Your wedding is one of the most important moments of your life. You want to make it count by incorporating fun and memorable components that reflect the beginning of an exciting journey of unity between you and your loved one.
Unity ceremonies symbolize two people becoming one through love and commitment. The wonderful thing about focusing on unity is being able to weave in an activity or tool that represents the personalities or culture of you both. Especially in today’s age where inclusivity is center stage, there are enjoyable and unique opportunities for a memorable celebration between both same-sex and opposite-sex couples. As the LGBT community is paving the way with progressive wedding ceremonies, we provide seven unity ceremony ideas that will bring you an unforgettable day.
Finding the One That’s Right for You
There are several unique and fun wedding unity ideas to consider. Rather than sticking to the traditional route of unity candles, let these alternative ideas inspire you!
1. Unity Painting
Are you and your loved one creative individuals? If so, doing a unity painting may be the right option. Painting something together that symbolizes a hobby, interest, and/or religion that you both share can be a thoughtful way to mark a new beginning. A unity painting can also be as simple as painting your initials and the date of the wedding to commemorate. Want to be more elaborate? The sky’s the limit!
2. Unity Capsules
Unity capsules are a great way to look back on your journey to see how far you’ve come. Collect as many mementos as you can from your relationship. These might include ticket stubs during times you’ve spent traveling or going to shows together, notes/cards that you’ve written to each other, and/or small items that you collected together that represent your shared interests. All of these collections will be sealed up in a box during the unity ceremony. You and your spouse can make it a tradition to open it up on your 5th, 10th, or 20th anniversary.
3. Unity Ribbons
This is a great idea, especially for beachside weddings. Get colorful ribbons that match the theme and decor of your wedding and have your guests write messages of love and well-wishes on them. Hang them outside and let them fly as you see the vibrant ribbons blow along with the wind during the rest of your celebration. Inspired by the Maypole folk tradition, these unity ribbons will surely provide a boost in decor for your big day!
4. Unity Cocktails
Unity cocktails are a unique and fun way to symbolize unity with your loved one. Prepare a cocktail—you each choose half the ingredients—and have your first drink together as a married couple. This will be a nice pick-me-up after all the stress of wedding planning, and it will be a great way to entertain your guests.
5. Unity Love Letter and Wine Box
This is a simple and poignant idea to consider, especially if you and your future spouse are not looking for anything too elaborate on your wedding day. Having a unity love letter and wine box can help you garner mementos of your big day.
Hand-written notes are a timeless gift that can be cherished for years. Write love notes that describe why you fell in love and married each other. Have your guests participate as well by having them fill out cards with their wishes to you. Collect these cards and put them in a nice box with wine or whiskey; this will become a treasured keepsake of your big day. Whenever you face hardship in your marriage, or if you simply want to look back and remember, you can pop this box out to relive the memories over a nice glass of wine.
6. Wedding Sand Ceremony
Using sand for your unity ceremony is a great alternative to traditional unity candles. Many venues, including beachside weddings, don’t allow candles because they present a fire-hazard, or can easily blow out if you’re at an outdoor wedding. Plus, a wedding sand ceremony gives you a precious keepsake that you can take home as a reminder of your vows.
For sand colors, some couples choose to go with their wedding colors, or colors that match their home decor, which others choose sand colors based on the different meanings each color has.
- Silver is for talent, inspiration, and creativity.
- White is for spiritual values, devotion, and purity.
- Red (or Pink) is for romance, passion, happiness, and love.
- Yellow is for friendship, balance, and harmony.
- Green is for luck, health, and prosperity.
- Blue is for patience, longevity, and tranquility.
- Purple is for strength, power, and dignity.
- And brown is for home and nurturing.
For a wedding sand ceremony the couple repeats their vows to each other while pouring different colors of sand into a single glas container—layering the colors of sand on top of each other. Sand ceremonies are great for couples as well as blended families as everyone can add their sand to the container—symbolizing the family coming together.
7. Jumping the Broom
Jumping the broom is a unity ceremony tradition that dates back to the 18th century. Believed to have originated in West Africa where brooms were used both to clean, and sweep away evil spirits. Today, jumping the broom as a couple symbolizes that you are sweeping away the past. It’s also considered a way to remember your ancestors as you take the next leap forward in your new life together.
In a jumping the broom ceremony the bride and groom lay a broom on the ground and jump over it together. Brooms used for this unity ceremony are often very decorative with ribbons, flowers, bows, and sometimes even poetry or notes attached to them. Because they are made to be decorative rather than functional, they are the perfect treasured item to take home and display as a reminder of the commitment you’ve made to each other.
Incorporating any of these fun and unique unity ceremony ideas will craft an unforgettable celebration for you and your loved one. Remember, this day is about the two of you, and seeking the right plan that reflects you both is essential in making the day special.
Capture Your Unique and Special Day
Adventure Photos can capture all of your sweet and special moments during your unity ceremony. Learn more by contacting us and let us help you capture memories that will last a lifetime. We welcome both same-sex and opposite-sex couples and will ensure the uniqueness of your destination wedding is celebrated through amazing destination wedding images and videography.
