UNITY MOMENTS
A unity moment in your ceremony can add a beautiful symbolic gesture to your wedding, whether the gesture represents the union of the bride and groom only, or if you wish to include your families. Here are some ideas for your unity moment...
A unity moment in your ceremony can add a beautiful symbolic gesture to your wedding, whether the gesture represents the union of the bride and groom only, or if you wish to include your families. Here are some ideas for your unity moment...
Blessing of the Rings by Friends & Family
Your wedding rings are placed in the hands of your guests, who each take a moment to send good wishes to the two of you, blessing your marriage , and charging your rings with a special-ness to be enjoyed forever.
Broom Jumping
The broom is laid on the floor (you won’t have to jump too high!) and, after I explain the symbolism of the jump – family, togetherness, honoring your ancestors, strength, respect – I will invite you to share a bothersome habit that you’re each willing to give up, thus making the gesture a gift to one another. Bring a broom with a small ribbon tied to it.
Coin Ceremony
This traditional Latin ceremony involves the passing of 13 coins back and forth between you, which symbolically make the statement, “What’s mine is yours, and what’s yours is mine. The gesture also symbolizes unlimited love, spiritual strength, joy, and peace. Bring 13 coins (you can find these online) in a nice box.
Cord of Three Strands
The bride and groom braid three strands together into a single cord. The gold strand represents the love of God, which is the core of Groom’s and Bride’s relationship. The purple strand represents the groom and his life. The white strand represents the bride and her life. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12: “Two are better than one, for they shall have good reward for their life together… Two cords bound together are strong, but the third strand makes their union unshakable.”
Glass Ceremony
The glass ceremony lets you blend different colors of glass crystals together, symbolizing your union, then returning the crystals to the glass blower after the wedding who will make them into a piece of art - an ornament, bowl, vase, etc. I recommend Mountain Blown Glass: www.mountainblownglass.net. Check out their Weddings page.
Hand Fasting
Hand fasting is a very sweet gesture, illustrating the bond of your marriage. Your joined hands would be wrapped by someone special (a parent, best friend, etc.) with a scarf or cord, as I speak words of your union and of you being joined in heart, body, and soul. This is a beautiful ceremony for you to revisit each year on your anniversary, renewing your vows.
Lasso Rosary
The bride and groom are bound together, the lasso rosary in a figure eight around their shoulders. It symbolizes their divine union and the protection of this couple in marriage. The figure eight represents the symbol for infinity – no beginning and no end.
Rose Ceremony
This rite occurs at the end of the ceremony after you are pronounced "husband and wife." It is a sweet ceremony that invites you to exchange roses as your first gift to each other as a married couple. You are also invited to celebrate your wedding anniversary each year by placing a rose at an appointed place to signify a restatement of your vows and a renewal of your love. Remember to bring two red roses to the wedding!
Sailor’s Knot
This gesture involves the tying of a knot in a length of rope by the groom, then him handing the rope to his bride who will finish it by tightening the knot. There’s a great moment when the two of you will hold the rope high as everyone cheers. Bring some rope (or cord) about three feet long.
Sand Ceremony
Perhaps you’ve already researched it, but if you are still shopping for the vases and the sand, here’s a website that has a nice selection: https://weddingshop.theknot.com/ceremony/ceremony-accessories/unity-sand-ceremony. You can also purchase sand and vases at Michael’s. And here’s an idea: consider mixing a tiny amount of soil that has special meaning to you in the store-bought sand: soil that represents your history, your family, your heritage. Mix a small amount of dirt from the backyard of your childhood home, or sand from a favorite beach, etc.
Stones
Set a bowl of stones (could be polished rocks) on a table for each guest to take as they enter the ceremony area. I will invite everyone to make a prayer/blessing/wish for the two of you as they hold their stone. At the conclusion of the ceremony, everyone deposits their stone back into the bowl.
