rite it functions much like the lazo, as a sign of the bond the couple has entered; it's often placed near the nuptial blessing, since that blessing is itself understood as the Church's protection over the newly married couple.

The veil is especially associated with Filipino Catholic wedding traditions. The U.S. bishops' marriage-preparation resources describe these customs—the veil among them—as time-honored practices drawn from cultural and ethnic heritage, with regional variation among families from the Philippines and various Hispanic countries. As always, treat that association as a common pattern, not a universal law.

Are the Veil and Lazo Used Together?

They can be. In some Filipino traditions the veil and the cord are used together, with sponsors placing the veil over the couple and then the cord over them. But they don't universally have to appear together, and neither is required. Whether you include one, both, or neither comes back to the same two coordinates: your cultural and family practice, and what your parish provides for.

Presenting Flowers to Mary at a Catholic Wedding

The flowers-to-Mary custom is one of the most requested beautiful Catholic traditions.

Why Do Catholic Brides Bring Flowers to Mary?

At some point during or near the end of the celebration, the couple—or, in a common older form of the custom, the bride—approaches a statue or shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary, leaves a bouquet or a few flowers, and pauses to pray. It's a quiet, tender moment in the middle of a joyful day.

This is an act of Marian devotion, not worship. The couple honors Mary as the mother of Jesus and a model of faith, entrusts their new marriage to her care, and asks for her intercession—her prayers—as they begin married and family life together.

And here is the accuracy point couples deserve to hear plainly: presenting flowers to Mary is not part of the Order of Celebrating Matrimony itself. Resources aimed at engaged Catholics describe it as a devotional custom—couples dedicating their marriage to the Blessed Mother—rather than an element of the rite. That doesn't make it any less meaningful; it simply places it in the "devotional custom" layer we described earlier, which is why the next question is so important.

When Do You Present Flowers to Mary?

Because it isn't written into the rite, practices differ. Some parishes allow the couple to bring flowers to Mary during the liturgy, often near the conclusion before the final blessing; others prefer that it happen at another point, or quietly in the chapel afterward. Marriage-preparation resources consistently give the same advice: check with your parish about the options available to you, precisely because this custom isn't outlined in the Order of Celebrating Matrimony.

What Flowers Should You Give Mary?

There's no Church-required flower, so this is a matter of meaning and taste rather than rule. Many couples choose white roses or white lilies for their traditional associations with purity and with Mary; others simply use the bride's own bouquet, or a small separate "Marian bouquet" set aside for the moment. Any of these is perfectly appropriate.

What Song Is Played While Presenting Flowers to Mary?

A Marian hymn is a natural fit, and Ave Maria is the one most couples think of first. But music at a wedding liturgy has to follow your parish's and diocese's liturgical music guidelines, so treat any specific piece as a possibility to propose, not a done deal. Your parish music director will help you choose something both beautiful and appropriate. (If you're still shaping the rest of your ceremony music, our guide to Catholic wedding music walks through what's permitted and what to ask.)

Can We Include All Four Traditions?

Potentially, yes—but "more" isn't automatically "better."

A couple with genuine family or cultural ties to these customs may well weave several of them into one celebration: arras and lazo at a Hispanic wedding, or a veil and cord in a Filipino family, with flowers to Mary at the close. When the traditions carry real meaning for you, layering them can make the day richer.

Before adding any tradition, it's worth asking yourselves a few honest questions: Does this custom actually have meaning for our faith, our family, or our culture? Is it permitted by our parish? Where does our priest want it placed in the liturgy? Who needs to participate? Do we need any physical items—coins, a cord, a veil? And would our guests benefit from a short explanation in the wedding program?

Should We Explain These Traditions in Our Catholic Wedding Program?

A short, warm description in your own voice is plenty. Here are original examples you're welcome to adapt:

The Lazo — A wedding lazo is placed around the couple as a sign of the lifelong, unbreakable union they have entered through marriage, binding them together as one.

The Arras — The arras, thirteen wedding coins, are exchanged as a pledge to share generously all that God provides throughout the couple's married life.

The Veil — The veil is placed over the couple as a symbol of their unity and of the new life they now begin together under God's blessing and protection.

Flowers to the Blessed Virgin Mary — The couple offers flowers to Mary, honoring the mother of Jesus and entrusting their marriage to her prayers as they begin their life together.

Explanations like these do double duty: they welcome your guests into the meaning of the day, and they quietly catechize—helping everyone, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, understand what they're witnessing. Our Catholic Mass wedding programs are fully editable so you are able to edit in the tradition(s) you've chosen to help guests fully understand the mass,

Questions to Ask Your Priest Before Including a Wedding Tradition

Every parish has its own customs and constraints, so the surest path is a short conversation with your priest or deacon. Bring this checklist:

• Is this tradition permitted at our parish?

• Where in the liturgy will it occur?

• Who should place and remove the lazo or veil?

• Who presents the arras?

• May we present flowers to Mary, and if so, when?

• Is music permitted during the Marian devotion, and what can we choose?

• Should these participants attend the rehearsal?

• What wording should we use to explain each tradition in our wedding program?

  
  

Most of these are also worth revisiting at your ceremony walk-through. Our Catholic wedding rehearsal checklist can help you make sure everyone who places a cord, carries the coins, or steps aside for the flowers knows exactly what to do before the day arrives.

Frequently Asked Questions About Catholic Wedding Traditions

Are the lazo and arras required in a Catholic wedding? No. Both are optional customs, offered as approved adaptations in the U.S. rite. A wedding without them is fully and completely a Catholic wedding.

Can you have arras at an English-language Catholic wedding? Yes. The customs were approved for use in the United States in Spanish first, and the Second Edition of the rite made the arras and the lazo/veil available in English as well—so couples who prefer English, or who have Hispanic or Filipino heritage without speaking Spanish, can still include them.

Can we have a lazo during a Catholic wedding Mass? Yes, where it's appropriately incorporated according to the rite and your parish's practice. It's commonly placed around the time of the nuptial blessing, but confirm the timing with your priest.

Can you use both a lazo and a veil? Sometimes—especially in certain Filipino traditions where the veil and cord are used together. It varies by culture, family, and parish, so decide it together with your priest.

Is presenting flowers to Mary required at a Catholic wedding? No. It's a devotional custom, not part of the Order of Celebrating Matrimony, and it's entirely up to you and your parish whether and when to include it.

Do you have to be Hispanic to use arras or a lazo? The better question than "am I allowed?" is "does this carry authentic meaning for our family, culture, or devotion?" Traditions are richest when they're embraced for their meaning, so if a custom genuinely resonates with your story, talk with your priest about including it thoughtfully.

Can these traditions be included in a Catholic wedding outside of Mass? Often, yes—but the form of the celebration matters, and so does where each optional custom is placed within it. A wedding celebrated outside of Mass flows differently, so talk through your specific ceremony with your priest or deacon.

Keeping the Sacrament at the Center

The lazo is beautiful. The arras are meaningful. The veil can carry generations of family tradition in a single square of cloth. Offering flowers to Mary can be one of the most prayerful moments of the whole day.

So as you plan, let the traditions serve the sacrament. Choose the ones that carry real meaning for your faith, your family, and your culture; explain them kindly to your guests; place them where your parish guides you; and let go of any pressure to include the rest. A Catholic wedding doesn't become more sacred by accumulating customs. It's already the most sacred thing happening that day—two lives becoming one before the God who joined them.

Planning the rest of your ceremony? You may also find our guides to Catholic wedding readings, the Catholic wedding processional order, and helping non-Catholic guests follow the Mass helpful as you put the pieces together.