Unity Candles That Bind Couples In Holy Matrimony

Weddings have been an age-old tradition for as long as we can remember, which makes them probably one of the only few traditions where people everywhere from all over the world are instantly familiar with. Most likely because it is one of the few traditions in the world that have such a big impact on a persons life, a ceremony that changes their lives even, you might say. Throughout the years, certain aspects of weddings have been modified slightly, changed or have had new elements added on to them – like the lighting of the unity candle ceremony which for the moment is only popular in the West because of its newness.

The tradition of having unity candles at the wedding is something that was recently added on and is currently popular in the United States mostly, although there is nothing to prevent other cultures from adopting this little ceremony into their wedding if they wanted to. It is your wedding after all and if you would like to light the candle, then by all means go ahead. It certainly is tempting with all sorts of beautifully decorated unity candles out there nowadays.

Candles have always been present at major events or celebrations, like birthdays, anniversaries, in churches and so on because they have a way of making an event seem more festive or celebratory somehow. So it comes as no surprise then, that candles have been adopted into what could probably be the biggest celebration in two individuals’ lives – weddings!

Unity candles are much larger than a regular candle. They could be up to eight or ten inches tall and are usually decorated very fancily with beautiful designs and embellishments carved onto them. Some candles have rose or lily flowers sculpted in the very center of the candle while others have flowers or other designs carved around the entire thing. Tiny little swarovski crystals or glass pearls are also popular add-ons to these candles just to give them that extra little sparkle.

There are many other ways couples could choose to decorate the candles. For example the couples could have their candle accompanied by a copy of their wedding invitation or even a photograph of themselves (taken as a couple of course). Or they could have their candles accompanied by a special quote or saying that holds a certain meaning for them. Alternatively, they could even experiment and go crazy with their own creativity and add their own bit of decoration made up of whatever they think is appropriate (as long as it holds meaning for the two of them, of course, because they still should try to keep to the theme of the wedding).

Like everything else about the wedding, the unity candles are almost always white in color, although the couple could decide to go for a different colored candle if they wished. Just as long as the color is not too far off from the original wedding theme, or as long as it isn’t some outrageous color that may not be entirely appropriate for weddings, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to go for a different color scheme if you are one of those couples who like doing things differently.

Unity candles are a beautiful addition to the wedding, symbolizing that two individuals are now united together as one in marriage and how they are about to begin their new life together. That’s why these candles hold a special meaning to both the bride and groom and whether you are one of those sentimental couples or not, you should save the candles just for keepsake purposes. After all it’s not everyday you have a wedding, is it?

Some really sentimental couples even save their candles and relight them again at their wedding anniversary! Now isn’t that just romantic? The best bit about these candles is that because they come much, much larger than regular candles, they last twice as long too. So they can be relit at as many anniversaries as it can last. And relighting the candle will be a special time for both, because the couple will recall their wedding ceremony, the vows they took and what this candle meant to them both when they lit it for the very first time together as husband and wife and that big day. What a great way to make your anniversary even more special!