Wedding Unity Ideas

Most of us have either seen or heard of the unity candle ceremony which is conducted in church weddings in which both the bride and the groom light individual candles and then together light another big candle to symbolize their union or coming together in matrimony. This candle unity ceremony has been a part of weddings for a very long time. Young couples these days, who are planning to get married, are often looking for variations in this wedding unity ceremony to make it more interesting and appealing. Below are some creative ideas which will make the same unity ceremony seem very different and special.

Unity Candle...With a Difference
The same unity candle ceremony can be made more enjoyable if the guests invited to the wedding are included in it as well. What can be done is that a lit candle can be given to the oldest relative of either the bride or the groom, present at the wedding. All the other guests are given unlit candles. The flame is then passed on from this relative to the guest sitting next to him and so on, till everybody's candles are lit. Afterward, the bride and the groom light their unity candle too. This is one of the most wonderful ideas in which lighting of the candles by the guests represents their acceptance, approval and blessings for the union of the couple.

Handfasting Ceremony
Ever wondered from where the term "tying the knot" originated? Well, it came from this age-old Irish tradition of tying the hands of the bride and the groom with handfasting ribbons, representing their living together from now on as husband and wife. To conduct this ceremony, the officiant asks the bride and the groom to hold hands, and when they do that, the officiant ties a ribbon around their wrists to "Join" them forever.

Garland and Circling Ceremony
This ceremony is taken from the Indian Hindu weddings. In this, the bride puts a garland, known as "Varmala" in hindi, around the neck of the groom proposing marriage, which the groom accepts by putting a garland around the bride's neck. After that the bride and the groom proceed to circle the altar three times. This circling signifies an unbroken bond and commitment to each other from now on.

Unity Sand Ceremony
Some say that the origin of this most unusual outdoor wedding unity can be traced to the native Americans while others say that it is the Hawaiians who started including it in their weddings. For this ceremony, both the bride and the groom have their individual containers in which sands of two different colors are placed. The couple then proceed to combine their individual sands, by pouring it into one large container. This blending of different colors of sands symbolizes coming together of two lives. A simple variation in this ceremony can be done if the bride and the groom leave a little amount of sand in their individual containers, signifying that though they are married now, yet they are complete as individuals.

Unique and distinctive wedding unity ideas such as the ones mentioned above, give new age couples the flexibility to personalize their weddings according to their lifestyles and beliefs. In addition to that, a differently conducted ceremony will remain etched in the guests as well as the couple's mind for a very long time, thus creating memories which are sure to last forever.