Symbolic Rituals

Handfasting is a symbolic ceremony to honour a couple’s desire for commitment to each other.

It acknowledges that their lives and their destinies are now bound together. During the handfasting ceremony, the couple’s hands are lightly tied together with one or several coloured cords or ribbons, symbolising the desire of the couple to be united, the ribbon then gets pulled gently by each persons freehand, therefore tying the knot, hence the saying!

The cord is often kept by the couple as a reminder of their vows.

The unity sand ceremony is one of my favourites, it is a tradition full of symbolism. People take sand from their individual vessels and combine the grains into one, and as the sand blends the pattern creates a new union.

It’s a great way to include children or other family members or it can be just the couple themselves and it’s a great keepsake to remember your day.

I also like to find out each individuals favourite colours and match the sand colour to that and also engrave the caps to personalise even more.

A unity candle is lit during a wedding ceremony to symbolise the union of two people.

In this modern non-religious ritual, the couple each take a lighted candle and together light a larger unity candle to signify ‘two becoming one’. 

It is a newer wedding tradition used in secular ceremonies to represent the commitment being made. This can include just the couple of as many people as you wish.

 Jumping the broom is an ancient ritual that symbolises new beginnings and a nod to sweeping away the past.  It is also significant in representing two families becoming one. 

This is an ancient ritual that goes back many years symbolizing a new begining and sweeping away the past and is known also as a respectful nod to family ancestors.

A wine box ceremony is when the couple would choose a drink of their choice, maybe a bottle from the day and place it in a wooden engraved box, they can then write a small love letter to add to the box, or their vows, other guests can also add notes and then the box is sealed and is opened again maybe on a significant anniversary to look back and read what was written and reminense and drink the wine to celebrate.

This ritual can be used to symbolise the union of the couple and the joining of two families, I also feel it can be also a symbol of growth and being reborn and so can be incorporated into different ceremonies.

You would have a potted tree or sapling or maybe even a plant that had a great significant meaning to you and can combine this into your ceremony on the day, either planting it on the day or afterwards somewhere special and watch it grow. As always this is all about your own personal preferences.