The Unity Sand Wedding Ceremony And Making A Paper Funnel For It

The hottest new trend in wedding ceremonies right now is the Unity Sand Wedding Ceremony. Ceremony. What is it? It is a small but meaningful part of the wedding, uniting the bride and groom as a couple. This can take the place of the Unity candle lighting.

This is popular in California and at outdoor weddings. Most definitely at beach weddings and in windy locations where it is almost impossible to light candles outside. Couples are now having the Unity Sand Wedding Ceremony at indoor weddings, too, either as a part of the actual wedding or during the reception.

This portion of your wedding ceremony lasts for two to four minutes, depending on what is planned while the sand is being poured. Just music in the background is fine, while some couples opt for a beautiful solo about unity, love, or Christ as the head of the couple's marriage.

Other couples have the pastor or a friend read some scripture or a meaningful passage with quiet music playing in the background.

Some couples recite a vow together while they pour the sand. The vow can be one they have found on the internet or from a book. The vow can be more meaningful because the bride and groom wrote it together.

These vows talk about the two colors of sand blending together into a new color just like their two individual lives will blend together, creating a new shared life, with Christ at the center of their marriage.

There are three clear vases. Two are smaller and are placed on either side of the larger vase in the middle. The two smaller vases have sand in them, each a different color. One represents the bride and the other, the groom.

First the groom pours a small amount of sand into the larger vase and then the bride does the same. This is repeated several times, creating a layered effect. Then both the bride and groom pour their sand into the larger vase at the same time to create a beautiful blending of the two colors. This creates a new color, symbolizing the blending of their two separate lives into one new life.

The finished vase of sand makes a beautiful keepsake and constant reminder of their new life together as a couple.

The sand ceremony unity vase can be covered and proudly displayed in the couple's home.

The choice of colors for the sand wedding ceremony depends on the tastes of the bride and groom. Black and white weddings are very popular right now and black and white sand looks striking through the clear vase.

When it is poured together, the blended grains create a beautiful salt and pepper effect that the couple will appreciate for years to come.

To make the pouring of the sand a little easier and a lot less messier, a paper funnel can be created out of decorative paper. This can be placed in the middle vase by an attendant as this portion of your wedding ceremony begins.

I recommend using the funnel because both the bride and groom will be a little nervous and shaky on their big day up in front of everyone. The beautiful paper funnel will prevent embarrassing spills and can be removed once the pouring is complete. It can be pulled out by an attendant as the bride and groom go back to the minister for the remainder of the wedding.

The Unity Sand Wedding Ceremony is beautiful and makes for some great wedding photos as well.

If either the bride and/or groom has children, the children can be involved in the sand wedding ceremony, with other colors of sand to symbolize creating a blended family.

Family Medallion Ceremony

by Jana
(Omaha)

Hello, I have two children 7 & 4 and my husband to be
has one who is 4. I was wondering if we could use family medallions (pendants for each one) instead of doing the lighting of the candle or sand ceremony? The medallions come with a small ceremony. It suggests to do this part of the ceremony at the end of the bride and groom ceremony. Just wondering if you have
heard of this and your thoughts?!

P.S. your comments on a finger food reception were very helpful!
Thank you, Jana

--Hi Jana,
No, I have not heard of a family medallion ceremony but it sounds great. I will have to do some research on this. Thank you and best wishes.

What unity sand colors you choose for your wedding depends on what you and your fiance want and on the colors you use in your wedding. The colors you choose do not have to match your wedding colors but that is an option you have.

You will probably display your blended sand vase in a prominent place in your home so you should choose colors that you enjoy looking at as well as making sure it will go with the colors in your home decor.

The hottest unity sand colors right now are black and white. You can have several small layers of black, white, black, white, and then have the rest of the sand blended in shades of gray. You would achieve this by pouring some of each color separately and then pouring the black and white together for the blended gray.

The finished product will look striking, especially if you have the bottom layers of alternating black and white under the gray.

The sand colors come in a rainbow of colors and shades. They are available from different companies online or you can find colored sand in craft stores and sometimes in discount stores.

Below are a few examples of colors you can use and what they make when blended.

