Everybody is familiar with unity candles for weddings. However, a nice alternative to a traditional candle unity ceremony is having a Wedding Sand Ceremony, or also known as a unity sand ceremony.

Sand, (usually colored for each spouse) represents the uniqueness of the person and their different traits, good or bad. During the ceremony, the sand from the man and the woman is poured together to represent their unity. This can be expanded to include the family members and even friend to show their support for the marriage and that they too are bound to the couple. Since the sand is poured into glass vases, it gives couples a lasting remembrance of their vows.

Since it was featured in “The Bachelorette”, the popularity of the ceremony has spread and there are some beach resorts you can go to that offer the experience. This may be a good idea as the resorts can take care of the details for you. If you do not have the time to go to the beach, there is available unity sand ceremony material available for sale including steps to make the proceedings more authentic and meaningful.

More to it than just pouring sand…

The wedding sand ceremonies follow a specific program, so make sure you don’t just go out there and pour the sand together. Make sure you follow the proper guidelines. Take into account the type sand needed as well as the color. Quartz sand can have a vibrant color and comes in different hues, and is available in stores. Using a color more personal to you will give the event added value. Picking a vase is also as important as the sand as this will be kept by the couple throughout their married life.

In preparation, 3 glass sand ceremony vases are used, 2 of which contain the bride and groom’s sand. It is the 3rd vase is placed at the center of the sand-filled ones. During the ceremony, the groom pours a portion of his sand into the vase, after which the bride will do the same. The couple will repeat this forming a total of 4 individually colored layers.

Finally, the couple pours their sand simultaneously to form the 5th and final layer, which results into a blend of the 2 colors. The wedding vows are recited during the pouring of the sand.

In this way, you have your central vase as a keepsake which will represent your married life. Pouring the layers separately will remind the couple that even in unity, one should not lose their individuality, and rather accept each other’s uniqueness. Having your family involved will instill this simple yet important value to them as well.