Unity Ceremonies
Unity ceremonies are a wonderful way to add a special touch to your wedding ceremony, or to include your family in the ceremony. Unity ceremonies are included as part of The Full Ceremony for no additional charge.
Unity ceremonies can range from the standard to the unique.
Here are some of the unity ceremonies I have performed. As you can see, couples do get creative, but that also makes it yours (and more fun for me).
I am always open for learning new ceremonies, in addition to what you see listed here.
Unity Ceremonies are part of The Full Ceremony. If you have placed a deposit for The Small Ceremony, you can upgrade to The Full Ceremony to include a unity ceremony.
Services provided by Reverend Rob include:
The Wine Box and Love Letter Ceremony
By far, the most popular unity ceremony that I perform is The Wine Box and Love Letter Ceremony.
This ceremony involves a box that holds a bottle of wine. The couple writes love letters to each other to remind them of their feelings for each other and the reasons they decided to marry. The letters are placed in the box during the unity ceremony and the box is sealed. The couple can open the box on their fifth wedding anniversary, enjoy the wine, and read the letters. The wine and the letters may be replenished for future anniversaries.
The Sand Ceremony
The Sand Ceremony has taken the place of The Candle Ceremony, due to the number of weddings being held outdoors.
Sands of different colors represent the couple, and other family members. Each person pours a layer to represent themselves, and then they pour the sand together to represent the unity of the couple and the blending of families.
This ceremony is great for outdoor weddings and venues that do not allow candle ceremonies to be performed.
The Candle Ceremony
The Candle ceremony is the unity ceremony that most people are familiar with. Two tapered candles are lit at the beginning of the wedding ceremony to represent the couple. After the exchange of wedding vows, the couple use the tapered candles to light a pillar candle to represent the two individuals coming together as one.
Family members can be a part of this ceremony, and at times, the guests can hold candles and the flame can be passed along.
The Handfasting Ceremony
The verb, handfast, comes from the old Middle English language and means, "to make a contract."
In this ceremony, the couple joins hands and the officiant wraps a ribbon, a length of lace, or a braided cord around their hands. The couple pledge their support to each other during the ceremony. If a braided cord is used, the colors of the cord have different meanings, and can be created to reflect the couple's interests.
The Indian Candle Ceremony
Technically, there is no such thing as the Indian Candle Ceremony for use in a wedding. At least there wasn't until Sara and Bharath worked with me to create one for their wedding.
This is a great example of how a couple can bring in traditions from their cultures and use a unity ceremony to blend families.
The couple used a ceremonial Indian lantern and incorporated elements of a traditional candle ceremony to make a ceremony that belongs to them.
The Tying The Knot Ceremony
Why not tie the knot while you are tying the knot?
The Tying The Knot Ceremony includes two lengths of rope that the couple fashion into a fisherman's knot.
This ceremony symbolizes the two individuals coming together to form a strong bond together.
The Two-Tea Ceremony
Jesse and Amanda really like tea. When we met to talk about their ceremony, we met in a tea shop. When we talked about their unity ceremony, they wanted to have tea involved.
I based Jesse and Amanda's Two-Tea Ceremony on the traditional Candle Ceremony. As the ceremony began, their fathers poured their favorite teas into a vessel (Jasmine and Oolong). Their mothers poured the water into the vessel, and the tea steeped during the readings and the exchange of vows.
When it was time for the unity ceremony, Jesse and Amanda poured a glass of their blended teas for each other and gave each other a sip.