Wedding arras are 13 coins that the priest blesses and that you and your spouse give each other right after you exchange rings. If you want them at your wedding, tell your parish early, choose who will bring the coins to the altar and get a set of 13 coins in a box. The words you'll say are below, in English and in Spanish, so you can practice them together.
What are wedding arras?
The arras are a set of 13 coins, usually kept in a small chest or box. You may also hear them called wedding coins. The word arras means “pledge,” and the coins are just that: a pledge that from now on, everything you have is shared.
Catholic wedding arras are an optional part of the ceremony in the United States, in English or in Spanish. The English version is meant for couples where one of you doesn't speak Spanish, or where you both feel more at home in English. So you can have the arras even if your Mass is in English.
It's a much loved custom. If your parish does it a little differently, that's okay: ask the parish office how they like to do it.
Wedding arras meaning: what the 13 coins stand for
There isn't just one explanation for the number 13. Two explanations you'll hear:
- Twelve months and one for those in need. One coin for each month of the year, and a thirteenth to share with the poor.
- Jesus and the twelve apostles. Thirteen, like Christ and his twelve apostles.
Whichever explanation your family uses, the message is the same. What belongs to one of you now belongs to both, and your home stays open to others. In the blessing, the priest asks God to pour out his good gifts on you, so the coins also remind you that everything you have comes from him.
When the arras are given in the ceremony
The arras come right after the rings. First you make your vows, then the rings are blessed and exchanged, and then come the coins. To prepare that first part, see our guide to Catholic wedding vows. The arras can also be part of a wedding without Mass.
This is how the moment goes:
- When the priest signals, the padrinos de arras, or whoever is holding the coins, bring them forward.
- The priest blesses the coins.
- The groom gives the coins to the bride and says the words below.
- The bride gives them back to the groom with the same words.
Practice at the rehearsal with your real set, so you know how the box opens and how the coins feel in your hands.
The words you say when you give the arras
If your wedding is in English, each of you says the same short line. The groom says it first, and then the bride:
“N., receive these arras as a pledge of God's blessing and a sign of the good gifts we will share.”
Where you see N., you say your spouse's name.
If your Mass is in English but your grandparents pray in Spanish, ask the parish if you can say this line in Spanish. In Spanish, the same line reads:
“N., recibe estas arras como prenda de la bendición de Dios y signo de los bienes que vamos a compartir.”
In Mexico, the traditional words are different. The groom says:
“N., recibe también estas arras: son prenda del cuidado que tendré de que no falte lo necesario en nuestro hogar.”
The bride answers that she receives them as a sign of the care she will take so that everything in your home is put to good use.
Since parishes may use slightly different words, ask for the exact text and practice it out loud together. You can write to the parish office: “We'd like to include the arras after the rings. Could you send us the words we'll say, in English and in Spanish?” If you're afraid you'll forget, ask if you can repeat the line after the priest.
Who brings the arras in Mexican and Filipino weddings
Mexican weddings often have padrinos de arras. They can be a married couple or just one person. They buy the set and carry it on the wedding day until the priest signals that it's time. Many families also have padrinos for the lazo and for the Bible and rosary.
In Filipino weddings, the coins are also known as the arrhae. Many processions include a coin bearer, who walks in along with the ring bearer. Filipino weddings also have principal sponsors, the ninongs and ninangs, and secondary sponsors for the candle, the veil and the cord.
The arras are an important tradition for many Hispanic and Filipino families. If your two families mix traditions, that's fine. Talk it through with your parish and keep what means the most to you.
To ask someone to be your padrinos de arras, keep it simple.
“We would love for you to be our padrinos de arras. It would mean so much to have you bring the coins to the altar for us.”
If your padrinos live in Mexico and can't travel, they can still give you the set, and a relative can carry it for them. No padrinos for the arras? You can buy the set yourselves.
How to choose a set of arras
You'll keep your arras for life, so choose them with care. Look at four things:
- Thirteen coins. That's the traditional number, and all our sets have 13.
- The finish. Gold and silver coins are the classic choice.
