El Lazo y Las Arras

Not too long ago, Ms. Tortolita and I went to one of her cousin's beach-side wedding. Every time I go to weddings, I always enjoy seeing the different little rituals people do during the ceremony that represents their culture and who they are. I remember one in which a rope was laid on the floor and the couple walked over it as a representation of their readiness to move to the next phase of their lives in unison. Ms. Tortolita's cousin had the mixing of the sand ceremony: the bride has a jar of colored sand and the groom has one with a different color, then they pour their sand simultaneously into a bigger jar to represent what once was separate is now one. Very cool ceremonies! So, what will we do ourselves?


We're going to do what our folks and those before them have done for many generations! We decided to stick to tradition, so here are the little things that will occur during our nuptial mass. I promise to try my best to explain what we're incorporating and why.

First up is the rosary and bible. A couple is given a rosary to represent the importance of religion in the relationship. Like they told us in class, a couple that prays together, stays together. The rosary usually comes with the couple's first bible. The bible emphasizes the same importance of religion. Plus, we get bibles for baptism, fist communion, and confirmation. Why not wedding?!

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Next is the lazo! For my English speaking friends, the lazo sounds a lot like the "lasso" and it isn't too far off on the meaning. The lazo is a rope tied like the figure "8." One circle goes around the groom and the other goes around the bride. The rope rests on our shoulders and keeps us together while we sit and kneel down during part of our ceremony. This physical bind translates into the symbolic representation of what our marriage is about. You might be two different people, but there is something that ties you both together: the love we share for each other and the promise we made each other to keep one another happy. :D

Here's a picture of the lazo Ms. Tortolita's mom gave us. It was a very, very nice gift. It looks kinda like a giant rosary.



Next are the arras, or gold coins. There are 13 coins total. They represent Jesus and his twelve apostles. The couple exchanges the gold coins during the ceremony as a sign of trust. "I trust you with my money, so I trust that you're not gonna go out and spend it!" Haha... Like many traditions, gold represents good fortune; that the couple always fairs well and may they never need anything else but their love. We decided to get our gold coins in Guadalajara, Mexico during one of our previous vacations. Here's what we picked up:

"What God unites man cannot separate"

We also have a unity candle ceremony in which the groom and bride both bring single candles together to light up a bigger candle. Again, this represents two people coming together to make a bigger "us."

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That ideal doesn't seem to change across any wedding ceremony. Regardless of race, sexual orientation, culture, religion, or any labels given to men and women alike, the symbolism behind wedding ceremonies all seem to mean the same thing. It's all about complementing your individuality with the individuality of another (and vice versa). The sacrifice of one's "self" to another is what I think people call love. :D