Filipino Wedding Traditions

Filipino wedding traditions - Engagement traditions and marriage rituals are very important to everyone and also for Filipino culture. At one time, as a way of proposing matrimony, a man would throw a spear at the front of the house of the girl he wished to marry. This act would symbolize her unavailability, and begin the Filipino engagement process. The groom and his family would then go together to the bride's family to ask for her hand in marriage.

Wedding Day Traditions - Traditionally, a Filipino bride would wear her best dress on her day of matrimony. Her groom would wear the customary marriage clothes of black pants and an embroidered shirt, made of an almost translucent fabric. Orange blossoms used for wedding bouquets and church decorations were, and still are, very popular.

Today, a bride getting married in the Philippines might wear a white wedding dress on her day of matrimony, while her groom could be wearing a black tuxedo. The bride wears the traditional all-white wedding gown and the groom is handsomely clad in the traditional barong. Wedding Ceremony While some of the sponsors have a "silent" participation during the wedding ceremony, two sets of sponsors play active roles. Sponsors, in many Filipino weddings are similar to the idea of godparents. At a traditional Filipino wedding, many sponsors are present to witness the union of the couple.

The groom wears a barong, a traditional hand embroidered formal shirt made from especially hand-loomed just or pine (pineapple fiber) cloth. You will be able to see some men wearing the Barong Tagalog at the wedding, a thin and transparent dress, most of the time white of color with a shirt under it.

There are many witnesses or sponsors at the wedding ceremony, who have various responsibilities. The first witnesses pin the bride's veil to the groom's shoulder to symbolize the couple being clothed as one. Next, they hang a white cord around the couple's necks which represents the eternal bond between them. Then, two candles are lit on either side of a unity candle, which the couple getting married light together. Lastly, the groom gives his bride thirteen coins that have been blessed by the priest for a life of faithfulness and prosperity.

Traditional Filipino Wedding Reception - The traditional marriage celebration dance is the Pandango. Reception guests pin money to the newlyweds to help pay for the honeymoon. Often times, there is a bird cage decorated as a wedding bell with white doves inside. The newlyweds release the birds, symbolizing the bride and groom going off together in peace. This is only a part of Filipino wedding tradition. In every area there are some particulars traditions that are different from area to area.