Unity Ceremony Ideas For Southern Weddings

Wedding Unity Ceremony Ideas for North Carolina Brides Wedding Unity Ceremony Ideas for North Carolina Brides Wedding Unity Ceremony Ideas for North Carolina Brides A  unity ceremony is an interstitial moment in a wedding ceremony that, along with reading, performances, and formal pledges, can help make your wedding ceremony even more special and unique for you and your guests.
There are lots of ways to incorporate what you’re passionate about and have fun with it too. It can be very traditional, or something new and dynamic, involving just you and your partner, or all of your guests. There’s a multitude of options for any style – Is there something you’re drawn to?
 
Wedding Sand Ceremony – Very popular for Beach Weddings you and your partner each have a container of sand, each container featuring a different color of sand, and then pour them together into a larger container which is often stoppered to prevent unfortunate overturnings. This might also be a great one for blended families since the kids can get their own color too! It’s a great talking point and mantlepiece focal point for generations to come!
Tree Planting -A great way to symbolize how your love will grow and stay strong, couples will plant a small tree in a decorative pot and water it together. Tree types can have lots of different meanings depending on your cultural background, so there’s a great opportunity to really make this tradition unique to you. Plus, in 50 years, your grandkids may look out back to see a giant Oak growing strong and the story of your tree may become part of their idea about what real love looks like.
Tying the Knot  – This originally comes from Celtic traditions, it’s literally tying your hands together in a knot that represents the binding commitment of your  love.
Anniversary Capsule – A series of letters, written by the newlyweds, to be opened at their 1 year anniversary, 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, or beyond! A truly touching time capsule from your younger self to the love of your life to the distant future together.
Burying the Whiskey – A uniquely Southern wedding tradition that I haven’t heard of anywhere else, burying the Whiskey comes from a tradition that says that burying a bottle of bourbon upside down on the site of the wedding ceremony will keep the rain away. That also means you can dig it up at the wedding and have shots!
Candle Lighting – Usually this involves the parents of our newlyweds lighting a candle and the couple using their family candies to light a new central candle representing the new family being established at the ceremony. The fires of love are strong with this one – just remember to be careful and have nicely weighted candle-holders – you can never be too careful with fire, especially with an outdoor (and potentially windy) wedding ceremony.
Releasing Doves – You can find professional white dove release companies across the carolinas and these specially trained doves can be a memorable and poignant expression of how your love helps you take flight. Dove coos can be such a romantic backdrop to your ceremony and the release can drive some truly amazing pictures!
Circling – Originating from Jewish tradition, we’ve seen this happen in a variety of contexts, and it’s a physical representation of how your love and protection surrounds each other. Each partner will circle the other, usually 7 times, and there are lots of ways to play around with this tradition including inviting honored guests to circle around the newlyweds.
Glass Pouring – Similar to a Sand Ceremony – the glass pouring uses small glass beads instead of sand, which means the color will stay vibrant a little longer. It’s also a little easier to clear up if it spills! This is a modern and clean variation that might be perfect for you.
Braiding the Cross – This wedding unity ceremony is a great way to bring your faith front and center and have a unique reminder in your lives every day about the Bible verse, Ecclesiastes 4:12, which says that “though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Each partner has a strand that represents them, and the third strand represents God and how he’s interwoven in your lives, holding them together. This is perfect for couples who want to emphasize their faith.
Flying Wish Lantern – Chinese lanterns are a gorgeous and stunning element to include in your wedding ceremony. Couples can light the candle and the lantern will rise into the air, sending your love into the heavens and out into the universe. You can choose to do one individually, together, or ask your guests to participate too. Just remember to check local fire codes and regulations before including because we need to very careful with fire – just ask anyone who’s had a ‘gender reveal’ go wrong!
Floating Lantern – A tradition that can provide a great way to get everyone involved and provide some stunning images, if you’re getting married next to a lake or pond this might be a great one to include. The couple, or guests, would light a candle in a floating lantern and place it on the water, sending it out. If all the guests participate, you’re going to have some truly amazing photographs, especially if you’re doing a sunset ceremony! In many ways this is significantly safer than the flying wish lantern, since the water will put out any accidents!
Lasso Ceremony – Originating from spanish influenced cultures including Mexico and the Phillipines, once the vows have been pledged the officiant will wrap a ‘lasso’ of flowers, a braided cord, or a rosary around the bride and groom, knotting it (maybe use a series of knots for the looped infinity symbol), and then removing it at the end of the ceremony. Similar to the hand fasting, it can be a great to way to honor the cultural traditions of your family.
Jumping the Broom – there are some questions about the true origin of this tradition but it has gained popularity in the US when a great many weddings weren’t performed at the church,  mostly popular at African American weddings – it’s a longstanding tradition that provides a great series of photos and, perhaps, settle potential marriage questions because, according to tradition, whoever jumps highest gets to make the decisions! Of course, couples realize that decisions should be made together, so we don’t know that anyone should put too much stock in that interpretation unless both partners are willing to wear heels.
Wine/Beer Blend – If you’re passionate about either, this might be the ceremony for you (especially if you’re getting married at a winery or a brewery). Couples will select their own style or varietal, then blend them together to create a new drink – then share it together. If you are interested in doing enough, you can also share with honored guests or everyone! Did you find the unity ceremony idea you were looking to include? Don’t forget, you can create your own and Stylus has lots of great options for you if you’re still on the fence but want to include something really special. Reach out to us today at 919-346-4669 or visit the CONTACT US form.