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The Candle (or Unity) Ceremony

How can candles be used at your ceremony

Romantic, symbolic, touchingly beautiful. These were the only words I could use to describe the first unity ceremony I had ever witnessed, at the wedding of a family member. Those words still sum up beautifully, the emotion and warmth that this simple ceremony creates.
The ceremony is a meaningful, spiritual symbol of life, light and the eternal spirit of love and caring. It can be used at any style of wedding, in any wedding setting. Usually a set of three candles and a set of tapers are used. The three candles, one representing the Brides and one the Grooms families, and the largest, the new family formed by the marriage, are placed either at the alter or on a table to one side. On arrival of the Bride, one of the groomsmen lights a small tea light candle behind the wedding candles. At the beginning of the Wedding ceremony, the two family candles are lit with the tapers (lit off the tea light), by the Mothers or other family members. The tapers are blown out and placed on the table. After exchanging vows the bride and Groom pick up the tapers and light them off their family candles, their two flames are then joined over the top of their marriage candle, symbolizing their unification.
For couples planning an outdoor wedding, the ceremony can take place outside with hurricane glasses to protect the candles or at the reception as part of the cake cutting ceremony. It really is a beautiful ceremony that can be changed to suit the couples Personalities. While many Ministers and celebrants are familiar with this ceremony and may have wordings, some couples write their own, to include their personal beliefs and feelings.
A Sample Ceremony
Minister/ Celebrant: To become one flesh means that two persons share everything they have, not only their bodies, not only their material possessions, but also their thoughts and their feelings, their joy and their suffering, their hopes and their fears, their success and their failures. To become one flesh means that two persons become completely one with body, soul and spirit and yet remain two different persons. This is the innermost mystery of marriage. It is hard to understand. Maybe we can only experience it. As (Bride) and (Groom) become one flesh they combine their resources, the gifts that life has given to them. As they light their central candle from their individual family’s candles we watch as the two families are now joined by the love (Bride) and (Groom) share.
Lord, we ask that you bless (Bride) and (Groom). May their love radiate the same warmth as this candle they share, and may it bring hope to the world around them.
The Symbolic candles of their individuality remain as a reminder of their previous separateness. (Bride) and (Groom) are now one flesh but they retain their unique qualities as separate people. I ask that you both take this candle to be re-lit each anniversary as a remembrance of the promises you have made today.