The Unity Sand Ceremony

This Ceremony is an alternative to the Unity Candle Ceremony and is similar in its symbolism. The relationship of the bride and groom is symbolized through the pouring of two individual containers of sand (representing their individuality) into one container representing their union. As the sand from the two containers is poured into the third container, the individual sands no longer exist, but now is a combination of the two. If you are having a beach wedding, this ceremony is MUST!! It is also an excellent ceremony to include children and/or family members as it not only symbolizes two individuals coming together as one but many times a family becoming one.
We furnish a basic sand ceremony set to use at the ceremony. However you may purchase several different types of sets that can be personalized and will make a beautiful keepsake of your Special Day for years to come!

The Rose Ceremony

 
The Rose Ceremony is simple yet profoundly moving. The bride and groom exchange a rose, representing their first gift to one another as husband and wife.
In more elegant days, flowers were used as a means of communication.  Each flower had a special meaning. In the old language of flowers, a single red rose always meant "I love you". The Rose ceremony gives recognition to the new and most honorable title of "Husband and Wife".

Hands of the Bride & Groom

This Ceremony is deeply moving and promises to be part of your ceremony that you and your guests will be talking about for years to come. Promising not to leave a dry eye, you will find this is the defining moment in your ceremony and it will truly be the moment that you will be 100% sure the hands that you are holding during the Blessing, are the hands you want to hold for the rest of your life.
Here is an Excerpt of this Beautiful Ceremony:
These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and vibrant with love, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as he/she promises to love you all the days of his/her life . . . These are the hands that will give you support as he/she encourages you to chase down your dreams. Together as a team, everything you wish for can be realized. God, bless these hands that you see before you this day. May they always be held by one another."

Family Vows Ceremony

Blending family vows, are appropriate, even encouraged when the marriage will create a new family with children. It is most important to welcome the children as a part of the new family that will be created by the union. When you compose your vows to them, include an introduction and acknowledgement of the children, a warm welcome to the family, your commitment as a parent, and your pride in having each individual child a part of your now larger family. In fact, right after both bride and groom bestow the children with their vows, is a perfect time to present every child with a special jewelry gift such as a ring, a pendant, a tie pin etc.
Any one of these ceremonies work perfectly when including family members:

• The Unity Sand Ceremony
• Unity Candle
• Rose Ceremony
• Family Circle of Love (w/ Poem &Song)

Unity Candle Ceremony

(Not recommended for outdoor ceremonies)

The wedding unity candle is used during the wedding ceremony and is referred to as the Unity Candle Ceremony or Unity Candle Lighting. This touching unity candle tradition has become very popular in recent years. Using the wedding unity candle in your ceremony symbolizes spiritual life, light, love and caring. To utilize the practice of a unity candle arrangement in your wedding ceremony you generallyneed 2 taper candles, a pillar-style, unity candle and unity candle holders for them.
There are many ways to incorporate the unity candle ceremony into your own wedding ceremony that will make it most meaningful to you, your fiancé and your families. It can be a way to celebrate the joining of two people and the joining of two families. You can even choose to have a unity candle reading.
The candle lighting ceremony is also often used to remember and honor loved ones unable to attend your wedding ceremony but, who remain present in your hearts (called a memorial candle). It is important to note that how you choose to incorporate this touching unity candle tradition is entirely up to you.

Remembrances

If you've lost a parent, grandparent, or friend, a brief moment of remembrance of them at your wedding is a fitting way to acknowledge their presence with you spiritually, and in your hearts. In the ceremony you can honor specific people, or you can ask your Officiate to include a general acknowledgment of loved ones who are not able to join you for your wedding.
There are different ways you can honor your loved ones:

• The most common Wedding Memorials are candles, which can be lit just before your unity candle ceremony, or at any other time you and your Officiate feels is a right time.
• You may also display a single rose or flower arrangement in a vase and have your Officiate lead you in a moment of silence or prayer or recite a poem.
• Tossing a stone or shell into the water with a prayer.

Ceremony Types — What are they?

A civil ceremony is a beautiful ceremony that doesn't reference God or any other spiritual deity. Civil ceremonies may have traditional or contemporary readings and there are no prayers or blessings.
A non-denominational ceremony is typically Christian, without adhering to any particular denomination (Catholic, Baptist, etc) A non-denominational ceremony may have traditional, Christian and/or contemporary readings.
A Spiritual ceremony is a beautiful ceremony that often incorporates traditions, blessings, and/or prayers of non-Christian faiths. ie. Muslim or Buddhist.
Interfaith/intercultural ceremonies incorporate traditions, blessing, and/or prayers from more than one faith or culture. ie. Buddhist and Christian elements, African and Hisp anic cultures.
A christian ceremony is a ceremony with emphasis as Christ at the center of your marriage; an expression of worship, reflecting joy, celebration, community, respect, dignity and love; a testimony of your live before God, demonstrating your Christian values. May include prayers and scripture readings.

 

Brief Description of Other Ceremonies Available:

Blessing Shells

When a wedding is outside and near water, Blessing or Wishing shells are either gathered at the site or provided by the couple not only for themselves but for the wedding party and guests as well. After the ceremony all follow the bride and groom to the water, make a wish or blessing for them and cast their shell into the water. The ripples that are made represent the love and good wishes for not only the couple, but for all the world… as our ripples cross and re-cross one another's, so do our love and good wishes touch and retouch all around us and those with whom we come into contact.

Breaking of the Glass

The traditional Jewish wedding ceremony includes a “Breaking of the Glass” This tradition represents the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. Many times couples save the pieces of glass from the ceremony in a symbolic box. The Groom is offered a glass  wrapped in a cloth napkin, smashes it with his foot. The breaking of the glass symbolizes the fragility of life, because whatever we see before us as whole can be broken at any moment. It reminds us of the need to care for one another; for just as glass can be shattered easily, so can the marriage bond can be shattered with a single act of infidelity or repeated acts of emotional irresponsibility.

