(To appear after either the standard or the alternative ring ceremony): If
you decide to have a Unity Candle in your ceremony, you will need two
standard tapers and one large candle in the middle. The two outer candles
are lit just prior to the ceremony, either by the ushers, the mothers
of the bride and groom, or other family members. If you are planning
an outdoor ceremony, lighting a Unity Candle is not possible. However,
it is possible to include the words below in the ceremony, with minor
alterations, and then to light the candle indoors afterwards.
The flame has traditionally been thought of as a symbol of the spirit.
__________________ and ___________________, you have learned much in
your individual lives. [Optional, if the mothers have lit the candles
just before the ceremony: Your mothers are both here to bless your marriage,
and it is fitting that they have lit the two individual candles you
see here. For it is they who brought you life, and taught you your first
lessons about love.] Your [other] family members, and friends, many
of whom are here with you today, have all been a part of your individual
lives, and have shared with you your hopes, your dreams, your triumphs,
your sufferings. But at some point
the two of you met one another, and something started growing between
you that was not just _____________ and not just _________________.
There's a special way you are together that's just not like the way
you've ever been with anyone else. You have a way of sharing with each
other, of laughing and joking together, that's unlike with anybody else.
That special love you felt for one another continued to grow, bringing
you to this moment, when you are committing your love to one another,
and building a life together. Just as the flame you are about to light
is not created solely by either candle, so too is your love not the
sole possession or creation of either of you. As a symbol of the spirit
of love that has grown between you, I would like to ask you to light
the Unity Candle at this time. (This is another good time for a song,
if you wish to have music during the ceremony.)
Continue to Part 4:
Declaration
[Roses Ceremonies] [To
The Children]
Colorado
Wedding Ceremonies