Tree Ceremonies
A tree ceremony can have lots of symbolism, plus you have the tree(s) after the wedding to plant in a special location. Imagine visiting your tree(s) many years from now. During the ceremony, the bride and groom nurture the tree(s) in a single pot, adding soil and water. Here are a couple of particularly good trees you’re your ceremony:
Aspen – Aspen trees are rich in symbolism. Have two trees in the same pot. The roots of two aspens will intertwine, become one, and be nourished by one another. If one is lacking water, the other will give it water from its own roots. A grove of Aspens also symbolize family and community. All the trees in a grove are joined together in their roots, so a grove of aspen is really one living organism. If you are considering aspen, however, you’ll want to research the tree to see if they’re available at the time of year of your wedding, and will they be okay to plant outdoors during your time of year. Check out this website: www.lot-lines.com/should-aspen-trees-be-planted-in-denver
Pachira tree – This tree has the advantage of being either an indoor or outdoor tree. It’s very hearty, and is much better to make a move across country. If you use a Pachira tree for your wedding, you just need one tree. The tree’s trunk is made up of multiple trunks woven together (again, good symbolism), and the tree is believed to bring good luck, prosperity, happiness, and wealth. Read more: www.apartmenttherapy.com/indoor-tree-the-easiest-youll-159393
Unity candle
In preparing for a Unity Candle ceremony at an outdoor venue, I recommend using hurricane vases to protect the flame from the wind. I suggest, in addition to the three main candles, that you have a votive candle as a starter flame, and then use two small candles as lighters.
Unity cross
Purchase a Unity Cross online and have it on a table in the front of the ceremony. I’ll speak of the symbolism, then invite the two of you to complete the cross by joining the two pieces. You can order the unity cross online: www.unitycross.com, or you may be able to purchase it at Hobby Lobby.
Vows in a Box
Consider placing your vows in a special box, perhaps wooden – engraved, after you’ve shared them with each other. Make a plan to open the box in 5, 10, or however many years and read your vows to one another. And, maybe you’d like to also place a bottle of wine in the box. Enjoy some aged wine with your vows someday!
Wine and love letters
This is a real favorite. You purchase a nice bottle of red wine and write love letters to each other (but don’t show your letter to your partner). During the ceremony, place the wine and letters in the box, and make the promise that this box will reside in a place of honor in your home. At some point in the future – one year, 5 years, 20 years – you open the box, drink the wine and read your love letters. You can build the box yourself, complete with engravings of your name, date of wedding, etc., or you can purchase a box online: www.etsy.com/market/wooden_wine_box
Wine from shared cup
Noting that Jesus taught of the reverence and importance of the wedding feast. Bring a cup (goblet, chalice) with wine, sitting on a table. You drink from the same cup, representing that you are sharing the common cup of life.
Your wedding rings are placed in the hands of your guests, who each take a moment to send good wishes to the two of you, blessing your marriage , and charging your rings with a special-ness to be enjoyed forever.
Broom Jumping
The broom is laid on the floor (you won’t have to jump too high!) and, after I explain the symbolism of the jump – family, togetherness, honoring your ancestors, strength, respect – I will invite you to share a bothersome habit that you’re each willing to give up, thus making the gesture a gift to one another. Bring a broom with a small ribbon tied to it.
Coin Ceremony
This traditional Latin ceremony involves the passing of 13 coins back and forth between you, which symbolically make the statement, “What’s mine is yours, and what’s yours is mine. The gesture also symbolizes unlimited love, spiritual strength, joy, and peace. Bring 13 coins (you can find these online) in a nice box.
Cord of Three Strands
The bride and groom braid three strands together into a single cord. The gold strand represents the love of God, which is the core of Groom’s and Bride’s relationship. The purple strand represents the groom and his life. The white strand represents the bride and her life. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12: “Two are better than one, for they shall have good reward for their life together… Two cords bound together are strong, but the third strand makes their union unshakable.”
Glass Ceremony
The glass ceremony lets you blend different colors of glass crystals together, symbolizing your union, then returning the crystals to the glass blower after the wedding who will make them into a piece of art - an ornament, bowl, vase, etc. I recommend Mountain Blown Glass: www.mountainblownglass.net. Check out their Weddings page.
Hand Fasting
Hand fasting is a very sweet gesture, illustrating the bond of your marriage. Your joined hands would be wrapped by someone special (a parent, best friend, etc.) with a scarf or cord, as I speak words of your union and of you being joined in heart, body, and soul. This is a beautiful ceremony for you to revisit each year on your anniversary, renewing your vows.
Lasso Rosary
The bride and groom are bound together, the lasso rosary in a figure eight around their shoulders. It symbolizes their divine union and the protection of this couple in marriage. The figure eight represents the symbol for infinity – no beginning and no end.