The Cord of Three Strands (God's Knot)

The cord of three strands symbolizes the joining of one man, one woman, and God into a marriage relationship. Marriage takes three; you, your soon to be spouse, and God. It is God who teaches us to love. By keeping Him at the center of your marriage, His love will continue to bind you together as one throughout your marriage.
"The Cord of Three Strands" ceremony is a great addition to a traditional wedding ceremony. It adds a unique element to your ceremony that friends and family will remember. It can also serve as a substitute for the unity candle especially in situations where candles may not be used, or may be difficult. The Cord of Three Strands works especially well as a substitute in outside weddings.
At a certain point in the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom braid the Cord of Three Strands together. The groom holds a small metal ring with three attached strands. The bride then braids the strands together, symbolizing the union of God, husband and wife.
The colors of the cords is significant:

• Gold Strand – Represents God at the center of the Marriage
• Purple Strand – Represents the Groom
• White Strand – Represents the Bride

Hand Fasting Ceremony

 Hand fasting is an ancient Celtic ritual ceremony in which the couples hands are tied together with ceremonial ribbons or cloth. The ribbons may be tied in a bow or the cloth draped across the hand. This Celtic ceremony represents the intention of two people to join their lives together and to love and cherish one another. The couple saves the ribbons or cloth as a keepsake. Some words that can be used in this ceremony are:
"As your hands are bound together now, so your lives and spirits are joined in a union of love and trust. Above you are the stars and below you is the earth. Like the stars your love should be a constant source of light, and like the earth, a firm foundation from which to grow."
In traditional Celtic handfasting, the ribbons that bind the couple's wrists are made up of thirteen different colors, each with its own special meaning.

Jumping the Broom

The most widely known African-American wedding tradition is “Jumping the Broom”. This ceremony takes place at the end of the ceremony when the couple is departing. "Jumping of the Broom" originated during the time of slavery in the United States. Slaves, not having citizenship rights, were denied the legal or religious rite of marriage. It is a ceremony in which the bride and groom signify their entrance into a new life and their creation of a new family by symbolically “sweeping away” their former single lives, former problems and concerns, and stepping over the broom to enter upon a new adventure as husband and wife. The straw end represents the brushing away of all their old cares and worries. The wooden handle represents the strength of your commitment to each other, and the straight, unconditionally committed path you will follow together in marriage. Some say that whoever jumps the highest will be the boss of the house! Friends and family members of the bride and groom sometimes decorate the broom for them.

Love Letter

A Love Letter exchange is a romantic ceremony that will enhance your wedding and serve as a lasting reminder of the commitments made to one another. Heart felt letters, encapsulating your thoughts and feelings are locked away to be revealed on a special anniversary or when you are going through a difficult time in your marriage.

The Loving Cup Ceremony

The Loving Cup Ceremony originated in the 15th century by the Celts. It also has its roots in Scotland, French and Jewish cultures. There are many versions of the Loving Cup ceremony. Most couples choose to use a crystal wine glass and have their names and the date of their wedding etched in glass.
The purpose of the Loving Cup ceremony is for the bride and groom to share their first drink together as wife and husband and to show the coming together of two families. Any liquid can be used but the most popular is a wine that the couple likes or grape juice.
Special words can be added to include the Bride and Groom's parents (and friends) as part of this ceremony. The cup can then passed down from generation to generation, ensuring happiness and good fortune to all who drink from it. This is a special moment for the couple to toast their love, devotion, and friendship.

Message in a Bottle Vows

 When you are writing your own vows, or do not wish to repeat them after an Officiate, the "Message in a Bottle Vows" bring a special touch and meaning to your wedding vows. They are especially meaningful for a beach setting. Your vow are placed in a glass bottle by your feet and when it comes time to say your vows, you (or the Officiate) reach down, take them from the bottle and speak them to one another. There is a small fee for this ceremony to cover the cost of preparing your vows on the parchment paper and the special keepsake bottle.

 

Sand Ceremony

 

Here is a suggested Unity Sand Ceremony:

As the minister says the following wording, the couple alternately pours sand into the glass vessel to form a layered design with the sand.
“________________ and _____________, today you join your separate lives together. The two separate vessels of sand symbolize your separate lives, separate families and separate sets of friends. They represent all that you have been as an individual. They also represent your lives before today. As these two vessels of sand are poured into the third vessel, the individual vessels of sand will no longer exist, but will be joined together as one. Just as these grains of sand can never be separated and poured again into the individual vessels, so will your marriage be.”

Here is an idea for a second marriage with children, have a forth vessel with another colored sand. Let the children pour some sand in the bottom of the vessel first and then start alternating the couple pouring sand. What a great way to make the children apart of the new union.

“Today, __________ and __________, you are making a commitment of your eternal commitment for one another as well as to your children, __________, ___________,etc. As you each hold your sand the separate vessels of sand represent your lives up to this moment; individual and unique. As you now combine your sand together, all your lives from this moment will become one family.

Family  Sand Unity Ceremony

 

Here is an idea for a first or second marriage with children, have a forth vessel with another colored sand. Let the children pour some sand in the bottom of the vessel first and then start alternating the couple pouring sand. What a great way to make the children apart of the new union.

“Today, __________ and __________, you are making a commitment of your eternal commitment for one another as well as to your children, __________, ___________,etc. As you each hold your sand the separate vessels of sand represent your lives up to this moment; individual and unique. As you now combine your sand together, all your lives from this moment will become one family.