However, the celebration truly beings at the reception and dance after the formal ceremony. One interesting tradition during the reception is that every single person is supposed to put one shoe under the dress of the bride (most dresses have ample space) and the groom pulls one shoe out, indicating the next person to marry.
After marriage, in many households the man is expected to be the head of the house as his role is to financially support the family, protect the family, and make all important decisions. In many houses the woman is the primarily caregiver and maintains the house; today both of these roles are often the case, but not as much so as it was in the past. Women now take on greater roles in the family or work, giving the family dynamic in Colombia a number of variations. Many lower class women work to help make ends meet, while many middle class women are fairly independent and seek careers.
Most Colombian couples have two or three kids. Divorce is uncommon in Colombia as the Catholic Church frowns upon this as does most of society. Today divorce is legal, but still something that is generally avoided, partially due to societal pressure.