I need ideas for wedding unity ceremonies. I don't like the candle or butterflies. I'm open to anything else;)

Answer 1

I really like "The Rose Ceremony" It reads the following, or you can edit it to your liking.

The Rose Ceremony

The Rose Ceremony is simple yet profoundly moving. The bride and groom exchange two red roses, symbolizing the giving and receiving of their love for each other throughout their entire married life. The Rose Ceremony also conveys how to use the rose and its symbolism in difficult times in order to forgive each other.

"Your gift to each other for your wedding today has been your wedding rings - which shall always be an outward demonstration of your vows of love and respect; and a public showing of your commitment to each other.

You now have what remains the most honorable title which may exist between a man and a woman - the title of "husband" and "wife." For your first gift as husband and wife, that gift will be a single rose.

In the past, the rose was considered a symbol of love and a single rose always meant only one thing - it meant the words "I love you." So it is appropriate that for your first gift - as husband and wife - that gift would be a single rose.

Please exchange your first gift as husband and wife. In some ways it seems like you have not done anything at all. Just a moment ago you were holding one small rose - and now you are holding one small rose. In some ways, a marriage ceremony is like this. In some ways, tomorrow is going to seem no different than yesterday. But in fact today, just now, you both have given and received one of the most valuable and precious gifts of life - one I hope you always remember - the gift of true and abiding love within the devotion of marriage.

_________ and _____________, I would ask that where ever you make your home in the future - whether it be a large and elegant home - or a small and graceful one - that you both pick one very special location for roses; so that on each anniversary of this truly wonderful occasion you both may take a rose to that spot both as a recommitment to your marriage - and a recommitment that THIS will be a marriage based upon love.

In every marriage there are times where it is difficult to find the right words. It is easiest to hurt who we most love. It is easiest to be most hurt by who we most love. It might be difficult some time to words to say "I am sorry" or "I forgive you"; "I need you" or "I am hurting". If this should happen, if you simply can not find these words, leave a rose at that spot which both of you have selected - for that rose than says what matters most of all and should overpower all other things and all other words.

That rose says the words: "I still love you." The other should accept this rose for the words which cannot be found, and remember the love and hope that you both share today.

__________ and ________, if there is anything you remember of this marriage ceremony, it is that it was love that brought you here today, it is only love which can make it a glorious union, and it is by love which your marriage shall endure."

Answer 2

My husband and i had a Renaissance wedding and i told him that i did not want to do the unity candle thing and i wanted to do something diffrent that i have never seen before. I wanted to do something for both of our family's that they would remember forever so i found these neck lases and they had a pearl with a diamond on the side and we had them in our brides mades bouquets and when it came time to unite our family's as one we both took a necklace and placed it around our mothers and that is how we united our family's.
It was so cool! Everyone still keeps coming up to us telling us that was the neatest thing that they have ever seen and would always remember that.

Answer 3

This is a slightly different idea. My Father had passed away a few years before I got married. I was looking for ways to incorporate him and found an idea with a concept that I liked but it just didn't seem right for honoring my Dad. I decided to incorporate the idea in leiu of a unity candle. I wanted a way thank both sets of parents for welcoming myself and my husband into their families and their hearts. We had a single red rose for each Mom and gave a speech about how wonderful both families were and how we appreciated being members of both families. I spoke to my husbands parents first, then my husband spoke to my Mom. We kept it all secret, there wasn't a dry eye in the house.

Answer 4

I went to a wedding where two different colored sands were poured into a vase. This was to symbolize their unity. Also some of the individual sand was kept in their own vase, which symbolized their own identity.

Answer 5

There is a poem called, "marriage takes three." look it up on the net if you want. Have someone read it with a little soft background music. That would be symbolizing how you two become one under God without the candle and such. I seen it done one time and it worked beautifuly

Answer 6

What about sand? Or there's a ritual I remember seeing somewhere, where they cover the couple in a blanket... on a wedding story, maybe? What about tying an actual knot on a rope??

Answer 7

sand is a very popular one because of the extended meaning behind it: unlike water or flame, etc - when you combine the two different colors of sand, they each still maintain their own characteristics - but you will never be able to completly seperate the two colors - symbolizing that while you are still individual people, you are forever entwined together.

Another one I have seen done is water - for exmaple, take blue and yellow, mix together to make green

Answer 8

Hand Ceremony

Bride-, please face -Groom- and hold his hands, palms up, so that you may see the gift that they are to you. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness. These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow and tears of joy. These are the hands that will comfort you in illness and hold you when fear or grief fills you. These are the hands that will give you support and celebrate with you in your accomplishments.

-Groom-, please hold -Bride- hands, palms up, so that you may see the gift that they are to you.

These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times. They are the hands that will comfort you when you are sick or console you when you are grieving. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the year, for a lifetime of happiness. These are the hands that will give you support as she encourages you to fulfill your dreams.

Our prayer for you today is that both of you will use these hands to build a marriage where all your dreams come true.

Answer 9

some friends of mine used a huge vase that was empty. then they both had a smaller vase filled with colored (wedding colors) sand beside it. they then poured their sand in the big case at the same time and it made the coolest pattern. it was a really neat idea.

Answer 10

using doves is lovely...looks nice and also not to much trouble...

(have been to lots of weddings where the butterflys did not want to fly because of the weather!)