Kneeling during the nuptial mass, Arthur and Maria receive from their sponsors two symbols of unity, a silken cord making a figure 8, the mathematical symbol of infinity, and the bride's veil is draped over the bridegroom's shoulders.
Katrina Thomas's notes: Nearly three million Filipinos live in the U.S., bringing with them the Spanish, Mexican and American cultural mix of the islands. Most are Roman Catholics, who include the Spanish coin ceremony, the giving of arrhaes/arras, thirteen pieces of gold or silver by the groom to the bride as part of the marriage contract. During the nuptial mass, their sponsors place the bride's veil over the bridegroom's shoulders, adding a laso, a long silken cord or white string of flowers, which they entwine around the necks of the couple in the form of the mathematical symbol of infinity.