Unity ceremony

I love the idea of unity ceremonies at weddings. They represent an important and lasting bond. I do like the traditional unity candle.....BUT I do think it is overdone, and haven't really had a desire to do it myself! My brother, Craig,  and his wife got married in Aug. of 2006 and used unity cords. It was pretty fitting for them, since they are more of "outside of the box" type people. I don't want to copy them, but also wanted something different.

This is right after they braided the cord. You can see it behind them as they spend a sweet moment afterwards. (You'd probably see me too, behind them, if it wasn't for the pole!!)



Then in one of my many visits to The Knot, I came across this....



It's a Unity Sand Ceremony Kit! Looked PERFECT for me....especially since this one has MY colors AND sand- great for the semi-beach thing!!! I thought it was something brand-new....but apparently it's only brand new to me! When I mentioned it to my mom she said "Oh yeah! They had that at the wedding we went to just the other day!" Well...I guess I'd better get in on it before it's as over-used as the candles!!  I'll probably make a DIY version of it. Basically the white sand represents the spiritual foundation, then the two colors represent each of you, and they mix at the top to represent the two families coming together. I thought it be neat to have the officiant pour in the bottom layer, our mothers (maybe with dads) do the other two layers, and then have Ray and I pour and mix it in the top along with our officiant pouring the spiritual layer again. Now that I've been searching online for it, I see there are lots of ways to do it...I like my idea for me though!

Speaking of the unity candle...I just have to mention how funny my best friend is! At her wedding last Sept., she and her hubby Adam, lit the unity candle, set their individual candles down and kept them lit! :o) To me...it was rather amusing! Kerri is what Jennifer Lopez as the Wedding Planner would say- "N.I.D." not-into-details, which is usually the groom's role, but at times, my BFF takes on more characteristics typical of a boy! She'd never even thought about needing to blow out the candles. At least it was some amusement for me as I stood tortured by the torn ligament in my foot which had just come out of a cast 5 days before the wedding AHH! It was even funnier when the pastor said something to the effect of "Now that you have lit the unity candle to start your new life together and blown out the candles that represent your past..." Hehe....I had some good giggles to myself!

Here's a pic of Kerri, Meredith (her sis), and myself in the chapel on Bald Head Island, NC just after the wedding. If you look at the tapered candle in the background....still lit!! (BEAUTIFUL place to get married by the way, if you are into destination weddings!!)