The Wedding Unity Ceremony

Although there are basic requirements to make a marriage ceremony legal, there are many ways to personalize this important part of your wedding day. Location, timing and inclusion of interesting demonstrations of commitment to family members and each other all contribute to make it truly memorable experience. One such commitment display is a “Unity Ceremony”. Couples, along with their officiates have been very creative and variations have evolved.

The underlying message of the Unity Ceremony is “joining together of two into one”. The “two” can reflect the Bride and the Groom, the family of the Bride and the family of the Groom or even Mother, Father and respective children. A range of accessories can be used to enhance the demonstration.

Unity Candle Ceremony Typically, this ceremony consists of individual taper candles that are used simultaneously to light a central pillar candle. Today, these are available in a broad range of decorative styles. The mothers of the Bride and Groom or other significant members from each family can light the taper candles early in the proceedings. Another option is to have the Bride and Groom light each individual candle and then jointly light the central pillar candle. Accompanying each of the stages of candle lighting are selected verses that truly express the union of two into one.

Unity Sand Ceremony Growing in popularity is the Unity Sand Ceremony. Not only does this create a decorative result, it is also much more practical in an outdoor setting where candles can be affected by the natural elements. With the Unity Sand Ceremony, select three decorative glass vases and place one colour of sand into one vase and a second colour into another vase. This is designed to represent the Bride and Groom. At the appropriate point in the service the Groom pours a portion of his sand into the third vase. The Bride then pours a portion of her sand in on top of the Groom’s in the third vase. To conclude the Bride and the Groom jointly pour the remaining sand in each of their respective vases into the central vase. The commingling of the coloured sand is an impressive demonstration of two into one. In those cases where children are involved, couples simply add additional colours of sand and incorporate the children in the Unity Ceremony. It is a safe and meaningful way to symbolize the new blended family. The vases can be engraved with initials, names or the wedding date making them a spectacular keepsake for years to come.

Rose Unity Ceremony Coloured Roses also can be used to create a very beautiful Unity display. Using a series of three interlocking vases, have the Mothers from each family place roses in the outside vases. These should be different but complementary colours and should include one rose for each member in the immediate family. One rose in each group can be identified with a personalize ribbon. This will symbolize the Bride and Groom. At the suitable time, the Bride and Groom will remove their rose from the family vases and replace it in the central vase signifying the blossoming of their new family. The resulting floral display will make a lovely addition for the Head Table or Guest Book Table at the Reception. Following the event, plan to preserve the roses by hanging them upside down in a dark location. What a wonderful contribution to your box of keepsakes.

©2006 Weddingstar Inc.