Celebrations of the Spirit Rev. Melinda A. Angstadt
Celebrations of the SpiritRev. Melinda A. Angstadt 

                            Unity Rituals

Only available for Just Our Style & The Sky is the Limit packages

     Unity Candle Ceremony

 

# 1

The lighting of the unity candle symbolizes the union of a man and woman when they enter into marriage.  While the individual candles symbolize Jane and Joe’s uniqueness...the unity candle represents the oneness that is being created by the joining of their individual lives into a shared journey.  They are separate yet one.  Just as their parents brought them into this world and gave them the initial Light of their life, each mother has lit their child’s individual candle.  These flames represent each of you as an individual, as the light of Life that you innately are, and it is the true gift you offer to each other. As you bring your individual flames together symbolizing the new and greater flame of your union…remember that just as this union is made stronger by your strength as individuals, so are you as individuals made stronger by this union. You may now light the unity candle to symbolize the union of your lives. May you continuously light these candles of unity and individuality so that the memory of this ceremony will forever live in your hearts and in your home. 

 

#2

Jane and Joe, you have sealed your marriage by the giving and receiving of rings.  You have promised here today to share the rest of your lives with each other.  This union will now be symbolized by the lighting of the Unity Candle.  These flames represent each of you as an individual, in all that you were, all that you are, and all that you will ever be.  The center candle is the candle of unity because each of you must not only come together, giving a spark of yourselves in order to create a new light, but also continue to work together to keep it aflame.  With these thoughts in mind, please light the center candle to symbolize the union of your lives.

 

#3

The candle lighting ceremony symbolizes the joining together of two souls into one spiritual partnership.  These flames represent each of you as an individual, as the light of Spirit that you innately are. It exemplifies the authentic being with which God created you and it is the true gift you offer to each other.  Now, each of you will lift your single candle and draw them together as you both light the unity candle.  As you let the flames merge, envision your individual lives forming a unified life, a life joined in love and purpose. But as you set down your individual candles, do not extinguish them, for in marriage, neither of you will need to sacrifice yourself for the other or for the relationship.  By allowing your own bright inner light to shine, you allow each other to be who you are.  This is how a marriage flourishes and stands the test of time.  By allowing your individual candle to remain lit, you are intending this to be so.

 

#4

Jane and Joe, you have just sealed your marriage by the giving and receiving of rings. You have promised here today to share the rest of your lives with each other. This beautiful union is now symbolized by the lighting of the Unity Candle. The center candle is a candle of Marriage. Its fire is magical because it represents the light of two people in love. It is a candle of Unity because both must come together, giving a spark of themselves, to create the new light. This candle is also a candle of Commitment because it takes two people working together to keep it aflame. It has been said that life is like a flame; it has its own warmth, and its own brilliance. But it's in the union of two, that something brighter, warmer, more wonderful takes place.  Jane and Joe, please light the center candle to symbolize the union of your lives. As you have lit this candle today, may the brightness of the flame shine throughout your lives. The life that each of you experienced now, individually, will hereafter be inseparably united, for the two shall become one. May your union be forever blessed.

 

#5

Ancient sages believe that for each of us, there is a candle, a symbol of our own inner light that was bestowed upon us by the Creator.  These two single flames represent each of your lights…a light that is individual and unique.  Jane and Joe, take these individual candles which were lit at the time of your creation.  In your marriage, you will strive to bring these separate lights, the symbols of your inner selves, closer and closer to each other, until they become one great torch of light, a radiant symbol of love, joy, peace and harmony.  Yet it is vitally important to remember that even though your lives are united in this light, there are still two single lights within your union, each with his or her own desires, yearnings, dreams and wishes.  And these must be respected and responded to with great love, profound compassion, and with genuine tenderness.  And the two shall become one.
 

