unity sand ceremony

A Ceremony that has recently entered the engaged public’s consciousness is the sand ceremony, more formally known as the unity sand ceremony. Much like the unity candle with which many of us are familiar, the sand version offers a symbolic, visually poignant moment that can add not only a personalized feel but also a bit of whimsy to an otherwise formal affair. Plus it’s easier to hold a sand ceremony in our Hawaiian Trade wind breezes, than a candle ceremony.

While the unity sand ceremony has a lot in common with the unity candle ceremony, it differs in some important ways. As its simplest, a sand ceremony involves a symbolic blending of two different-colored sands into a single vessel. The meaning is clear: The blending of two different beings, into a single, inseparable unit that is their marriage – the joining of their lives. Hard as it would be to separate out those grains of sand, that’s how difficult it is to separate these two people. It usually takes place after the exchange of rings and vows (although it can go before or even during), and lasts just of couple of minutes.

A basic sand ceremony involves three (typically glass) vessels – one held by each partner, and an empty one that will soon hold all the sand. This is the general flow of the ceremony…

The officiant explains the meaning of the ceremony and how it relates to the two people getting married. The officiant invites the first partner to pour a bit of sand into the empty vessel. The officiant invites the next partner to do the same with their sand. The couple then pours their sand at the same time, in a single stream, into the vessel. The officiant closes the ceremony with some words about the inextricable joining of their lives. The final result is a glass vessel holding the blended sand, showing how the joining of the two have created a new, equally beautiful entity.