Unity Sand, Candle???????

[CAM]

My sister is getting married in October in an outside setting. This will be her second wedding and she did the unity sand at her first wedding. The unity candle might not work with it being outside. Is there anything else to use besides the sand or candle.


Thanks
Cam

[Sharon Naylor]

Hello Cam:

In outdoor weddings, the big new replacement for the unity candle is two separate containers of colored or clear glass pebbles (found in the craft store). The bride and groom take a new vase or glass container -- I love the square ones in this site's shopping area -- and they each take turns layering their individual colors of stones. Couples can go with colors to match their decor, such as a tan and blue, or they can use aquamarine and deeper blue colors to suit an island or beach destination. The stones represent long-lasting love, with strength and beauty, and they're the perfect choice for a breezy outdoor ritual.

I've also seen a unity braid, with couples starting out with lengths of cord, one for each of them and a third to symbolize their families or kids, and they create a braid that they seal with a metal clasp. This braid is displayed in their home, often attached to their photo album.

I'm also hearing more about a unity platter. The bride and groom get a ceramic serving platter and paint their names and a message onto the platter. It's then taken to be glazed and fired for display in their home.

Hope this helped!

Sharon

[birdie]

I think someone posted a link to a bunch of unity ceremonies a few months back - maybe Bryanne? But one example that I really liked was a wine ceremony where the couple each have a glass of wine which they pour it into one glass then each take a drink. Just an idea though...

[TheaterDiva1]

I had posted in a similar thread about using flowers - use two bouquets representing your families, then you each take a flower from your respective bouquet and put them together in a separate vase (a bud vase would work).

[breezy]

I just read about this unity blending on a blended family group I belong to

Because we had a beach wedding (although it rained and the ceremony had to be moved under the reception tent), we did a stone ceremony to symbolize the 5 of us becoming a new family. The last line spoken by the officiant was, "as the ripples cross and recross one another so will their lives touch and retouch one another sharing love and good wishes to each other and all around them." I adjusted a stone ceremony where all the guests throw rocks into the ocean and the ripples joining and overlapping symbolize all your family and friends' love overlapping and supporting you. Since it was raining during the actual ceremony, we had to do it later, but it was really nice (and of course the boys (DH included) enjoyed throwing rocks!).

[Sharon Naylor]

This is a fabulous idea!