Everyone is familiar with the Unity Candle Ceremony in a wedding. The mothers of the bride and groom light the side tapered candles representing their families when they are escorted in and then during the ceremony the couple takes the side candles and light a larger center candle symbolizing their two lives becoming one.
But what if you don't want to handle fire at your wedding? Or it is an outdoor wedding and you don't want to have to use a blow torch in order to light your candles in the wind?
That's why many couples are now choosing the Sand Ceremony instead. The symbolism is essentially the same. And, for some, the Unity Candle is overdone now.
With the Sand Ceremony, when the mothers are escorted in, they carry with them a bottle or sand, each with a different color. These bottles of sand represent their families. During the ceremony, the couple steps over to a table where the bottles of sand have been placed, and pour their families respective bottle into a third glass container. They pour alternating so that the two colors of sand are thoroughly mixed. The symbolism is that just as these two colors of sand could now never be separated again, so it is with the marriage. The bottle of sand makes a nice keepsake that the couple can place somewhere special in their home.
While there are no worries about fire in this ceremony, there is one warning I would offer. Make sure the sand does not get damp before the ceremony! When sand gets damp, it clumps. I saw this happen one time and the couple had difficulty getting the sand out.
This ceremony is also sometimes used for blended families. Small children especially seem to enjoy pouring their color of sand into the container. With children involved, this symbolizes the creation of a family.
But what if you don't want to handle fire at your wedding? Or it is an outdoor wedding and you don't want to have to use a blow torch in order to light your candles in the wind?
That's why many couples are now choosing the Sand Ceremony instead. The symbolism is essentially the same. And, for some, the Unity Candle is overdone now.
With the Sand Ceremony, when the mothers are escorted in, they carry with them a bottle or sand, each with a different color. These bottles of sand represent their families. During the ceremony, the couple steps over to a table where the bottles of sand have been placed, and pour their families respective bottle into a third glass container. They pour alternating so that the two colors of sand are thoroughly mixed. The symbolism is that just as these two colors of sand could now never be separated again, so it is with the marriage. The bottle of sand makes a nice keepsake that the couple can place somewhere special in their home.
While there are no worries about fire in this ceremony, there is one warning I would offer. Make sure the sand does not get damp before the ceremony! When sand gets damp, it clumps. I saw this happen one time and the couple had difficulty getting the sand out.
This ceremony is also sometimes used for blended families. Small children especially seem to enjoy pouring their color of sand into the container. With children involved, this symbolizes the creation of a family.
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