The Unity Candle Ceremony for Wedding Ceremonies

For many couples, aside from the actual vow exchange, the most meaningful part of their wedding ceremony is the lighting of the candle. The unity candle is special because it symbolizes two lives becoming one. While the candle ceremony is usually considered a religious gesture, it is something that couples take part in whether or not they are religious.

Many people have their mother's light each individual candle, and then the couple transfers the light from those candles to the bigger candle. If you are expecting your parents to be a part of the ceremony, it is important that they are given the opportunity to rehearse and that they feel comfortable with their responsibility in the candle ceremony.

During the candle ceremony, some couples like to recite special words that are from the heart and that express their love for their soon-to-be spouse. However, some couples prefer to make the setting more intimate and during the lighting of the candle, they have someone to sing a song that is special to them.

Because brand new candles don't always like to cooperate, it is a good idea to light the candles ahead of time and let them burn for a couple of minutes so it will be easier to light them during the actual ceremony. While some couples prefer to light the individual candles during the candle ceremony, some couple like to do things a little differently. You may choose to have the candles burning during the entire wedding ceremony, so you and your fiancé can easily light the unity candle when the time arrives.

It is also customary for the groom to light his candle before the bridesmaids walk down the aisle, and when the bride walks in, she lights her candle. This can signify the couple doing things on their own, and when they light the unity candle and blow out their own individual candles, it shows that they are willing to work together as a team and join their lives together.

Although many people choose plain white candles for the ceremony, it is possible to get candles that coordinate with or match your wedding colours. If you cannot find candles that match your wedding colours, consider choosing a solid colour candle and tying a ribbon that matches the wedding colours around the candle. It can also be fun to choose candle colours that don't match the wedding colours, but that match you and your fiancé's individual personalities. When it comes to unity candles, remember to have fun and don't over think it.

The unity candle ceremony is something that couples choose to share with their friends and family, however, you should not feel obligated to perform a unity candle ceremony. As a variation, for beach weddings, some couple prefer to pour sand into a vase to symbolize their lives becoming one.

Many couples simply scoop sand from the beach, and pour it into a special container. The sand is a nice memento that couples can put into their new home that will help them to remember their special day. Even if you are not getting married on the beach, but you want to have a sand ceremony instead of a unity candle ceremony, you can purchase sand unity wedding kits.