What are the Filipino wedding traditions?
Filipino · also called cord and veil ceremony, Filipino Catholic wedding, sponsors
A Filipino Catholic wedding is built around three ceremonial gifts - the veil, the cord and the coins - each placed by a different pair of sponsors, plus the candle ceremony that opens them. Together they make the ceremony noticeably longer and more participatory than a Western Catholic wedding, because a dozen or more people have a named part in it.
The candle, veil and cord
The candle sponsors light two taper candles at the start. The veil sponsors drape a white veil over the bride's head and pin it to the groom's shoulder, clothing the two as one. The cord sponsors then lay the yugal - a cord, oversized rosary or garland - over both of them in a figure eight, binding them together for the rest of the ceremony.
Later the couple together lights a single unity candle from the two tapers. The sequence is deliberate: covered, bound, and then one flame from two.
Sponsors, and why there are so many
Principal sponsors, the ninong and ninang, are the married couples who stand as witnesses and lifelong guarantors of the marriage - the Filipino equivalent of padrinos. Secondary sponsors handle the candle, veil and cord specifically. A large Filipino wedding can name twenty or more people in the programme.
This is not ceremony padding. Being asked to sponsor is a real honour with a real obligation, and the number of sponsors is a direct statement about how many families are being joined.
The reception
Filipino receptions commonly include the money dance, where guests pin bills to the couple, and frequently a released pair of doves. Programmes tend to be long and heavily hosted, with an emcee working through speeches, games and presentations rather than a floor that simply opens for dancing.
Planning it properly
A tradition only goes well if the people running your day know it is coming. These are the things to say out loud, and who to say them to.
- Give your officiant the full sponsor list
- Every sponsor pair is named and cued. This is the single most common thing that goes wrong, and it goes wrong loudly in front of everyone.
- Rehearse the sponsors, not just the wedding party
- A dozen people have to step forward, do something with their hands and sit down again. That needs a run-through.
- Budget the ceremony at double
- A Filipino Catholic ceremony with all the gifts commonly runs well over an hour. Your photographer's coverage window and your cocktail hour both depend on getting this estimate right.
- Reserve aisle seats for sponsors
- They all have to get up. Handle it on the seating chart.
Common questions
What is the cord and veil ceremony?
Two of the three ceremonial gifts in a Filipino Catholic wedding. Veil sponsors drape a veil over the bride and pin it to the groom to clothe them as one; cord sponsors then lay a yugal - a cord or oversized rosary - over both in a figure eight to bind them together.
What is the difference between principal and secondary sponsors?
Principal sponsors, the ninong and ninang, are married couples who act as witnesses and lifelong guarantors of the marriage. Secondary sponsors are assigned to a specific element - the candle, the veil or the cord - and perform it during the ceremony.
How long is a Filipino Catholic wedding ceremony?
Commonly over an hour, and often considerably more, because the candle, veil and cord ceremonies each involve a different pair of sponsors stepping forward. Plan photography coverage and cocktail hour around the longer estimate.
The vendors who make this work
Filipino wedding traditions depends on people who have done it before. Every review on Lazo comes from a couple who actually got married with that vendor, and rankings can't be bought.
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