Sand Ceremony

The sand ceremony has become very popular these days, especially for beach weddings.  The ceremony is similar to the unity candle ceremony, but due to having weddings on the beach with the breezes blowing, the candles don't work too well.

I found the following on the internet that explains the ceremony very well:
The Unity Sand Ceremony, a celebration that is usually two to three minutes in length, is a meaningful symbolic joining of two lives. In this timeless ritual of marriage, the couple ceremoniously pours various colors of sand from separate containers into one special container, the unity vase, symbolizing their coming together as one.

The couple chooses two different colors of sand that represent the individual people.  Each of the colors are in separate pouring vases.  During the ceremony the individuals pour the sand at the same time into the unity vase or keepsake vase.  The symbolism is that as the sands can never be separated again, neither can the couple.  The different colors of sand also make a really nice design in the keepsake vase.  The best part of this ceremony and what makes it different than the unity candle ceremony is that the unity vase is a nice memento of the ceremony and can be displayed in the couple's home, on a mantle or any place of prominence. 

The ceremony can also include any children that are included in the family.  Each of the people would have their own colors of sand, representing the coming together of the family. Here is an example of a unity vase with children included, and many colors of sand.

This past weekend I did a vow renewal ceremony where the couple have 4 children.  Each of them had a different colored sand and the resulting design was quite beautiful.

As you can see the sand ceremony can be a great additional to the wedding ceremony.  There are many options for colors and unity vases, so that it can be personalized to the couple or family.