Ceremonial Traditions and Rituals

Ceremonial Traditions and Rituals Listed Below

Unity Candle
Unity Cup

Celtic Handfasting

Ceremony for Making the “Celtic Handfasting Braid”

Celtic Loving Cup & Pebble Ceremony

Celtic Blessing Stones & Note Ceremony

Celtic Loving Cup & Wine Ceremony

Blending of the Sands (Hawaiian Tradition)

Jump The Broom (African Tradition)

Marriage Vessel and the Rose

Ceremony of the Rose
Breaking of the Glass (Jewish Tradition)

The Circling Ceremony (Jewish Tradition)

The Lasso Ceremony (Hispanic & Filipino Tradition)

The Gold Coins Ceremony (Spanish Tradition)

Blended Family Ceremony
Honor Your Mother Ceremony

Unity Candle
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The lighting of the Unity Candle is a ritual that symbolizes the joining together two individuals into a married couple in a harmonious relationship. It also symbolizes the illumination of the souls of the bride and groom, and the flames of their love for each other. The ritual can be scripted to include families and friends. If there is disharmony within the families towards either the bride or groom, let the officiant know. The ritual can be scripted to help resolve negative feeling of the past, present, or future that can interfere with the newlywed's marriage.

The Unity Candle is an arrangement of three candles (the center candle sometimes being larger than the other two). The two side candles are lit either before the wedding ceremony begins or just before the Unity Candle ceremony by the Bride’s parents and the Groom’s parents on their respective side of the altar.

Lighting the Unity Candle normally takes place after the Bride and Groom exchange vows and rings. The Officiant will share a few thoughts about the unity that exists between a husband and wife when they enter into marriage, after which the couple will take their respective candles and light the center candle. The couple then extinguishes their respective candles by gently blowing out the flame, symbolizing that they are now “one.” Sometimes the couple chooses not to blow out their candles to symbolize that, even though they are now one, they continue to retain their individuality.

During the lighting of the candles, the Officiant says:

The lighting of the Unity Candle symbolizes the union that exists between a man and a woman who enter the holy estate of matrimony. The Holy Bible says, “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” The two smaller candles represent the individual lives of Bride __________________ and Groom __________________. The center candle represents the new life and home they are establishing today with Christ as the heart of that home. As Bride _____________ and Groom _________ joint together in lighting this Unity Candle, may we all reflect on the union made here this day between God, this woman, and this man. From this moment on, the light of your love burns jointly as you walk own life’s pathway together. May the path of life become brighter as the flame of your love grows stronger.

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Blending of the Sands Ceremony - Hawaiian Tradition
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The Blending of the Sands is a beautiful unifying ceremony from Hawaii that symbolizes the joining of the Bride and Groom or the blending together of their families. There are two versions offered—one for the couple and one for the family. Glass containers are needed for the Bride, Groom, and each child represented (when children are included). Each container is filled with a different colored sand, representing each individual’s uniqueness. After the Officiant reads the sand ceremony text, the Bride and Groom (and each child) pour their individual containers of sand into the Unity Sand Bottle simultaneously. They may wish to leave a small amount of sand in each container to symbolize that, although they now are joined as one, they till retain their own individuality. Creative ideas: The Unity Sand Bottle, as well as the individual containers, may be a vase, vial, glass, jar, heart-shaped bottle, or any other glass container. Choose a color of sand that reflects your unique personality. Melt some wax to seal the Unity Sand Bottle and hold the sand in place, and then seal it with a cork or a lid. Have your names and wedding date etched into the glass of the Unity Sand Bottle for a special wedding keepsake.

Version 1—The Couple
(The Officiant says): (Groom) ________ and (Bride) ________, today you are making a commitment to share the rest of your lives with each other. Your relationship is symbolized through the pouring together of these two individual containers of sand.
(Groom) _________________, through the sands of time you have grown into the person you are today. This container of sand represents all that you were, all that you are, and all that you will ever be.
(Bride) ________________, through the sands of time you have grown into the person you are today. This container of sand represents all that you were, all that you are, and all that you will ever be. As you each hold your separate container of sand, it symbolizes your lives prior to this moment; individual and unique. Now as you blend the sands together, it symbolizes the blending together of your two hands, two hearts, and two lives into one.
(The Bride and Groom combine their sands into the Unity Sand Bottle)

(The Officiant says): Just as these grains of sand can never be separated again, so may your lives be blended together for all eternity.

Version 2—The Family
(The Off iciant says): (Groom) __________, (Bride) ____________, and (Children) _______________ today you are making a commitment to share the rest of your lives with each other. Your new family relationship is symbolized through the pouring together of these individual containers of sand. One represents you, (Groom) __________________, and all that you are as husband and father. One represents you, (Bride) __________________, and all that you are as wife and mother. The other container(s) represent(s) (Children) _________________ who make(s) this family complete. As you each hold your separate container of sand, it symbolizes your lives before today. As you blend the sands together, it symbolizes the blending together of your hands, your hearts, and your lives into one family.
(The Groom, Bride, and Children combine their sands into the Unity Sand Bottle.)

