Brazilian Wedding Planning Guide

Small sponge cakes sandwiched with doce de leite filling, wrapped decoratively and given to each guest as a wedding favor. The name means well-married.

Significance: Bem casados symbolize the wish that the couple will be happily married. The two halves joined together represent the union of the couple.

Not serving bem casados is widely seen as bad luck. Plan for at least one per guest.

In Brazil, it is customary for the bride to arrive at the church 10 to 30 minutes after the scheduled ceremony time.

Significance: This tradition demonstrates the groom's patience and devotion. It also heightens the emotional impact of the bride's entrance.

Guests expect the bride to be late. However, being more than 30 minutes late is generally considered excessive.

The groom arrives at the church first and makes his own grand entrance, accompanied by his mother or another close female relative.

Significance: Demonstrates the groom's eagerness and readiness for marriage, honors his mother, and allows him to personally welcome guests.

The groom's entrance is nearly on par with the bride's in terms of ceremony and emotion.

Brazilian couples choose multiple couples as padrinhos who stand with them during the ceremony and may sponsor specific aspects of the celebration.

Significance: Padrinhos represent the community of loved ones supporting the marriage. They take on a lifelong role of advising and supporting the couple.

Brazilian weddings typically have 3 to 6 couples as padrinhos. Each may sponsor a specific wedding element.

Both partners wear matching plain gold bands on their right ring fingers during the engagement. At the ceremony, the rings are moved to the left hand.

Significance: The switch from right to left hand visually marks the transition from engaged to married couple.

Brazilian engagement rings are traditionally plain gold bands without diamonds, though modern couples increasingly personalize this.

On the wedding morning, the bride has the names of her single female friends sewn into the inner hem of her wedding dress.

Significance: Similar to the bouquet toss, it is believed to bring good luck to the single friends whose names are written there.

This is a widely practiced Brazilian tradition, personal to the bride and her close friends.

The groom's tie is cut into small pieces and auctioned off to male guests during the reception.

Significance: A playful tradition that raises money for the couple's honeymoon.

Some couples replace or supplement this with the shoe money tradition.

Guests pay to dance with the bride or groom. In many regions the bride places her shoe on the dance floor and guests drop money into it.

Significance: A communal way for guests to contribute to the couple's future.

The tradition varies by region. In the South, the sapatinho variation is more common.

Brazilian madrinhas traditionally wear different dresses in vibrant, varied colors rather than matching outfits.

Significance: The varied, colorful bridal party reflects Brazilian culture's celebration of individuality and festive self-expression.

White is reserved exclusively for the bride. This is one of the most distinctive differences from North American wedding customs.

The bride tosses her bouquet to single women and the groom removes and tosses the garter to single men.

Significance: Those who catch the bouquet and garter are believed to be the next to marry.

Many couples supplement or replace this with the uniquely Brazilian names-in-the-hem tradition.