Rose Ceremony
This rite occurs at the end of the ceremony after you are pronounced "husband and wife." It is a sweet ceremony that invites you to exchange roses as your first gift to each other as a married couple. You are also invited to celebrate your wedding anniversary each year by placing a rose at an appointed place to signify a restatement of your vows and a renewal of your love. Remember to bring two red roses to the wedding!
Sailor’s Knot
This gesture involves the tying of a knot in a length of rope by the groom, then him handing the rope to his bride who will finish it by tightening the knot. There’s a great moment when the two of you will hold the rope high as everyone cheers. Bring some rope (or cord) about three feet long.
Sand Ceremony
Perhaps you’ve already researched it, but if you are still shopping for the vases and the sand, here’s a website that has a nice selection: https://weddingshop.theknot.com/ceremony/ceremony-accessories/unity-sand-ceremony. You can also purchase sand and vases at Michael’s. And here’s an idea: consider mixing a tiny amount of soil that has special meaning to you in the store-bought sand: soil that represents your history, your family, your heritage. Mix a small amount of dirt from the backyard of your childhood home, or sand from a favorite beach, etc.
Stones
Set a bowl of stones (could be polished rocks) on a table for each guest to take as they enter the ceremony area. I will invite everyone to make a prayer/blessing/wish for the two of you as they hold their stone. At the conclusion of the ceremony, everyone deposits their stone back into the bowl.
Tree Ceremonies
A tree ceremony can have lots of symbolism, plus you have the tree(s) after the wedding to plant in a special location. Imagine visiting your tree(s) many years from now. During the ceremony, the bride and groom nurture the tree(s) in a single pot, adding soil and water. Here are a couple of particularly good trees you’re your ceremony:
Aspen – Aspen trees are rich in symbolism. Have two trees in the same pot. The roots of two aspens will intertwine, become one, and be nourished by one another. If one is lacking water, the other will give it water from its own roots. A grove of Aspens also symbolize family and community. All the trees in a grove are joined together in their roots, so a grove of aspen is really one living organism. If you are considering aspen, however, you’ll want to research the tree to see if they’re available at the time of year of your wedding, and will they be okay to plant outdoors during your time of year. Check out this website: www.lot-lines.com/should-aspen-trees-be-planted-in-denver
Pachira tree – This tree has the advantage of being either an indoor or outdoor tree. It’s very hearty, and is much better to make a move across country. If you use a Pachira tree for your wedding, you just need one tree. The tree’s trunk is made up of multiple trunks woven together (again, good symbolism), and the tree is believed to bring good luck, prosperity, happiness, and wealth. Read more: www.apartmenttherapy.com/indoor-tree-the-easiest-youll-159393
Unity candle
In preparing for a Unity Candle ceremony at an outdoor venue, I recommend using hurricane vases to protect the flame from the wind. I suggest, in addition to the three main candles, that you have a votive candle as a starter flame, and then use two small candles as lighters.
Unity cross
Purchase a Unity Cross online and have it on a table in the front of the ceremony. I’ll speak of the symbolism, then invite the two of you to complete the cross by joining the two pieces. You can order the unity cross online: www.unitycross.com, or you may be able to purchase it at Hobby Lobby.
Vows in a Box
Consider placing your vows in a special box, perhaps wooden – engraved, after you’ve shared them with each other. Make a plan to open the box in 5, 10, or however many years and read your vows to one another. And, maybe you’d like to also place a bottle of wine in the box. Enjoy some aged wine with your vows someday!
Wine and love letters
This is a real favorite. You purchase a nice bottle of red wine and write love letters to each other (but don’t show your letter to your partner). During the ceremony, place the wine and letters in the box, and make the promise that this box will reside in a place of honor in your home. At some point in the future – one year, 5 years, 20 years – you open the box, drink the wine and read your love letters. You can build the box yourself, complete with engravings of your name, date of wedding, etc., or you can purchase a box online: www.etsy.com/market/wooden_wine_box
Wine from shared cup
Noting that Jesus taught of the reverence and importance of the wedding feast. Bring a cup (goblet, chalice) with wine, sitting on a table. You drink from the same cup, representing that you are sharing the common cup of life.
Rev. Scott Awbrey ~ Colorado Wedding Officiant ~ [email protected]