Sand, Glorious Sand!

So i blogged about unity sand ceremony in lieu of a candle since wind is an issue during outdoor ceremonies. Here is how I did it!

A curvy vase

plus 2 identical fat bottles w/ small necks

plus 2 corks (that have to be shaved down to fit in the small bottles)


Plus Sand From Michaels equals:



A unity sand set for hardly any money!

Unity Sand vs The Unity Candle

Back in January my fiance and I went to meet up with Lance Orndorff, our celebrant for the big wedding. He laughed when he foudn out that i was trying to do a candle ceremony at an outdoor wedding. I was adamant, and i shot down his idea for a sand ceremony or to forgo it all together. why did i shoot the sand ceremony down? well, I didn't know much about it, and i couldnt see what a sand sponsor would do, verses a candle sponsor, who's got a clear role of lighting candles. So then Lance said if i was gonna do it, i should look into oil filled candles.

Yesterday, my oil filled unity candle set came in. They’re supposedly less likely to blow out than regular candles during the outdoor ceremony. However, the candles can still blow out, even if "less likely." Red flag #1. Which I was willing to look over, because i wanted all the filipino traditions, including the candle. Plus i'd already appointed my candle sponsors.

And when i got them yesterday, i realized are made of a very fine, fragile glass. As i tested the main unity candle in the stand, i realized that if i even touched it, it was going to tip over. Red Flag #2: I'm a clumsy girl with no grace what so ever. this cannot be good.

Each glass candle has this funnel, and the wick, and a 3rd piece of a long, thin glass tube to hold the wick in place in the oil. Um... Red Flag #3: Assembly is not going to be easy.

Needless to say, i wasn't impressed.

So I started to google and consider my options...

I found out yesterday that they have hurricane globe unity candle sets. Too late, since I paid $135 for the oil set, which i cant return b/c our names are etched onto the glass!

And hten there was the Sand Ceremony.





Here is what i've found:

Unity ceremonies have been a special part of wedding vows since time immemorial. Couples from cultures around the world have used the unity ceremony as a powerful way to symbolize their love and commitment to one another in marriage. Until recently ,it’s always been the Unity Candle Ceremony that has received the majority of the spotlight. That all changed, however.

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.

It provides a way for couples during their wedding ceremony to brilliantly show the joining of the flow of their two lives into a single stream with their individually colored sands joining as one in the Unity Vase.

The Unity Sand holds a few advantages over a Unity Candle. The shortcoming of the unity candle is that it leaves no permanent memento or reminder of the union. Once the candle has been blown out, the significance of the ceremony is left only as a fleeting memory. It offers a great alternative for the unity candle to beach weddings and other ceremonies held outdoors. Plus, because it can be displayed privately or for all to see for years to come, the symbol of the couple’s love is always present, always a reminder, and always a touchstone of truth. As such, the Unity Sand Ceremony and the unity vase can be treasured forever.

And why did I shoot it down again?

I'd finally found a solution for my candle sponsors, now my sand sponsors', roles.

In place of lighting the candle in the beginning of the ceremony, the sand sponsors can “Present the stand” by walking with the sand vases to the table by the stage.

We can pour them into the unity vase after the exchanging rings and coins, just like we would light the unity candle with teh candles that were lit in the beginning of the ceremony. Brilliant!

So last night, I stopped by Michaels, because i read on wedding bee that they sell colored sand. I bought the off white and cocoa colored sand on clearance for just $1.97 per bag of 1 lb of sand! Great bargain! now I'll just look at Wallmart, Target, or the Dollar Tree for the corresponding Vases!

PROBLEM SOLVED

Filipino Wedding Traditions

We have a few additions to the regular Catholic ceremony.

Candle, Cord, and Veil Ceremony

It's comparable to the Wedding Lazo Ceremony of Mexico and other Latin American Countries. We appoint secondary sponsors, close family friends or relatives, to participate in this part of the ceremony.

Spoon And Fork over at wordpress has a great post about each element of the Candle, Cord and Veil and what they symbolize.

In short, they go something like this:

Candle - To light our path

Veil - To Clothe as one

Cord - To Bind us in Love

Ahrraes (Coins)

A Coin wedding is usually a Latin/Filipino tradition.

During the Coin ceremony the groom drops 13 coins into the bride's hands representing her dowry and his vow to support her.

Sometimes the ring bearer will also take the coins in a coin purse down the aisle. The wedding officiant gives the coins to both the bride and groom, usually pouring the contents of the purse into the bride and groom's open palms. He will then say a blessing, wishing them prosperity.