- The image. If Our Lady of Guadalupe is close to your family's heart, look for her image on the coins.
- The wedding arras box. It should open easily at the altar and keep the coins safe for years.
All our arras are made in Mexico and come in a box, ready to give. Want the full classic look? The 14k gold-plated set adds a matching tray, with Our Lady of Guadalupe on the coins and on the tray. Prefer silver? The Guadalupe arras come gold-plated or silver-plated. Planning a rustic wedding? The antique brown set goes well with it. Compare all three in our wedding arras collection. To match your arras with a lazo and order in time for the rehearsal, see our guide to buying a wedding lasso and arras set.
Planning the arras and the lazo together
The arras and the lazo are among the most requested Hispanic wedding traditions, and you can include both. The arras come right after the rings. In the US ritual, the lazo goes on right after the Our Father, before the nuptial blessing. In many Hispanic parishes, it's placed as soon as the rings and the arras are done, so ask your parish which way they do it. For the step by step, see how the wedding lasso ceremony works. If you choose both, decide early who brings each one, so nobody is looking for a box at the last minute.
If you want them to match, pick one look and choose both pieces in it. With gold arras, our gold-plated crystal lazo keeps everything in the same warm gold. With silver arras, look for our silver-plated crystal lazo. For sizes and materials, see our guide on how to choose a wedding lasso. For the big picture, read our guide to the arras, the lazo and the unity candle.
What to do with the arras after the wedding
Keep them. Put the coins back in their box and keep it at home as a memory of your wedding day. In many families, the arras are handed down from one generation to the next, so the same coins can be part of your children's wedding someday.
A few simple ideas:
- Put a card in the box with your names, your wedding date and your parish.
- Take the box out on your anniversary and pray together for your home.
- Remember the thirteenth coin: on your anniversary, give something to someone in need.
- Lend them to a brother, sister or cousin who is getting married.
Your arras, plus the lazo and Bible to go with them
Thirteen coins to keep and pass down someday, a lazo for the two of you and a Bible for your new home.
Arrives in 2 to 4 days. Free shipping on orders over $35.
Frequently asked questions
What do the 13 coins mean?
One explanation is a coin for each month of the year and one more for those in need. Others see Jesus and his twelve apostles. Either way, the coins say that everything you have is now shared, with each other and with others.
Who gives the arras at a wedding?
You give them to each other: the groom first, then the bride. In Mexican weddings, the padrinos de arras often buy the set and bring it to the altar. Many Filipino weddings have a coin bearer who carries the coins in the procession.
When are the arras given during the ceremony?
Right after the blessing and exchange of the rings. The priest blesses the coins, and then you give them to each other with one short line.
What do you say when you give the arras?
In English, each of you says: “N., receive these arras as a pledge of God's blessing and a sign of the good gifts we will share.” You say your spouse's name where you see N. Your parish may use slightly different words, so ask for the exact text.
Can we have the arras at a wedding in English?
Yes. The English version is meant for couples where one of you doesn't speak Spanish, or where you both feel more at home in English. Any couple can ask for them, so mention it at your first meeting with the parish.
Sources
- USCCB Divine Worship Newsletter, July 2015
- For Your Marriage, U.S. Catholic bishops: the new wedding ritual
- Order of Celebrating Matrimony, English text of the arras rite (St. Dominic Church, Los Angeles)
- ACI Prensa: Liturgia de matrimonio
- Por Tu Matrimonio, U.S. Catholic bishops: opciones para la liturgia
- Diocese of Des Moines: wedding liturgy guidelines
- Diocese of Scranton: wedding liturgy handout
- Clarion Herald, Archdiocese of New Orleans: Hispanic wedding traditions
- St. John Cantius Parish, Chicago: wedding customs
- New Liturgical Movement: wedding coins and their meaning
- New Liturgical Movement: a wedding in the Philippine tradition
- Sunday Examiner and UCA News: Philippine bishops on simpler weddings
- Our Lady of Remedies Parish, Malate, Manila: marriage guidelines
- María Reina de la Paz parish, Puerto Vallarta: padrinos de boda