8 Spanish Wedding Traditions and Customs That Make a Celebration Unforgettable
Written by Jordi Dalmau, Spain destination wedding photographer. Last update July 2026
Planning a wedding and want something more than cookie-cutter? Spanish weddings are full of color, culture, and joyful details that turn your day into something truly unforgettable. Whether you’re tying the knot in Spain or just want to add some Iberian soul to your celebration, here are 10 wedding traditions that bring heart, heritage, and a whole lot of fun to the table.
Updated July 2026 with the two words couples actually say at the altar, how Spanish speeches and toasts really work, and how Spanish customs differ from Latin American ones.
1. The Arras Ceremony: 13 Coins and a Promise
The Arras is one of the most iconic Spanish wedding rituals. The groom gives the bride 13 gold coins as a symbol of trust and commitment to provide for their future. She then gives them back, symbolizing partnership and shared responsibility. The number 13? It’s not bad luck here. It represents Jesus and the 12 apostles, invoking spiritual blessing.
Usually blessed by a priest before the ceremony, the coins become a keepsake, and a reminder of the promises made.
2. Swinging Napkins: A Joyful Start to the Reception
Forget clinking glasses. When the bride and groom enter the dinner at a Spanish wedding, the room erupts into cheers… and flying fabric. Guests stand up, swing their napkins in the air, and sing along to an upbeat song, usually something festive and very Spanish. It’s spontaneous, joyful, and impossible not to smile during. This isn’t just a fun moment; it sets the tone for the rest of the night. Laughter, dancing, celebration.
Want to make it your own? Choose a song that feels like you, and get ready for the most cheerful welcome you’ve ever had.
3. The Role of the Padrinos
In Spanish weddings, the padrinos (similar to groomsmen) aren’t just ceremonial. They’re in charge of bringing the bouquet to the bride before the ceremony. In some regions like Catalonia they even have to prepare and read a poem when they do so. They also walk with you through planning and offer support during the ceremony.
They’re chosen with intention, and they stay with you long after the day ends.
4. The Wedding Feast (Banquete) That Feels Like a Celebration of Life
You don’t just eat at a Spanish wedding, you feast. The banquete is a multi-course celebration of the best local flavors: tapas, jamón ibérico, seafood, roast lamb, paella, and plenty of Rioja or cava to go around.
It’s not a rushed meal; it’s a ritual. Hours of conversation, laughter, and toasts. Expect dessert to involve something rich: almond cake, fruit-soaked layers, marzipan.
You’ll remember the food long after the dance floor cools off.
5. La Despedida de Soltera/Soltero: The Spanish Bachelorette/Bachelor Party
Before the wedding, the bride and groom each celebrate their own despedida, basically Spain’s take on the bachelorette and bachelor party.
It’s less about wild antics, more about meaningful time with close friends and family. Sometimes it’s a spa weekend. Other times it’s a night of tapas and dancing in Barcelona. Either way, it’s a memory-maker.
6. Ceremonies Last About One Hour, and Usually Include Speeches
Spanish wedding ceremonies tend to be a little longer than the quick 15-minute “I do’s” you’ll find in other countries. On average, expect about an hour.
Why? Because they’re emotional.
Whether it’s a religious or symbolic ceremony, Spanish weddings often include personal speeches from close friends or family members. These aren’t formal or scripted. They’re raw, funny, heartfelt, and often full of inside jokes, making the ceremony feel deeply personal and intimate.
Many couples invite their siblings, childhood friends, or even parents to speak. It’s not unusual for guests to laugh, cry, and cheer during the ceremony. It’s a celebration, after all.
These speeches turn the ceremony into something more than a ritual. They make it yours. And if you’re planning a destination wedding in Spain, it’s a beautiful way to weave your personal story into the day.
7. Si, Quiero: What Couples Actually Say Instead of I Do
There is no I do at a Spanish wedding. When the officiant asks the question, the answer is si, quiero, which translates literally as yes, I want to. It is a small difference that says a lot: the Spanish version is about wanting rather than agreeing.
In a civil ceremony the officiant asks each of you in turn whether you want to take the other as your spouse, and you answer in two words. In a Catholic ceremony the wording is longer and closer to the vows you already know, but the moment everyone is waiting for is the same one. The room usually reacts before the sentence is finished.
If you are an international couple marrying here, you can say those two words in Spanish even if the rest of your ceremony runs in English. I have photographed plenty of couples who did exactly that, and it lands every time. The Spanish half of the room hears its own language at the moment that matters, and you will replay that clip for years.
8. Speeches and Toasts: How They Actually Work Here
Spanish weddings do have speeches, but they work nothing like the scheduled best man and father of the bride format. They arrive between courses during the banquet rather than in a block, they are shorter, and they come from whoever feels moved to stand up: parents, siblings, the friend who has been rehearsing since March.
