Personal Unity Rituals: A Perfect Way to Make Your Ceremony Meaningful
Personal unity rituals can be the perfect way to make your wedding ceremony more meaningful and memorable. Unity rituals are visual demonstrations of the vows you make to each other, and there are a number of lovely standard options available ranging from handfastings to love letter boxes to wine or beer sharings. Rituals can be even more meaningful if they connect with you and your story as I’ve seen in a number of recent ceremonies.
I’m working with a couple who wrote letters to each other while the groom was in military basic training. For their ceremony they’ll be writing new love letters to mark their wedding day, and placing them, along with the saved letters from years ago, into a box. They’ll write new letters on each subsequent anniversary, and accumulate the wonderful story of their relationship through the written word.
Just last week I married two pharmacists who had already planned their unity ritual when we first met. They obtained a beautiful mortar and pestle set, an iconic representation of their profession, and planned to join two substances representing the joining of their lives in marriage. This unique ritual held special meaning for them, and was a memorable part of their ceremony for all the guests, too.
I’ve also customized the handfasting unity ritual using rainbow colored ribbons for a same sex couple, and using the colors of sky, sun, earth and trees for a nature loving couple. With a little creativity personal unity rituals can be developed using a standard ritual as the base.
While not required as part of a wedding ceremony, unity rituals and especially personal unity rituals can be a wonderful addition. Working with your celebrant you can explore the wide array of rituals available and use or create one that will be particularly meaningful for you.