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| Ceremonies within Ceremonies
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| From Christina
Friedrichsen's Intimate Weddings: Planning a
Small Wedding that Fits Your Budget and Style,
www.intimate-weddings.com
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Whether you choose to write your vows or use the
old favorites, you have other ways to make your ceremony
special:
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Unity Candle
Ceremony
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Rose Ceremony
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Wine Cup
Ceremony
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Other
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Photo by
Hull Grenier
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Unity Candle Ceremony
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One of the more popular ceremonial touches is the
lighting of the unity candle, which can be done
in a variety of ways. One of the more popular versions
is as follows: The mothers of the bride and groom
each light one taper candle at the front of the
church. This usually happens just before they are
seated. |
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| Once
vows and rings are exchanged, the officiant explains the significance
of the candles. The bride and groom each take one of the two
candles that represents their individual lives and use the
flames to light a third, symbolizing their oneness as husband
and wife. |
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| This
activity need not be limited to the bride and groom. The couple
can have their parents, grandparents, friends, children, and
any other special people join in the lighting of the unity
candle. |
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| Rose Ceremony |
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During the rose ceremony, which has been gaining in popularity,
the bride and groom exchange roses as first gifts to one another.
This usually occurs after the couple has been pronounced husband
and wife. |
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During
Keely and Xan's rose ceremony, the minister spoke about the
rose being a symbol of love. He asked the couple to always
remember the significance of the red rose. "It is our wish
that wherever you make your home there be special place in
it for red roses and that on each anniversary of this special
occasion you celebrate it, at least in part, by each of you
bringing to that special place a red rose," he said. He also
spoke about the difficulties of marriage and how the red rose
can be used to remind one another to always come back to love.
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Following
the ceremony, the bride and groom gave the roses to the new
mothers-in-law. "It was a wonderful way to end our ceremony,"
says Keely.
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| Wine Cup Ceremony |
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During their wedding, Shannon and Robert had a wine cup ceremony
to symbolize their willingness to share in both the joys and
the disappointments of life. According to Shannon, the wine
cup ceremony was a way for the couple to express their view
of their future together. "We knew there would be difficulties
mixed in with the good, and we were affirming to ourselves
and our friends that we knew this and were taking this step
together," says Shannon. |
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| For this
ritual, which took place before the couple was pronounced
husband and wife, each of them drank from a cup filled with
wine. "We felt that the words . . .
reflected who we are and what our expectations of life are.
We also felt that this ceremony had not been 'overdone' like
so many of the new rituals at weddings," says Shannon. |
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| Other Rituals |
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You can use other rituals to personalize your ceremony. The
water ceremony, where the bride and groom each pour a vessel of
water into one container to symbolize their union, is an
alternative to the unity candle ceremony. The sand ceremony
substitutes sand for the water. Couples who have children might
consider the family medallion ceremony. |
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If you choose one of these rituals, feel free to modify it
to further suit you. You can even start from scratch and create
your own.
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