Performed at nearly every wedding, the rings exchanged represent the unending love between the couple. They
also act as a symbol of the promises you make to each other through your vows.
Lighting a Unity Candle
Symbolising
the couple becoming one, a representative of the bride and groom light the individual candles. The couple uses these to
light their Unity Candle and join their lives.
Sand Ceremony
Much like the Unity
Candle, the combining of different colored sand represents the couple blending themselves together. This Hawaiian
ceremony can be used for couples and for family oriented ceremonies.
Ceremony of the Rose
This symbolizes
the joining of the two families. The couple each have a rose which they present to their partner's parents. Each
express their gratitude, usually with a hug and a few loving words, for being allowed to join the family.
Handfasting
A Celtic tradition, Handfasting
(the ancient word for 'wedding') spawned the term "tying the knot". After the vows and rings are exchanged,
the couples' hands are tied in a love knot by their personalized cord. This signifies the joining of the couple
and the desire that their lives and destinies be bound together.
Breaking the Glass
The Breaking of the Glass has many meanings
and typically concludes Jewish ceremonies. Religiously, the broken glass represents the destruction of the Temple
of Jerusalem. In general, the fragments remind the couple of the fragility of relationships and that marriage changes
their lives forever. My personal favourite, however, is... the groom stepping on the glass is the LAST time he
gets to put his foot down about anything!
Jumping the Broom
The Broom Jump concludes many Pagan
ceremonies. At the beginning of the ceremony, someone of importance to the couple sweeps the aisle directly behind the
couple then lays the broom on the swept floor space. This clears the path for the couple to begin their life together.
The broom represents the threshold between past and present and the jump is the first step to be taken by the couple together as
husband and wife.
If none of these are quite your cup of tea, I do have a collection of others. These
are just the most popularly done.