#6 Family Candle Ceremony

It is only out of families that new families emerge. Today the family candles that burn in our midst symbolize your separate lives and these two families. Jane and Joe come to this moment from these two families...and the new emerges from the old… the present from the past. I ask that each of you take one of the lit candles and that together you light the center candle. Lighting the center candle represents your lives being joined together as one family. As the flames move closer together, they form a new light, the light of this new family. It burns separately but not alone. From now on your thoughts shall be for each other rather than for your individual selves. Your joys and sorrows shall be shared alike. Today a new family begins its glow.

 

Sand Unity Ceremony

#1

You have just sealed your marriage  by the giving and receiving of rings. This beautiful union will now be symbolized with the Sand Ceremony. The first container represents you Jane, in all that you were, all that you are, and all that you will ever be, and the other represents you Joe, in all that you were, all that you are and all that you will ever be. Each one holds its own unique beauty, strength, and character. They can stand on their own and be whole, without need of anything else. However when these two are blended together they create an entirely new and extraordinarily connected entity. Each grain of sand brings to the mixture a lasting beauty that forever enriches the combination.  Please pour the sand into this common container leaving just a bit in each of your individual containers. In this way, this ceremony symbolizes not only the union of your two lives, but also your individuality. Just as these grains of sand can never be separated and poured again so will your marriage be a molding of two individual personalities, bonded together forming one heart and one love.

 

#2

Love is a force more formidable than any other. It cannot be seen or measured, yet it is powerful enough to transform you in a moment, and offer you more joy than any material possession ever could. But although this love joins you together as one, remember the gift of your individuality. Cherish and affirm your differences as you love each other. Be supportive of your strengths, and tender towards your weaknesses. Laugh together, cry together, be comforted by each other's presence, and secure in each other's absence. To symbolize the importance of each of you within the marriage and the joining of your two lives into one marriage, three colors of sand will now be combined in a sand ceremony. We begin with a layer of white sand, which symbolizes the foundation of your relationship. Then Jane and Joe will each separately pour their sand into the vase, symbolizing who they are as individuals. Then, they will pour together, blending their two colors as a symbol of their joining together forever in love. Lastly, I will add another layer of white sand, representing you, their community, supporting them in their marriage and holding them in love. Though the vase may be moved around, and the colors may shift and blend in new ways, the grains of sand cannot be separated. They will remain joined in a harmonious whole. I will hold up the completed vase, presenting it to the guests.  May your love be as eternal and as unseparable as these grains of sand.

 

#3

Jane and Joe, you have just sealed your relationship by the giving and receiving of rings.  This covenant is a promise between two people who agree that they will commit themselves to one another for the rest of their lives.  The most beautiful example of the covenant is the marriage relationship.  Today, this promise is symbolized through the pouring of these two individual containers of sand.  As these two containers of sand are poured into the third container, the individual containers of sand will no longer exist, but will be joined together. We begin with a layer of neutral sand which symbolizes that the marriage is grounded.  I pour a layer of neutral sand. We then layer the individual colors, symbolizing that the marriage is based on the strength of the individuals. I will hand Joe the gray sand.  Gray representing you, Joe, in all that you were, all that you are, and all that you will ever be.  Joe pours gray sand. I pour neutral sand and then hand Jane the white sand.  White representing you, Jane, in all that you were, all that you are, and all that you will ever be.  Jane pours white sand.  I pour neutral sand.  And now we combine the colors, which symbolizes two lives joined as one together forever. Joe and Jane pour their sand into jar.  I pour the last of neutral sand and then hold up the jar.  Just as the grains of sand can never be separated and poured again into the individual containers, so will your marriage be.

 

#4

Family Sand Ceremony

This evening, Jane and Joe are joined in their promises by their children…

________,________ and ________ for they too wish to express their love and commitment to each other and to their family. This commitment will be symbolized through the pouring of these individual containers of sand, each representing a member of the family in all that they were, all that that are, and all that they will ever be. As each individual’s sand is poured into the family’s one united common container, the individual containers of sand will no longer exist, but will be joined together as one.  You may now pour your sand. (Take turns pouring sand) Just as these grains of sand can never be separated and poured again into the individual containers, so will become the bond with your family…forevermore.

