The devout Filipinos traditionally hold a wedding mass which can last up to 2 hours. The groom and his family enter the church first to greet the bride and the guests. The wedding train is composed of the groomsmen followed by the best man and the maid of honor. The godparents, the ring bearer and the coin bearer bring up the rear. The bride is last of all, accompanied by her father.
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The bride holds a family heirloom rosary during the proceedings. The godparents or ‘ninongs and ninangs’ place a ceremonial veil over the heads of the couple to signify their unity. The bride then holds her hands cupped under the grooms while the priest pours thirteen silver coins into their hands. The coins are called Arrhea from the Spanish word meaning earnest money. They are a sign of fidelity and lifelong commitment.

A Yugal or nuptial cord is then entwined around the couple’s necks to form a figure-8. The cord symbolizes the infinity of the marital bond.

Candles are lit to show the presence of God in the ceremony and all those present receive communion with the traditional bread and wine. After the wedding the couple releases a pair of white doves into the sky in the hope of a peaceful and harmonious union. They are showered with rice as a symbol of fertility before they drive away in their Tartanilla or flower covered carriage