Ceremony EnhancemeNts
These are what can be called “Ceremony within a Ceremony” There are many special and traditional ceremony enhancements that can be carried out during your celebration. Enhancing your ceremony with add on elements such as the lighting of the candles, ring warming, and the unity of sands. These can lend themselves for your family participate.
Sand Ceremony
Working as a celebrant is such a fulfilling job and some ceremonies have extra special uniting rituals to demonstrate love. A sand ceremony is a beautiful addition to your ceremony as the couple pour sand into one main jar that symbolises the unity of love and the unity of the couples lives together. A sand ceremony can also be a perfect addition to a baby naming ceremony. Kids are especially excited by pouring the coloured sand with their family. It really is a fun, symbolic ritual for everyone and you can include as many colours of sand as you want. Each colour stands for different characteristics and aspirations, similar to a handfasting ceremony. I have experienced many variations of this ceremony with some couples using sand from significant beaches and it really is a lovely way to express love and unity.
Unity Candle
There are a wide range of options you can choose in your ceremony to symbolise your union and love for one another. Using a unity candle is a special and traditional ritual that symbolises a new beginning together and the joining of the couple as a new family. As always the ceremony can be worded, crafted and adapted to suit all marrying couples. This lovely tradition has many different variations. A single candle awaits the couple and igniting this candle symbolises the beginning of a life union and forever love. Some couples then choose to blow out their original candle where others keep their individual candles burning as a gesture of retaining your individuality. Some couples choose to use multiple candles with their mothers or all four parents, or grandparents of the couple. In the end it’s your day and a unity candle ceremony can be conducted in so many ways, limited only by the imagination! One thing that they all have in common, is that they are a beautiful and special symbolic union of commitment.
Handfasting
“Know that it is here that you begin your journey of life shared, bound together by the vows of this handfasting rite. Many are the years that you will share, and countless the moons to watch.”
One of my absolute favourite additions to perform at a ceremony is the ancient Celtic Ritual of handfasting. It is a very unique, historical and symbolic marriage tradition and it is believed to span several cultures dating back thousands of years. The well known phrase ‘tying the knot’ is the action of binding the couple’s hands together, often with coloured ribbon or cord and demonstrates the union of their love. This special addition to your modern celebrant led wedding ceremony is a beautiful and romantic ritual.
In traditional Celtic handfasting the ribbons that bind the couple’s wrists are made up of thirteen different colours, each with their own special meaning. Couples can choose one, two or all thirteen! As always the choice is yours.