Maybe you have chosen red and white. When you both pour together, you will have pink. That will be pretty, especially if you have the red and white layers first.

Red and medium blue will make a nice shade of purple.

Yellow and blue will make green sand.

With red and yellow, you will end up with orange.

Anytime that you add white to a color, you will get a lighter shade of that color.

Some couples opt for natural sand colors. Some use sand they found on beaches that have sentimental value to them.

If you are going for an ocean feel, you might consider using white with aqua or with a dark blue.

Maybe you love sunsets so you can choose pink and yellow. This will make a pretty orange.

If you have the time and extra money, you may want to purchase several unity sand colors in small amounts and experiment until you have the perfect look for your wedding.

If you choose to use the unity sand vase to symbolize your marital union, you will need three vases. They should be clear glass vases so the wedding guests can see the colors of the sand held in the two separate vases and then the blended color after you pour your sand.

These can be ordered online from specialty companies. You can also go to your local mall or home furnishing store to find the perfect vase set.

If you would like to save some money and find a bargain, check discount stores and secondhand shops in your area, as well as garage sales. No one has to know where you found the vases you use. Make sure you really like the ones you choose, especially the unity vase as you will be keeping that one for many years to come.

Some couples choose nesting vases that, when put side by side, fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Other couples choose one larger vase with two smaller ones on either side.

The vase in the middle with the blended sand can be saved and displayed in your home as a daily reminder of your love and commitment to each other.

You will need to cover your unity sand vase after the wedding to keep the sand from spilling out and to keep dust and flies, etc., out of it. Some containers can be purchased with a lid. If not, a cork lid can be purchased or cut to fit the vase and looks very attractive.

Another lid idea is to cover the top with either colored plastic wrap or colored or white tissue paper and tie it with a matching or contrasting ribbon. If you use this method, you can change the look periodically by changing the paper and ribbon colors.

Your beautiful sand vase can be displayed next to a framed wedding photo and/or a framed wedding invitation.

You can display it in between two taper candles or two pillar candles in crystal holders.

Use all three of the vases in your unity sand vase display as well. Put some pretty colored marbles or sea glass in the bottom of the two empty ones. Then fill with water and put a few fresh flowers in each of the two vases. Or for a more lasting display, after pouring in the marbles or sea glass, put some beautiful silk flowers down into the marbles or sea glass. You will need to put in some more of them to hold the silk flowers in place.

What unity sand songs can be sung or played during the sand ceremony are largely up to the bride and groom. Check to see what songs you have chosen so far to be in your wedding. You don't want to use the same song twice. Some should be sung and other songs can be instrumental numbers.

There are many beautiful love songs that have been written for weddings. Some are Christian in nature and some are popular secular love songs.

Both are fine to consider as for your sand ceremony or your unity candle ceremony. Yes, you are having a Christian wedding but it is okay to use secular music that expresses the love you and your groom share.

The Christian wedding song, "There Is Love" remains one of my favorites, perfect for a unity candle ceremony or the unity sand ceremony. "We've Only Just Begun" is a good secular selection. But music is personal so choose a song that has special meaning to you and your fiance.

Below is a list of other music suggestions that I think make beautiful songs for any part of a wedding. They are not listed in any particular order.

Close To You

Top Of The World

Could I Have This Dance

Glory Of Love

I Won't Last A Day Without You

Longer

Up Where We Belong

Wedding Song

What A Difference You've Made In My Life

You And I

You Light Up My Life

The Rose

I Do (Cherish You)

From This Moment On

I Will Always Love You

When I Fall In Love

Endless Love

Using a sand ceremony funnel at your wedding is a wise choice. It will prevent the possibility of ruining your wedding with spills, not to mention preventing embarrassment.

It will also make both you and your groom feel more at ease about pouring sand into the vase in front of all of your guests when your hands are already jittery on your wedding day.

A sand ceremony funnel is pretty simple to make.

You will need:

Wedding scrapbook paper or wedding computer paper

Scissors

Clear "invisible" non-shiny tape

You can find wedding scrapbook paper at a craft store, at Wal-Mart, and even at dollar stores. Computer paper decorated for weddings can be found at the same places. I found 3 different styles of wedding computer paper at a local dollar store for $1 per package. There are 45 sheets in each package. Quite a bargain!

