Going to a wedding in Spanish: the invitation, the gift, the ceremony and the party, in Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina
When a wedding invitation in Spanish arrives, you have questions that are not answered on the card. What to reply, what to give, when to arrive, and how long the night runs. The word for the event itself changes too, so a Colombian goes to un matrimonio and an Argentine to un casamiento. Below: the invitation, the gift, the ceremony, the party and the lines people will say to you.
The word for the wedding
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The wedding | la boda | la boda | el matrimonio or la boda | el casamiento or la boda |
| The reception | la recepción or la fiesta | el banquete and then la fiesta | la recepción or la fiesta | la fiesta |
| The venue | el salón | la finca or el salón | la finca or el salón | el salón |
| The bride and groom | los novios | los novios | los novios | los novios |
| The newlyweds | los recién casados | los recién casados | los recién casados | los recién casados |
Boda is understood in all four countries. Colombians say un matrimonio for the event, so voy a un matrimonio means a wedding rather than a state of affairs. Argentines say un casamiento.
The invitation and the reply
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Thank you for the invitation | Gracias por la invitación. | |
| Of course we’ll be there | Claro que vamos. / Ahí estaremos. | |
| We’d love to come | Nos encantaría ir. | |
| I’m confirming for two | Confirmo para dos personas. | |
| Count me in | Cuenten conmigo. | |
| I’m so sorry, I can’t come | Lo siento muchísimo, no voy a poder ir. | |
| I’ll be away that weekend | Ese fin de semana estoy fuera. | Argentina: estoy de viaje |
| Congratulations, I’m so happy for you | ¡Felicidades! Me alegro muchísimo por ustedes. | Spain: por vosotros |
| Can I bring someone? | ¿Puedo llevar acompañante? | |
| Are children invited? | ¿Los niños están invitados? | |
| What’s the dress code? | ¿Cuál es el código de vestimenta? | Spain: ¿cómo hay que ir vestido? |
The card itself will say se ruega confirmar asistencia in Spain, please confirm you are coming, or confirmar asistencia with a phone number and a date across Latin America. In the formal wording the parents of the couple come before the couple themselves in all four countries.
An invitation addressed to one name means one person. In Spain and Argentina the envelope or the message usually says con acompañante if you may bring someone, and assuming a plus one when none is offered is a real mistake, because the couple is paying per seat.
What to wear
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Formal | de etiqueta | The heaviest label, dinner jacket and long dress |
| Smart | formal or elegante | The usual instruction |
| Cocktail | cóctel | Short dress, suit |
| Semi-formal | semiformal | |
| A suit | un traje | |
| A long dress | un vestido largo | |
| Is it outdoors? | ¿Es al aire libre? | Decides the shoes |
| Is it in a church? | ¿Es por la iglesia? | Shoulders covered, still expected in many churches |
Nobody wears white. That rule is the same in all four countries, and people take it seriously. Black is normal at an evening wedding in Spain and Argentina and less usual at a daytime one in Mexico or Colombia.
Spanish weddings often start in the early evening and run through dinner into the small hours, and the guests dress heavily: long dresses, tailored suits, and a tocado, a small headpiece, on many of the women. A beach wedding in Mexico or on the Colombian coast is the opposite, with linen and a guayabera for the men, and that is usually on the invitation.
