Fabulous Alternatives to Unity Candles

The unity candle is the go-to option for brides and grooms wanting to express the blending of their lives into one, but other options exist besides candles! Read on to learn just a few of the alternatives available for unity ceremonies.

• Unity sand.
  This ceremony has grown in popularity recently and has ties to an old Apache custom. One large vase is in the center, while two smaller vases with different colored sands rest to the side. When the couple is ready to perform the ceremony, the groom begins pouring his sand into the larger vase, and the bride follows. The colors in the sand mix to make a beautiful piece of art.

• Unity water.
  The bride and groom each pour different colored water inside a larger decorative jar. When mixed, the water will create a totally new color (think yellow and blue to make green).

• Unity handfasting.
  The bride and groom hold hands, and the officiant ties ribbons of different color and meaning around their hands to bind them together. Many colors have many different meanings, but a few of the most popular are: red for passion, blue for sincerity, green for fertility, and white for purity. Your officiant can tie all ribbons at once or separately.

• Unity flowers.
  A very simple ceremony, the bride and groom exchange roses, then may give the rose to their mothers. An alternate version involves everyone in your families having flowers of different meaning while you say your vows, then coming forward to give them to you during the unity ceremony. Once you have them all, you tie them together to make your bouquet.

• Unity wine.
  This is your first toast to each other as husband and wife! Two small carafes of red and white wine rest beside a wine glass, and the bride and groom pour them together to make a rose-colored wine. The red wine symbolizes passionate love and health, while the white wine symbolizes strength and longevity. You drink to your future!

• Unity tree.
  Getting married in your back yard? Plant a sapling if you are not too scared to get dirty!

• Unity honey.
  This ceremony has Persian ties and involves the bride and groom taking turns dipping their pinky fingers into a bowl of honey and feeding each other. It symbolizes the sweetness in life!

Keep in mind that literally anything you can mix (safely!) can work in a unity ceremony. Do not limit yourself to the options found above! Make your own unity ceremony, and tell us about it in the comments below!

Photo credits as follows: sand ceremony, handfasting ceremony, wine ceremony, honey ceremony.