 

Unity Tree Planting Ceremony

 

Jane and Joe have chosen to celebrate their marriage with a very special ritual…one that honors their union with each other and with the nature that we stand amid today.  Jane and Joe’s new marriage  is like the velvety roots of this young, yet strong sapling. As they have found each other and chosen to share their lives together, two roots will burrow through the mysterious unknown until they find their true counterpart. Intertwined, supporting and being supported by each other, they shall grow stronger in their union into endless depths. Just as their combined pasts have been fertile ground for their union…so will the combined soils be fertile ground for this symbol of their marriage. You will plant your tree. Let your relationship and your love for each other be like this tree you plant today.  Let it grow tall and strong.  Let it stand during the harsh winds, rains and storm, and come through unscathed.  Like a tree, your marriage must be resilient.  It must weather the changes of daily life and the passage of time.  And as you nurture this tree with attention and love through the years…so must you nourish each other with the same.  May your marriage be as the roots of the tree you have just planted…growing deeper and stronger with each passing day. May your hearts be as the ranches…continuing to spread upward and outward…always reaching for the warmth of each other’s love. And may your love…just as the needles of the pine…forever be…ever green and ever true….

Unity Wine Ceremony

 

#1

To symbolize and celebrate the blending of their two lives into one… Jane and Joe will share in the wine ceremony. May the sharing of this cup symbolize the sharing of your lives together.  Each of you will take your glass of wine and pour it into the common glass. Joe will then take the common glass and offer it to Jane. Jane will take a sip and offer it to Joe… who will also take a sip. As you have shared this cup of wine, so may your share your lives. May you find life’s joys heightened, its bitterness sweetened, and always enriched by your constant love.

 

#2

Jane and Joe, this cup of wine contains properties that are sweet and symbolic of happiness, joy, and love just as the years of life ahead of you together will be. This same wine also holds some bitter properties that symbolize the trials and tribulations that you will inevitably run into during your new life together. Be reminded to forgive the frailties of one another’s flaws, for they will be overcome, and bear together life’s adversities confident that your love will always prevail. Through love, your flaw becomes your strength. Through love, does the world reveal itself. Through love, each union is made.  Drink from this cup together, remembering that all things are temporary except the truest of love.  Jane and Joe will each take a sip from the cup. May this moment remain eternally in your memory and in your hearts.

 

#3

This cup of wine is symbolic of the cup of life, offering from the fruit held within both the experience of sweetness and bitterness to the one who drinks from it. This cup is also symbolic of the pledges you have made to one another to share together the fullness of life’s experiences. As you drink from this cup, you acknowledge to one another that your lives, separate until this moment, have now become one.  I now offer this cup to you so that you may drink to the love you’ve shared in the past, the love that you share this day, and the love which you shall share forevermore.  Jane and Joe will sip from the cup. As you have shared the wine from this cup, so may you explore the mysteries of marriage, sharing in the reflection of love in one another’s soul. From love all things proceed and unto love they must return. May you find life’s joys heightened, its bitterness sweetened, and all of life enriched by the love that you have promised to one another.

 

#4

Kahlil Gibran writes in “The Prophet”:
Love one another, but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other’s cup, but drink not from one cup.

 

May these glasses of wine symbolize your promise to each other to be yourselves to the fullest while at the same time honoring the unity you share as husband and wife, cherishing your gifts of love and nurture.  I invite you now to drink to each other and to the union you have created. Jane and Joe will each take a sip from the glass. Like wine, life is a process of change, growth, compromise and wisdom. And like wine as well, is only good when it savored to the last drop.  May you drink life in… sharing and consuming each and every moment to the fullest.