Gifts and money
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gift list | la mesa de regalos | la lista de bodas | la lista de regalos | la lista de regalos |
| Cash gift | el sobre | el sobre | el sobre | el sobre |
| A gift | un regalo | un regalo | un regalo | un regalo |
Money in an envelope is normal in all four countries and is not rude. In Spain, guests commonly transfer to an account printed on the invitation or hand over un sobre at the reception, and the informal expectation is that the amount at least covers your seat at dinner. In Argentina the envelope goes into a box at the party. In Mexico the couple normally registers a mesa de regalos at a department store, and cash is an accepted alternative. In Colombia couples use a gift list too, and the couple will say if they prefer money.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Is there a gift list? | ¿Tienen mesa de regalos? (Mexico) / ¿Tienen lista de bodas? (Spain) | |
| Where is the list? | ¿Dónde está la lista? | |
| Do they prefer money? | ¿Prefieren sobre o regalo? | The polite way to ask |
| Congratulations, this is for you | Felicidades, esto es para ustedes. | Spain: para vosotros |
| Where do I leave the envelope? | ¿Dónde dejo el sobre? |
The ceremony
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The ceremony | la ceremonia | |
| The church wedding | la boda por la iglesia | Colombia: el matrimonio por la iglesia. Argentina: el casamiento por iglesia |
| The civil ceremony | el civil or la boda civil | In Argentina often days before the party |
| Mass | la misa | |
| The priest | el cura or el sacerdote | |
| The vows | los votos | |
| The rings | los anillos or las alianzas | Spain says las alianzas for wedding bands |
| The witnesses | los testigos | |
| The godparents of the wedding | los padrinos | |
| The bouquet | el ramo | |
| To throw the bouquet | tirar el ramo | |
| The best man / maid of honour | el padrino / la madrina | |
| Bridesmaid | la dama de honor | |
| The first dance | el vals | Mexico, Colombia, Argentina. Spain: el primer baile |
| The toast | el brindis | |
| To toast | brindar | |
| Cheers | ¡Salud! |
In Spain, los padrinos are usually the groom’s mother and the bride’s father, who walk the couple in. In Mexico the role multiplies, and couples name padrinos for individual parts of the ceremony and the costs, among them los padrinos de anillos, de lazo and de arras. The lazo is a loop placed over the couple’s shoulders during the mass, and las arras are thirteen coins the groom gives the bride. The arras appear at traditional Spanish weddings too.
In Argentina the two events are further apart than in the others. The civil at the registry office happens with a small group, sometimes weeks earlier, and the church ceremony and party are the day everyone is invited to.
The party
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The dinner | la cena | |
| The drinks reception | el cóctel | Before dinner, an hour or more |
| Open bar | la barra libre | The same in all four countries |
| The dance floor | la pista | |
| The band | el grupo or la banda | |
| The DJ | el dj | Said “el di-yei” |
| The cake | el pastel (Mexico) / la tarta (Spain) / la torta or el ponqué (Colombia) / la torta (Argentina) | |
| Shall we dance? | ¿Bailamos? | |
| I don’t dance | No sé bailar. | |
| I’m going to bed | Me voy a dormir. | Leaving before dawn is early in Spain and Argentina |
Visitors get caught out by the timing. Weddings in Spain and Argentina run all night. A Spanish wedding may begin with the ceremony in the late afternoon, dinner at nine or ten, dancing after midnight, and a recena, a second late supper, in the small hours. Argentine parties start around ten at night and finish at sunrise, often with breakfast served before people leave, and many include el carnaval carioca, an hour when staff hand out masks, wigs and props and the floor fills.
Mexico has la tornaboda, the continuation the next day, usually at someone’s house and much smaller, for family and the guests still standing. Colombia has la hora loca, the crazy hour. The lights change, dancers or performers come in, and everyone is given something to wear. It comes in the middle of the party.
Arrive on time for the ceremony in all four countries. The party is the part that runs past the printed hour.
Congratulating the couple
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Congratulations | ¡Felicidades! | Mexico, Spain |
| Congratulations | ¡Felicitaciones! | Colombia, Argentina |
| Congratulations | ¡Enhorabuena! | Spain, the standard one at a wedding |
| Be very happy | Que sean muy felices. | Spain: que seáis muy felices |
| I wish you all the best | Les deseo lo mejor. | Spain: os deseo lo mejor |
| Long life to the couple | ¡Vivan los novios! | Shouted, at the toast, everywhere |
| You look beautiful | Estás preciosa. / ¡Qué guapa estás! (Spain) / ¡Qué linda estás! (Mexico, Colombia, Argentina) | |
| It was a beautiful ceremony | Fue una ceremonia preciosa. | |
| Thank you for having us | Gracias por invitarnos. | |
| We had a wonderful time | La pasamos muy bien. (Latin America) / Lo pasamos genial. (Spain) |
What people will say to you
¿De parte de quién vienes? Whose side are you on? Spain, asked at the door so they can seat you. Answer de parte de la novia or del novio.
