A lazo highlight, from the moment the cord goes over their shoulders
The lazo is a large loop, commonly a double rosary, a silk cord or a garland of flowers, that sponsors called padrinos de lazo lay over the shoulders of the couple during many Mexican Catholic weddings. It is usually twisted into a figure eight so it joins the two of them, and it stays in place while the ceremony goes on around them, often through a prayer or blessing, before the sponsors lift it away. To get a highlight that gives the lazo its due, upload the ceremony as its own WeddingEditor project, describe the sponsors and the moments of the placing and the removal in the preference questions, and WeddingEditor's AI editing makes a Highlight Reel of about 5 minutes or a Social Teaser that treats the cord as a ritual, not as background.
The couple are often kneeling and the sponsors move behind them, so a front angle and a side angle together tell the story best.
Creating an account is free.
Last updated October 2026
How to get a highlight that features the lazo
- 1
Upload the ceremony as one project
The lazo goes on partway through the Mass and comes off later, so the story of it is spread across the ceremony. Upload all of the ceremony footage, from every camera, into a single project and leave the clips as they are. There is no cap on how many files a wedding can hold, and every file must finish uploading, or be deliberately left out, before checkout.
- 2
Describe the sponsors and both lazo moments
Name the padrinos de lazo in the people question: who they are to the couple, what they wore and which side they came from. In the moments question, list both the placing and the removal, since the second is the one most often lost. If the priest said a blessing over the cord, flag it in the speeches question. Skip anything you have no view on; unanswered questions are left open, not filled in with guesses.
- 3
Get the edit back and watch it
Use a plan credit or buy One Wedding, then start processing. Expect it typically to take 24 to 72 hours before the edit reaches your project, where you can play it and download it as a 1080p MP4. If the lazo needs more room, up to two revision rounds are included, requested by email from the link in the app.
Lazo moments to name in your notes
These are the beats that are easy to lose in a long Mass unless someone who was there names them. Write them in the order they happened.
Sponsors coming up from the pews
The padrinos de lazo stepping out of their row and walking to the couple, often holding the cord between them so it does not tangle.
The cord going on
One sponsor laying the loop over the groom's shoulders and the other over the bride's, crossing it between them so it makes a figure eight. Ask for this from the front if you had a camera there.
Kneeling together under the lazo
The couple kneeling side by side, joined by the cord, during a prayer or blessing. It is a still, quiet stretch and works well under the priest's voice.
The priest's words
In many parishes the priest speaks about unity as the lazo is placed. If your camera caught it clearly, put it in the speeches question.
The lazo coming off
The sponsors returning to lift the cord away, in some ceremonies with help from the priest. Name it explicitly; in a long Mass it is the moment most easily lost.
The keepsake
The lazo being handed to the bride or folded into a box afterwards. Some families pass it to the next couple in the family, which is worth a note if it happened.
What happens during the lazo, in order
This is the common pattern in Mexican Catholic ceremonies. When and how the lazo is placed varies by family, region and parish, so check with the couple and the priest.
1. Choosing the lazo and its sponsors
Couples ask a pair of padrinos, often a married couple they look up to, to give and place the lazo. The lazo itself may be a large rosary with two loops, a corded rope, or a strand of flowers or beads chosen to match the wedding.
2. Placing it after the vows
In many ceremonies the lazo is placed after the vows, and often after the arras. The sponsors stand behind the couple, who are usually kneeling, and lay the loop over both of them in a figure eight.
3. Wearing it through a prayer
The couple remain joined under the lazo for part of the ceremony, often while a prayer or blessing is said. How long it stays depends on the parish; some leave it on until close to the end of the Mass.
4. Removing it
The sponsors, or sometimes the priest, take the lazo off and hand it to the bride or to the couple. Many keep it at home as a reminder of the day.
The lazo inside a short film
Each project produces one edit, either a Highlight Reel of about 5 minutes or a Social Teaser, so the lazo appears as a key passage of a ceremony highlight. If the family want every prayer under the cord, make that cut yourself from your files.
Prayer, choir and music together
The highlight can let the priest, a choir or a soloist be heard and bring in music around them, in the balance your audio preference sets. A camera close to the altar usually makes the difference for a quiet rite like this one.
Parts of the lazo and what to note in the preferences
| Part of the rite | What it looks or sounds like | What to write in the preferences |
|---|---|---|
| Sponsors called forward | Two padrinos leaving their pew, the cord carried between them | "Padrinos de lazo: the bride's godparents, she in navy, he in a white guayabera." |
| Placing the loop | The cord laid over each shoulder and crossed between the couple | "Must include the cord going on, front angle first." |
| Under the lazo | The couple kneeling, joined, while a prayer or blessing is said | "Hold on the couple kneeling; keep the priest's words." |
| Music during the rite | In some churches a choir, soloist or musicians play while the cord is on | "Keep the soloist's song under this part, as recorded." |
| Removal | The sponsors lifting the lazo away, sometimes with the priest | "Show the lazo coming off; it is the end of the rite for us." |
| Keepsake | The lazo folded and handed to the bride, or placed in a box | "A short shot of the bride holding the lazo, if we have one." |
What is the lazo?
The lazo, sometimes called el lazo matrimonial, is a cord, rosary or garland placed around a couple during many Mexican and other Hispanic Catholic weddings to show that they are now bound together. It is given and placed by its own sponsors, the padrinos de lazo. A lazo highlight is a short edit of the ceremony that keeps the placing, the stillness under the cord and the removal, made from the footage you upload.
It is not the arras, the thirteen coins passed between the couple, though the two rites often sit side by side. It is close to the Filipino cord and veil, but there the couple are also covered with a veil pinned over them.
Lazo ceremony video questions
Can a highlight be built around the lazo?
Yes, as a ceremony highlight in which the lazo is a central passage. Upload the ceremony footage as a project, list the placing and the removal as moments that must appear, and the edit gives them their place. The lazo alone is usually too brief to fill a Highlight Reel.
How should I film the lazo if the couple kneel facing the altar?
Their backs face the congregation, so a camera to one side of the sanctuary, if the priest allows it, shows faces and the cord at once. A second, wider angle from the aisle keeps the sponsors in view as they come and go. Agree on positions with the parish before the day.
The lazo came off much later in the Mass. Will the edit include it?
Say that it is there. Note roughly when it happened, for example "after communion, just before the final blessing", and describe who removed it. The AI editing follows your notes, so a clear cue removes the guesswork.
Our couple used a flower garland instead of a rosary. Does that change anything?
Only your description. Write what the lazo looked like, its colour and material, so it is easy to recognise in the footage. Families choose rosaries, ropes, ribbons or flowers, and any of them works the same in the edit.
Can I add the lazo highlight to the couple's delivery myself?
Yes. WeddingEditor never sends anything to your couple, so you download the MP4 and decide what they receive and when. You can also open it in Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve or Final Cut Pro first to add your own titles.
How is a lazo ceremony highlight paid for?
With one plan credit or a One Wedding purchase, which is $119 one-time for one wedding. The edit typically arrives 24 to 72 hours after processing starts, though no turnaround is promised.
More for Mexican weddings
From the cord going on to the cord coming off
Sign up free, upload the ceremony, and write down both lazo moments so neither is left behind.
Start your first wedding