A wedding lasso rosary is a lazo made like a large double rosary: two loops of beads joined by a crucifix, one loop over each of you. If you want one at your wedding, start today: ask your parish if they include the lazo, choose a crystal or pearl lasso rosary, and have it ready to try on at the rehearsal. Torn between crystal and pearl? Our quick guide below helps you decide.
What makes a wedding lasso a rosary
The lazo is the wedding lasso: one piece that rests on both of you during the ceremony. It comes in a few forms. Some families use a fabric lazo or a garland of flowers.
Today the most common lazo is the rosary style, and it is very popular in Mexican, Filipino and Spanish communities. You can tell a Catholic wedding lasso rosary apart by three things:
- Beads all the way around. They give it the look of a rosary, in crystal, pearl or another finish.
- A crucifix at the center. It hangs between the two of you, where the two loops meet.
- Two loops, one for each of you. One goes over the groom's shoulders and the other over the bride's.
So if you are shopping for a lasso rosary, look for beads and a crucifix in the photos. A fabric lazo is a different piece.
And what does it mean? Resting on both of you, it forms an 8, a sign of the lifelong union you have just promised each other.
How a lasso rosary is different from the rosary you pray
The rosary you pray with is small enough for your hands, with five decades of ten beads.
A lasso rosary is made for one moment: to rest on two people at once during the ceremony. That is why its loops are long and why it has one crucifix for the two of you.
Can you pray with it? Yes, you can hold it while you pray together at home. It's made first for the ceremony, so for your daily rosary, a small one in your hand is easier.
In many Mexican American weddings, the couple also receives a Bible and a rosary right after the rings and the arras. That rosary is the one for every day; the lazo stays as the keepsake of your wedding.
The gold crystal wedding lasso rosary
Choose crystal if you want sparkle. Our gold-plated crystal lazo is made in Mexico: clear crystal beads held in gold settings, with a crucifix where the two loops meet. It carries images of Jesus and Our Lady of Guadalupe.
It comes in a gift box with a lithograph of Our Lady of Guadalupe inside the lid. That helps on the day: your padrinos can carry it to the altar in its box and open it when the moment comes. After the wedding, the same box keeps it safe.
It also goes naturally with gold arras. If your 13 coins are gold, a gold crystal lazo keeps both pieces in the same color at the altar. You can read what the coins mean in our guide to the wedding arras and their 13 coins.
For sizes, finishes and what to check before the rehearsal, see our guide on how to choose a Catholic wedding lasso.
The pearl wedding lasso rosary
Choose pearl if you want a soft, classic look. Our pearl lazo has pearls held in gold filigree caps and a crucifix. It also carries medallions of Jesus and Our Lady of Guadalupe, so both are with you at the altar.
It comes in a box with an image of Our Lady on the lid, ready for your padrinos to present.
Still deciding? Use this quick guide:
- Gold crystal: your arras, rings or details are gold, and you want sparkle.
- Pearl: you want a softer look, with medallions of Jesus and Our Lady of Guadalupe.
- Silver crystal: your arras or jewelry are silver. You will find it in our wedding lasso collection.
Whichever you pick, buy it early enough to bring it to the rehearsal, so your padrinos can practice with it. To match it with your arras, see our lasso and arras buying guide.
How and when the lasso rosary is placed
At a wedding Mass, the US ceremony book places the lazo right after the Our Father, just before the nuptial blessing. That is the prayer the priest says over the two of you. In many Hispanic parishes it goes on earlier, right after the rings and the arras, so ask your parish when it goes on and when it comes off.
You usually kneel side by side. One loop goes over the groom's shoulders and the other over the bride's, with the crucifix hanging between you.
Who places it changes from family to family and from parish to parish. The US ceremony book has two family members or friends place it, and often they are a padrino and a madrina. In some parishes the priest puts it on himself. If your family will do it, ask two people you love to be your padrinos de lazo. You can say: “Tía, Tío, would you be our padrinos de lazo? We'd love for you to be the ones who place it on us.”
Then call the parish office and ask: “Can we include the lazo? And in your parish, who places it: our padrinos or the priest?” The lazo is a beloved custom, but it is not required, and you can include it whether your Mass is in English or in Spanish.
At the rehearsal, let your padrinos practice once with your lazo, so they know who holds the box and who lifts each loop. For the full step by step and a sample script for your guests, see our wedding lasso ceremony guide.
Planning the arras and the unity candle too? Our guide to Catholic wedding traditions: arras, lazo and unity candle shows how they fit together.
What to do with your lasso rosary after the wedding
Give your lazo a place of honor at home. Here are a few ideas:
- Keep it in its box, next to your arras, so both stay together.
- Display it in a shadow box with a photo of the moment it went on.
- Set it by your home altar, near your image of Our Lady.
On your anniversary, take it out of its box. You can also ask your parish for an anniversary blessing for married couples; it can be given during Mass.
Lasso rosary, arras and Bible for your wedding
Choose your lazo in crystal or pearl, then add the 13-coin arras and a Spanish Bible for the couple.
Arrives in 2 to 4 days. Free shipping on orders over $35.
Frequently asked questions
What is a wedding lasso rosary?
It is a lazo made like a large double rosary: two loops of beads joined by a crucifix. During the ceremony, one loop rests on the groom's shoulders and the other on the bride's. It is the most common style of lazo today.
Is a lasso rosary the same as a regular rosary?
No. A regular rosary is sized for your hands and made for prayer, with a crucifix and five decades of ten beads. A lasso rosary is made to rest on two people during the ceremony, with long loops and one crucifix between them.
Can you pray with a wedding lasso rosary?
Yes, you can hold it while you pray together at home. It's made first for the ceremony, so for every day, a regular rosary is easier to carry and to hold.
Can you use a lasso rosary at a Mass in English?
Yes. In the United States, the lazo is an approved option in English and in Spanish. Ask your parish when they place it, and bring your lazo to the rehearsal.
What do you do with the lasso after the wedding?
Keep it in its box next to your arras, display it with a wedding photo or set it by your home altar. On your anniversary, take it out of its box and remember the day it went on.
Sources
- USCCB: How to Pray the Rosary
- For Your Marriage, U.S. Catholic bishops: Order of Celebrating Matrimony, what is new
- Por Tu Matrimonio, U.S. Catholic bishops: opciones para la liturgia de matrimonios
- Archdiocese of Seattle: The Order of Celebrating Matrimony, English text for the United States
- USCCB Divine Worship Newsletter, July 2015: the lazo and the veil in the Order of Celebrating Matrimony
- USCCB Divine Worship Newsletter, August 2016: questions on the arras and the lazo
- Diocese of Scranton: celebrating Matrimony within Mass, the lazo after the Our Father
- Clarion Herald, Archdiocese of New Orleans: Hispanic wedding traditions, el lazo and las arras