 

 

#5

Jane and Joe, together the sweet and the bitterness of this wine represent life’s many journeys, and all of the experiences that are a natural part of it.  Those who drink deeply from the “Cup of Life” with an open heart and willing spirit, invite the full range of challenges and experiences into their being. This cup is also symbolic of your promises to share together the fullness of life.  As you drink from this cup…you acknowledge to one another that your lives – until this moment separate – have become one.  Drink now, and may the cup of your lives be overflowing!  Joe and Jane will take a sip from the cup.   And the two have become one!

 

#6

Jane and Joe, this wine glass is to remind you of your love…delicate, yet strong; filled with love, yet with room for more.  The wine held within the glass symbolizes each of you coming together to share one life through one love.  Use this loving cup for miracles. Fill it with forgiveness, understanding and appreciation.  Drink deeply and often.  Jane and Joe will each take a sip from the glass.  Whenever you share a glass of wine, may it always remind you that the truest of love which you share is real.  Once created, it cannot be destroyed, and will remain eternal forevermore.

The Glass Ceremony

 

Love is like glass: beautiful, fragile, and infinitely renewable!

We now celebrate the union we see before us…with the Glass Ceremony. As each of you entered the ceremony today,

you placed a piece of glass into the empty vase.

Each piece of _______ glass represents a part of who you are, and the love that you have for Jane and Joe. As cherished family and friends, you have been their foundation through life, and so it is only fitting that we begin this ceremony with a vase that was once empty, but is now filled with your love and wishes.

 

Throughout your lives, you have been two colorful, amazing, complete people all on your own…

just like your glass. But this day is special; today you become husband and wife…

joining your lives through the beautiful love that you share.

 

 To guests… Jane and Joe will now symbolically celebrate their union by combining their two colors of glass…separate up to this moment…but now joined forever through their vows.

Joe and Jane will pour their glass.

This vase of colorfully mixed pieces of glass will now be used to create a one-of-a-kind glass sculpture…which will forever reflect the promises they made to each other in your presence, on this, their wedding day.

 

Jane and Joe, may these shards of glass which will be fired into an exquisite piece of art always remind you…that your union is beautiful…that love is always fragile…and that through fire…

your love can always grow and be made new. May you cherish it forever!

 

Unity Cross Ceremony

 

Having made their promises to each other before God and those of us joined together this day, Jane and Joe will now celebrate their union with a very special wedding ritual. The Unity Cross will always remind them that their marriage is a sacred covenant based on the promises that God has made with each of us. Jane and Joe, your life together is brand new and exciting. This life will bring to you experiences that will take you to the heights of joy and love, successes and moments of sheer pleasure…times when your hearts will be bursting with love for each other and the life you have created together. During these times, remember that the Lord is there to celebrate with you. There will also be times when your hearts will feel as if they are breaking and that you can bear no more sorrow. When these moments of conflict, despair and grief seem to overshadow all that is good in your lives, and you feel completely alone… remember it is then that the Lord is with you as well. He will be your Strength, He will be your rock, and He will be your refuge. He will be there to carry you both through joys and the sorrows…and He will never break his covenant with you. You will be able to turn to His word, for He freely gives wisdom to those who ask. His word is true and it never changes. His word is the same yesterday, today and forever. The Unity Cross will symbolize the union that you have created together, each bringing your own part to the design while becoming one…always remembering that each and every moment is under the loving watch of God.

 

I will hold up the cross and say…The outer form of the Unity Cross represents you, Joe…in all that you were, all that you are, and all that you ever will be.

I will hand Joe the cross and he will put it in place will place the outer cross.

 

I will hold up the center piece and say…The center piece represents you, Jane…

in all that you were, all that you are, and all that you will ever will be. 

I will give Jane the inner scroll and she will place it within the cross.

 

I will hold up the three pegs.  We now place these three pegs which will be the support for this sculpture and for the union we see before us. These pegs represent the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, affirming God's place in this covenant and the security and completeness that only our Heavenly Father can give.

 

Jane….I will hold out my hand to you and you will take a peg and place it. I will then offer them to Joe and he will do the same. I will then place the top peg and say…what God has joined together, let no one separate. 

 

 

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