¿Y tú de dónde conoces a los novios? How do you know the couple? Argentina: ¿de dónde los conocés? Colombia: ¿usted de dónde los conoce?
¿Estás en la mesa siete? Are you on table seven?
Pasen, pasen. Come in, come in.
¿Bailás? Do you dance? Argentina, and it is an invitation.
¡Que vivan los novios! Long live the couple, at the toast.
Un aplauso para los novios. A round of applause for the couple.
¿Ya comieron? Have you eaten yet? Mexico, and you will be asked repeatedly.
Quédate un rato más. Stay a bit longer. Said at two in the morning.
Mañana hay tornaboda en casa de mis papás. There’s a tornaboda tomorrow at my parents’ house. Mexico.
Ten sentences you can say tomorrow
- Gracias por la invitación, ahí estaremos. Thanks for the invitation, we’ll be there.
- Confirmo para dos personas. I’m confirming for two.
- ¿Cuál es el código de vestimenta? What’s the dress code?
- ¿Tienen mesa de regalos? Do you have a gift list? (Mexico)
- ¿Dónde dejo el sobre? Where do I leave the envelope?
- ¡Enhorabuena! Que seáis muy felices. Congratulations! Be very happy. (Spain)
- ¡Felicitaciones! Les deseo lo mejor. Congratulations! I wish you all the best. (Colombia, Argentina)
- Fue una ceremonia preciosa. It was a beautiful ceremony.
- Vengo de parte de la novia. I’m on the bride’s side. (Spain)
- La pasamos increíble, gracias por invitarnos. We had a wonderful time, thank you for having us.
Questions people ask
Is it “boda”, “matrimonio” or “casamiento”? All three mean a wedding. You can say boda everywhere. Colombians normally say matrimonio, Argentines casamiento, and both also understand and use boda.
Should I give money or a present? Money is normal and safe in all four countries. In Spain a bank transfer to the account on the invitation is the common route. In Mexico check for a mesa de regalos first, because the couple has usually chosen one.
How much should I give? There is no figure to quote, and it varies with the city and how close you are to the couple. The rule people repeat in Spain is that the envelope should cover the cost of your place at dinner. Ask a friend who is also going.
Can I wear black? Yes at an evening wedding in Spain or Argentina, where it is common. White is the one colour to avoid in all four countries, and that includes cream and ivory.
What is “la hora loca”? An hour in the middle of the Colombian reception when the music changes, performers come out, and guests are handed masks, hats and inflatables. It is designed to get everyone dancing.
What is “la tornaboda”? The Mexican follow-on party, usually the next day and much smaller than the wedding, often at a family home.
What time will it end? In Spain and Argentina, dawn. At Argentine parties breakfast is commonly served before guests leave. Mexican and Colombian weddings also run late, and in Mexico the night can continue into the tornaboda.
What do I say when I first see the bride? ¡Qué guapa estás! in Spain, ¡Qué linda estás! in Mexico, Colombia and Argentina, then felicidades or felicitaciones.
Do I congratulate both of them? Yes. Say felicidades a los dos, and in Spain enhorabuena a los dos.
Practise these words
boda, novio, invitación, confirmar, regalo, sobre, iglesia, ceremonia, fiesta, brindis, bailar, felicidades, desear. Vozelu is a free website for practising Spanish, and it has each of these. You see a sentence with one word missing, you type the word, and a native voice reads the sentence back. Practise the words on this page.