You have probably attended
at least one wedding during which the bride
and groom participated in a Unity Ceremony.
This may have inspired you to have one of
your own, but how do you proceed for a
Hawaii wedding say outdoors for a ceremony
like this?.
The Unity Ceremony is generally performed
just after the couple has exchanged wedding
vows instead of the bride and groom taking a
lit taper candle, they may have second
thought because of winds and outside weather
on the beach, so a sand ceremony or tiki
torch is performed instead. Candles
are used by the wedding couple light one
larger, center candle. It’s a beautiful
ceremony, symbolizing the union of the two.
individuals as one, and while some
ceremonies seem to have religious overtones,
this ceremony definitely does not have to
include any religious significance at all.
Many bridal accessory stores and religious
articles shops carry unity candle set ups,
plus many different color sand and bottles,
If you are going to get married in a
church or a hotel the candle ceremony may be
a choice for you. In Hawaii we have many
craft stores all over the islands and you
may just want to pick up your supplies while
you are here. You will find them in silver
or gold tone and many of them in glass or
crystal. The center candle can be just a
simple pillar style candle, or you can find
one that has a prayer or poem imprinted on
the side. Many stores now also allow you to
personalize the candles with the names of
the bride and groom and the date of the
wedding. This gives the candle a personal
touch and makes it a very nice wedding
keepsake.
There are several ways to do the candle
ceremony in hawaii. The two taper candles
could already be lit, and the couple just
uses those lit candles to light the center
one. Another option is to have the parents
of the bride light one taper, while the
parents of the groom light the other, which
is a lovely way to symbolize the light of
the bride and groom commencing from their
parents. This could also be done with just
the mothers or just the fathers if both
parents are not available on both sides.
Another less traditional lighting of the
unity candle is where each guest is given a
small candle at the start of the wedding.
Once the vows have been exchanged, an usher
goes back to the back of the congregation
and lights one of the candles. Each guest in
turn lights the candle of the guest next to
them, until the light is at all the way at
the parents. They then light the taper
candles from where the bride and groom will
take the flame to light the center Unity
candle. What a beautiful way to include your
guests and show how important all of them
have been in helping you begin your lives
together as one!
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