If you choose to use wedding scrapbook paper which is usually sold in individual sheets, be sure and buy several sheets in case you make an error with your first funnel like I just did. The funnel I just made came out looking good except for one problem: the decorations are upside down! Oooops! So be sure and have some extra paper just in case. You can use the leftover paper in your wedding scrapbook.

Place your paper with the printed side up on the table in front of you. Make sure your decorations are not upside down. Good. Now, turn the paper over so that the printed side is facing down.

Starting with the lower left-hand corner, start rolling the paper into the shape of a funnel lengthwise. Make sure that the lower end is more narrow than the top end.

When it is finished, the top and bottom ends will not be flush. Secure the funnel with a small piece of invisible tape about 1/3 of the way up from the bottom of the sand ceremony funnel.

Now squeeze the top part of the funnel in one hand until it is almost shut but do not put any creases in the paper. Pick up the scissors with your other hand and trim off the uneven top portion straight across so it is even. Then do the same with the bottom part.

Secure the bottom and the top of the funnel with two more small pieces of invisible tape.

There you have it, a pretty and useful funnel.

Some couples choose to say a Christian unity sand vow while they are pouring their sand. Other couples ask the pastor to read the vow aloud so the bride and groom can concentrate on pouring the sand. That also saves them from having to memorize their lines or read them and be distracted from the pouring.

You can write your own vow with your fiance or use the ones listed below. If you choose to write one, the two of you can say it in unison or you can break it into parts.

First the groom says a line, then the bride. You can write something simple and short or longer and more complex. Just be sure that it is meaningful to both of you.

First Sample Vow

I, ___________(name of groom) and I, ____________(name of bride) each have a different color of sand, representing our separate lives. (Show your guests by holding your vase up.)

Today, we join our lives in marriage, pledging our commitment and love to each other and to Christ as the Head of our new home.

Second Sample Vow

Today we come as individuals represented by the colors in each of our vases. (Hold up your individual vases.)

(Now start pouring your sand.) As the colors of the sand blend together creating a new color, so our lives today are blended together as one in love and commitment to each other by marriage, a sacrament blessed by the presence of Jesus Christ, who is here with us today.

May He bless our marriage and be the center of our new life together.

You can choose to decorate unity sand vases instead of using plain ones. It is not difficult to do. If I can do it, so can you!

First, you must find the perfect containers. They can be purchased as a matching set or you can purchase them separately and the 2 smaller ones do not have to perfectly match the center vase.

The middle one is the most important. This is what everyone will be looking at during that part of the wedding. It is also the one you will display in your home complete with the blended sand.

Some couples choose to display all three. It is totally up to you how you decorate and display them for your wedding and in your home. A popular choice to decorate unity sand vases is to monogram them. If you are artistic, you can use a paint marker or a paint brush and draw or paint the letters you want on there freehand.

If you are not artistic, don't worry. There are two options for you to create the vases yourself. Use stencils or letter stickers.

A stencil can be taped to the vase while you paint on one or more letters.

Or get fancy letter stickers. Just peel the paper off the back and stick the letters onto the vase. Simple!

You can choose to put your three initials on your side vase and your fiance's three initials on his side vase. Then for the unity vase, place the initial of the groom's last name in the center, using a larger stencil or sticker. Using smaller letters, put the initial of the groom's first name to the left of the large initial. Put the bride's first name initial to the right of the large initial.

You can find letter stencils and letter stickers in a variety of sizes and letter styles. The stickers come in several appropriate colors to go with any wedding. You can find some nice ones at Michael's. I am sure other craft stores have them as well.

You can decorate unity sand vases with other designs instead of a monogram. You can use a heart, a cross, two entwined rings, a wedding cake, etc.

Proudly display your sand vases on a high shelf, where you cannot accidentally knock them over and where small children cannot grab them and pull them over. I know, while you are newlyweds, you probably don't have any children around, but they will come eventually or one of your friends may bring their child around, perhaps someone who is not very well-behaved. Keep them out of the reach of small hands and you will keep your beautifully decorated wedding keepsakes for a very long time to come.