How to Do a Sand Ceremony
Sand ceremonies represent the unity of a couple that is marrying or demonstrate the union of a couple and their existing children coming together as a family. Sand ceremonies reinterpret the older tradition of the unity candle. The pouring of the individual colors of sand represents each person, while the combining of sand in the end symbolizes the coming together of those in the ceremony.
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Instructions
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Pick your sand color. If you are having a traditional wedding, you may choose to go with the standard colors of black for the groom and white for the bride. The colors of the wedding may also be incorporated in the color choices of the sand. If children are involved, choose colors for them, too.
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Choose the vases. You will need one vase for every person participating in the sand ceremony as well as one extra that the sand will be poured into. For a couple, three vases total are necessary. If a couple has chosen to incorporate their children into the sand ceremony an extra vase for every child is needed.
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Pour the sand colors that you have chosen into individual vases. During the ceremony, give everyone their vases and have the unity vase on display.
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Pour the sand into the unity vase and recite the unity vows. The bridegroom pours a portion of his sand into the vase, followed by the bride. If children are participating, they add their sand one-by-one after the bride. If no children are participating, the bridegroom and bride add an additional layer to the vase. Once the separate layers have been added, all participants pour their sand into the vase at the same time until the unity vase is full.
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Tips & Warnings
The vows of the unity ceremony are traditionally spoken by the bride and bridegroom during the pouring of the sand but can be said before or after as well.