(The Off iciant says): Just as these grains of sand can never be separated again, so may your lives be blended together for all eternity.

(Please click here to see our Sand Ceremony supplies on our Ceremonial Supplies and Keepsakes page)

Jumping The Broom Ceremony - African Tradition
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Jumping the broom is a ritual that goes back in time to the ancestral roots African Americans who wanted to honor their unions when they could not afford to legally marry. This ritual symbolizes the sweeping away of old former single lives, past problems, and previous cares. Jumping the broom symbolizes the crossing of a threshold and the leaping of faith into a new relationship.

During the ceremony after pronouncement, the Officiant says:

Starting a new life with another person requires a "leap of faith.” This broom represents a threshold. ____&_____, although still individuals, will begin a new life together. Jumping over the broom represents crossing this threshold into new territory; a life vitally connected to another's. They leave behind the past and jump into the future together secure in their love. The leap they take over the broom is also symbolic. By taking the leap, they make a gesture of dedication to working together through the tough times ahead, as well as the easy times. Please count with me now and shout with joy as they perform their first act of working together as husband and wife: 1, 2, 3, jump! ~ Hurray!!

(Please click here to see our Broom Ceremony supplies on our Ceremonial Supplies and Keepsakes page)

Hand fasting - Celtic Tradition
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The Officiant explains the significance of the hand fasting ritual: The expression “tying the knot” refers to the traditional early Celtic marriage ritual of Hand fasting. Hand fasting, the ancient word for wedding, was traditionally recognized as a binding contract of marriage before weddings became a legal function of the government and church. After the wedding vows and ring exchange, the couple’s hands were bound together with a cord tied in a “love knot” to signify the joining of their lives in a sacred union. Today, hand fasting is a symbolic ceremony to honor a couple’s desire for commitment to each other, and to acknowledge that their lives and their destinies are now bound together.

During the ceremony, the officiant holds the cord and says to the couple:

Please hold each other’s hands (palms up and her hands resting in his). (Groom) ____________ and (Bride) _______________ this cord is a symbol of the life you have chosen to live together. Until this moment you have been separate in thought, word, and deed. But as this cord is tied together, so shall your lives become intertwined. With this cord, I bind you to the vows that you have made to one another. With this knot, I tie you heart to heart, together as one.

The Officiant wraps the cord loosely around the Bride’s and Groom’s wrists to tie a “love knot” and says: he knot of this binding is not bound by the cord, but rather, by your own vows of love. For, as always, you have in your own hands the making or breaking of this union. May this “love knot” always be a reminder of the binding together of two hands, two hearts, and two souls into one. And so are you bound, each to the other, for all the days of your lives. Cord may then be removed and placed on the altar. Many couples choose to keep the “love knot” as a memento of their new union created that day.)

(Please click here to see our Celtic Handfasting Cords on our Ceremonial Supplies and Keepsakes page)

Unity Cup
Two separate goblets are filled with wine or juice. Before the couple is pronounced husband and wife, the Officiant pours one-half of the wine from each goblet into a separate cup, the Unity Cup, from which each sips.

During the ceremony, the Officiant says: This glass of wine is known as the Unity Cup and is symbolic of the Cup of Life. As you share this cup of wine, you share all that the future may bring. The half-filled goblets are a reminder of your individuality; the single cup marks your new life together. As you share the wine from a single cup, so may you, under God’s guidance, share contentment, peace, and fulfillment from your own Cup of Life. May you find life’s joys heightened, its bitterness sweetened, and each ff its moments hallowed by true companionship and love. The Off iciant holds up the Unity Cup and may then say this prayer): Blessed are Thou, O Lord our God, Creator of the fruit of the vine. (The Groom takes a sip of wine first, then offers the cup to the Bride)

Celtic Loving Cup and Pebble Ceremony
As the guests arrive, they are each given a small pebble to hold during the Celtic Loving Cup and Pebble Ceremony.

During the ceremony, the officiant says:

We will now perform the ancient Celtic Loving Cup and Pebble Ceremony, a ritual with elements of a traditional Irish wedding.

On this wedding day we celebrate the Celtic spirit of anam cara. Anam cara is translated from the Gaelic as “soul friend”. By entering in a partnership with your anam cara, you are joined in an ancient and eternal way. To the ancients, the four elements to be respected and celebrated were earth, water, wind and fire.

FIRE
(The bride and groom are invited to light a candle) Your lives have burned as individual flames. Let them now burn together as one. "From every human being, there rises a light that reaches straight to heaven. And when two souls that are destined to be together find each other, their streams of light flow together, and a single brighter light goes forth from their united being."

