Ceremony Elements 6: Unity Candles

A unity candle ceremony usually starts with three candles - two taper candles and one larger central pillar candle. These aren't just any candles though - they represent something truly special.

In my experience, this ceremony works beautifully for couples who want to honour their individual journeys while celebrating their future together. At the start of this element of the ceremony, the two smaller, taper candles are lit. This can be done by anyone of the couple's choosing, though often it's done by the couple's parents or a special family member. This moment acknowledges where the couple have both come from - their individual lives, their roots, their families, and experiences that shaped them.

Together, the couple then use their individual candles to light the central unity candle. This simple act represents so much as bringing both lights together creates an even brighter flame. Some of couples choose to blow out their individual candles, while others keep them lit to show they maintain their individuality within their marriage.

It's also possible to personalise this ceremony. Some choose candles in their wedding colours, others engrave the unity candle with their names and date. It can also be beautiful to decorate the candle holders with meaningful symbols, photographs or trinkets. Crafty, countryside couples might even use candles made from beeswax from their own beehives.

If the couple want to involve more loved ones, their parents or grandparents might light the individual candles at the beginning of the ceremony and pass their flames through their guests, having each row light a candle - creating a beautiful sea of lights representing their community's support.

Just make sure that you check with your venue that you're allowed to have lit candles on site.

All of these ceremony elements can be beautifully woven into a wedding day, and as your celebrant, I'm here to help you choose and personalise the ones that best reflect your relationship. You can check out my previous posts on ceremony elements below or email me at nick.wells@thismoment.org.uk if you’d like to talk about how we could work together.

I’d love to hear from you.

You can check out the full collection of ceremony element posts here.