A wedding is the celebration of a new beginning, two people starting their journey together. A great way to symbolize that union is performing a unity ceremony. You may have seen this done with candles or perhaps a sand ceremony in weddings you’ve attended. While these traditional unity ceremonies are tried and true, we have found other creative unity ceremony ideas you might love as well.
Let Love Grow:
Scoop up some soil from each of your childhood homes and combine to plant a beautiful new tree. This tree can be planted outside your first home together and will grow with your love.
Expert Tip: Bring a tree already planted in a pot along with some soil reserved in two small containers. At the time of the ceremony, the bride and groom only have to pour in the soil and do a quick watering. (Less mess in your white dress!)
Beau-tea-ful Ceremony:
Whether it’s combining your favorite tea and herbs or just two different tea flavors, creating a blended drink to sip during your ceremony is a great way to symbolize your union. This can really be performed with any beverage of your choosing. We’ve often seen couples use wine, but you can be as creative as you like.
Lock Up Your Love:
In an ode to Paris, we just love the idea locking up your love and throwing away the key! Combine two locks, then tie the keys onto balloons and release them during your ceremony.
Gorgeous Glass:
One of the most unique unity ceremony ideas we’ve seen is creating a custom glass vase. The couple begins the process at their wedding, by combining two colors of glass, similar to the sand ceremony in weddings. After the wedding, those combined crystals will be sent to an artist to create a custom vase. This special piece of art can be displayed on your mantle for years to come.
Sand Ceremony
Built on the idea that once different sands are mixed, they can never be pulled apart. Unity sand at weddings has become a classic that we just couldn’t leave off our list. You can choose to personalize this unity ceremony idea in many different ways. Did you each grow up going to a local beach? Taking sand from each location is a fun way to pay homage to childhood memories. Are you blending two families with children together? Allow each family member choose their own special color and at your wedding ceremony, combine them all to show your families are becoming one.
Tying the Knot (quite literally)
This tradition has been done for centuries in many cultures and we can certainly see why. Maybe you are not getting married in a church or temple, but want to incorporate your faith. This three strand rope knot is a great way to show that God will have a strong place in your marriage.
Dove Release:
Symbolizing beginning a new journey together, the release of white doves is a beautiful choice. For all the animal lovers out there, please be sure to only use a reputable company. These companies train and tag all white “Homing Pigeons” to return home after their release.
Which are your favorite unity ceremony ideas? With so many great ones to choose from you really can’t go wrong. All are a great way to symbolize your new beginning as a couple. If you are looking for more inspiration, check out our other blog post on unity ceremonies.
By: Dana Bates