Sand Ceremony Vases

Some couples are choosing to use sand ceremony vases in place of candles. The reasons? Well, some are tired of seeing the candle thing.

Some are having an outside wedding and worry that the candles won’t stay lit. And other just like messing with fire! Those all are negative reasons, but on the positive side the unity sand ceremony is very beautiful and meaningful.

Do It Yourself

You can get your own sand ceremony supplies from some place like Micheal’s or Hobby Lobby and put it together yourself. Or you can purchase unity sand kits from a number of online sites. We found that these run around $50 or less depending on what you get.

3 Piece Sand Ceremony Sets  

The set consists of two smaller or nestling vases, one for the bride and the other for the groom. Then the larger vase is the one they pour their sand into during the ceremony. Pay close attention to the size of the vases to make sure they are as big or small as you need for your set-up. Once the ceremony is over, the couple can put the vases at a special spot in their home. And flowers can be placed in the smaller vases for an attractive look.

4 Piece Sand Ceremony Set 

Three pieces are as explained above and the fourth piece is to use in a blended family unity ceremony. A child or more than one child use their vase to pour sand along with father and mother to symbolize the uniting of a family. Sometimes the third vase is used by the minister, priest or officiant to pour presenting the presence of God in the couples marriage.

Blended Family Sand Ceremony 

Alternatively, you can get the standard 3 piece set and order an additional family sand ceremony miniature nesting vases. This comes with 3 pieces so that each child can have their own vase to use for the pouring of sand. The wording for a family sand ceremony typically mentions that we all recognize that this is not just the uniting of a man and women in marriage but the creation of a family as well.

Personalized Sand Ceremony Kits

With most of the sets, you can have the vases personalized. Look for free etching. What do you put on the vases? Your names, date of your wedding and maybe a brief romantic thought.  

Heat Shaped Sand Ceremony Vases 

What better symbol of love than the heart. The sand vase shaped like a heart is a special touch. There are also double heart sets. The side bases are elongated typically.

Light and Sand?

We have seen one other variation on the unity candle - sand ceremony. You can have both with the Sand Illumination (trademark) set that comes with an oil lamp topper. Pour the sand and light the candle in the same ceremony.

Note: the sand sometimes doesn’t come with the set, whichever one you get. Sometimes you can order it separately from the same place you are buying the sand ceremony vases. Or you may want to look at a local decorative supply store for the sand. Though some suggest neutral colored sand I've seen all sorts of colors of sand used, so whatever you like. You do have different color sand for groom and bride and children if any, so make sure there is enough difference to be noticiable. You also want to make sure you have enough sand to fill the containers. Having a little too much would be better than not having enough. If you are having a beach wedding, you could use the beach sand at the spot where you are getting married. It would be the same color but have special meaning to you.

Questions and Answers About the Sand Ceremony:

Are there vows used during the ceremony?

In the ceremonies I see usually not. The minister or officiate says a few words about the meaning of the sand ceremony and then the couple and / or family pours the sand. But you could have vows either some you found that you like or some that you write.

What wording is used?

There are many different wordings that the officant may use. Here is one:

Jason and Kim, you are joining your separate lives together today. The 2 bottles of sand here represent your separate lives up to this point. They represent  your family, friends and all that you have every been and will be in the future. As you pour the individual containers into the larger one, the single individual containers will no longer exist – but will be joined together as one. And just as these individual grains of sand can never be separated again – so will it be with  your marriage.  

What songs are used during the ceremony?

It is really up to you. It is just like the unity candle ceremony and whatever song that expresses the sentiment of unity or your relationship is good. The one point we would make is that if the song is too long you may get a bit uncomfortable standing there. Keep the song short to prevent this or if you are having someone sing live it is not such an issue as the guests will be looking at the singer rather than at you the whole time.

Can anything go wrong? 

Sure, as with anything. The main problem we have seen is that the couple has trouble getting the sand to come out of the vases. You might want to practice this before the ceremony. You can go back and forth laying the sand as you go and this seems to work well. Others couples choose to pour at the same time. You want to know which way you are going to do if beforehand rather than waiting until you on the spot. Another thing that happens is that the sand can get damp. Damp sand doesn’t pour well. So make certain that the sand remains dry.

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