The toast itself is brief. The line you will hear is vivan los novios, long live the newlyweds, answered by the whole room at once. For a simple toast, por los novios works perfectly, and salud is the everyday cheers you will hear all night. If you want to say something and your Spanish is shaky, two sentences delivered badly in Spanish will beat five perfect ones in English. Nobody is grading you.
One practical note from behind the camera: tell your photographer that speeches are likely, even if the timing is loose. Spanish speeches often start with no warning, and the pictures you will want most are not the person speaking. They are the reactions: your mother wiping her eyes, a whole table erupting at once.
Are Spanish and Latin American Wedding Customs the Same?
Not quite, and the difference is worth knowing if you are collecting ideas online.
Spain and Latin America share real roots. The arras coins and the padrinos appear on both sides of the Atlantic, which is why so much of what gets filed as Hispanic wedding customs is genuinely Spanish in origin.
But several traditions people expect at a Spanish wedding are actually Latin American. The lazo, the loop of rosary or ribbon placed around the couple during the ceremony, is Mexican rather than Spanish, and so is the money dance. Each country carries its own layer on top: a Nicaraguan or a Colombian wedding looks different again from a Mexican one.
So if you are marrying in Spain and want the day to feel Spanish, build it around the arras, the padrinos, the napkins and a very long banquet. If your family carries Latin American traditions, bring them anyway. I have photographed weddings that used both, and nobody in the room minded.
Final Thoughts: Add Some Spanish Soul to Your Wedding
Love, joy, music, and food shared with the people you care about most. That’s what a Spanish wedding feels like. It’s not just about the rituals, it’s about the energy, the laughter, the way your friends swing their napkins in the air as you walk into dinner, and the late-night dancing that nobody wants to end.
Whether you’re planning your own celebration here or simply dreaming about it, Spanish traditions bring a kind of warmth and soul that’s hard to explain but impossible to forget.
If you’re looking for someone to capture it all with care and sensitivity, here’s where you can learn more about working with a wedding photographer in Spain. Want to see these traditions in action? Take a look at this real wedding at Castell de Caramany.
Frequently Asked Questions About Spanish Wedding Traditions
What is the arras ceremony in a Spanish wedding? The arras are 13 gold coins the couple exchanges during the ceremony as a promise to share everything they build together. The number 13 represents Jesus and the 12 apostles. Most couples keep the coins as a family keepsake, often engraved or passed down.
Do Spanish weddings have bridesmaids and groomsmen? Traditionally no. In Spain the key roles belong to the padrinos, usually the groom’s mother and the bride’s father, who accompany the couple to the altar. Many international couples getting married in Spain now mix both customs, with a bridal party and padrinos side by side.
How long does a Spanish wedding last? Plan for a full day. The ceremony itself takes about an hour, often with readings and speeches, and the celebration continues through cocktail hour, a long banquet and dancing until the early morning. Twelve hours from ceremony to last song is completely normal here.
What time do Spanish weddings start? Later than you might expect. Many ceremonies start between 5 and 7 pm, dinner is served around 9 or 10 pm, and the party runs well past midnight. Summer weddings lean even later to escape the afternoon heat.
Can we include Spanish traditions in our destination wedding? Yes, and your guests will love it. The easiest ones to adopt are the napkin welcome at dinner, the arras exchange and a proper Spanish banquet. I photograph many international couples in Costa Brava who blend these traditions with their own customs, and it always lifts the energy of the day.
How do you say I do in Spanish at a wedding? You say si, quiero, which literally means yes, I want to. The officiant asks each of you in turn whether you want to take the other as your spouse, and those two words are the answer. International couples marrying in Spain often say them in Spanish even when the rest of the ceremony is in English.
Do Spanish weddings have speeches and toasts? Yes, but loosely. Speeches happen between courses at the banquet rather than in a scheduled block, they are short, and anyone can stand up. The classic toast is vivan los novios, long live the newlyweds, answered by the whole room, with por los novios and salud as the simpler versions.
What is a typical Spanish wedding like? Long, late and food centred. A ceremony of about an hour in the early evening, a cocktail hour outdoors, a banquet that runs for hours, and dancing until sunrise. The arras coins, the padrinos and the napkin swinging at dinner are the details that make it unmistakably Spanish.
Are Spanish and Hispanic wedding customs the same? They overlap but they are not identical. The arras and the padrinos are shared across Spain and Latin America, which is why they get filed together online. Others are not: the lazo and the money dance are Latin American rather than Spanish, and each country adds its own layer.
About the Author:
I’m Jordi Dalmau, a wedding photographer specializing in Costa Brava celebrations, and I’ve had the privilege of documenting dozens of weddings in Spain over the years. This guide combines my firsthand experience capturing love stories in every corner of this special country with practical information to help you envision and plan your perfect day.