WATER
Before there was life, there was water. Water is life. It sustains us, nourishes us, cleanses us, refreshes us…we are made of it. And so, drink. Drink to your love you’ve shared in the past, celebrate in your present, and look to in your future. The couple take turns to drink from the loving cup, filled with water poured from a pitcher filled with water.

WIND
The wind is the soul, the spirit, the very breath of life. Until you die few things will ever be more intimate than that subtle infusion of air and the touch of lips when you kiss. You have the memory of many kisses between you – and there will be many more!

EARTH
We must not forget the rock from which we are hewn, the very earth on which we live. However fickle and variable the ways of humankind, there lies within us all something solid, unshakeable, unmovable – like a rock. Take in your hand the pebble you were given, find within yourself that piece of sure foundation that you would share with name and name, and for a moment close your eyes. Focus on that inner strength as though you could bundle it up in a stone. Visualize the future you wish for this couple and engrave it in stone. A moment of silence.

This is your gift to this couple. It is the Celtic Pebble Tradition. Please come forward, quietly. Bring these pebbles, made special by your love, and place them here in this bowl. Music plays while the guests each come forward with their pebbles.

_________ and _______ please cover these rocks with the water of life. The Bride and Groom pour water over the pebbles. The number of pebbles in this dish is the exact number of people here today to bless you on your way. They will be an unending testimony to the fact that they were here, that they esteem you as husband and wife, and they wish the best for you that the earth can give.

Celtic Blessing - Wishing Stones and Love Note Ceremony

The ritual of the Love Note and Blessing Stones or Wishing Stones, as they sometimes are called, is a wonderful way to include everyone in the wedding by way of offering blessings and good wishes to the newlyweds. It also is a good way to ensure that everyone will make contact with the Bride and Groom at some point during the day. This ritual may be performed at the actual ceremony itself (before the blessing), or at the conclusion of the service (in a receiving line manner), or later at the reception. When the guests arrive at the ceremony, they are given a Blessing Stone along with a note card with words printed on it such as: “My wish for you is.. .“ or “May you be blessed with...” or “May G0D bless you with.. .“

During the ceremony, the Officiant explains the significance of the Blessing Stones.
(The Officiant says): Today is a very blessed occasion in the lives of (Groom) _________ and (Bride) ____________. You have been invited here today because of your special relationship with them. When you arrived, you received a stone along with a note card. These are called “Blessing Stones.” Since we all desire nothing but the best that life has to offer this couple, I ask each of you to complete the sentence on the card and sign your name, so your best wishes and your blessings for (Groom) ______________ and (Bride) _____________ always may be a reminder of your love for them on this day of celebration.

At some point (either during or after the service), the guests will share their blessing or wish the newlyweds and toss the Blessing Stone into a Blessing Bowl, a Wishing Well, a Fountain, or whatever is chosen to hold the water. They then may place their “love note” into a basket or box for the couple to reflect on at a later time. Many couples keep their Blessing Stones in a special place in their home (a vase of flowers, around a candle, in an aquarium, etc.) to remind them of all the love, good wishes, and blessings they share because of their family and friends.

A variation of this ritual would be at an outdoor wedding near a body of water (lake, pond, ocean, etc.). Stones either are gathered at the site or provided for the guests. After the ceremony, everyone follows the Bride and Groom’s recessional to the water, makes a wish or blessing for them and casts their stone into the water.
(The Of/iciant says:) The ripples that are made in the water represent the love and good wishes not only for this couple, but for all the world. For as our ripples cross and recross one another’s, so our love and good wishes touch and retouch all those around us and all those the whom we come into contact throughout our lives.

You can be as creative as you wish with this ritual. Stones—you may use decorative stones, rose quartz stones, which symbolize love, or other pebbles from a special place. Container for water—you will need a Blessing Bowl (any decorative basin, bowl, or bucket will work), or a table top fountain, or a Wishing Well (as large and elaborate or as small and simple as you wish). Love Notes—buy decorative, ready-made note cards from a stationery or craft store and print your opening blessing phrase on them, or, for an even more personal touch, design and print your own note cards at home on your computer. Remember to begin your blessing phrase with: “My wish for you is…” or “May you be blessed with...” or “May G0D bless you with...”

Celtic Loving Cup and Wine Ceremony
The purpose of the Celtic Loving Cup and Wine ceremony is for the bride and groom to share their first drink together as wife and husband and to show the coming together of two families. Special words can be added to include the Bride and Groom's parents (and friends) as part of this ceremony. The cup is then passed down from generation to generation, ensuring happiness and good fortune to all who drink from it. This is a special moment for the couple to toast their love, devotion, and friendship.

During the ceremony, the Officiant or Minister says: The years of life are as a cup of wine poured out for you to drink. This Loving Cup contains within it a wine with certain properties that are sweet and symbolic of happiness, joy, hope, peace, love and delight.

This same wine also holds some bitter properties that are symbolic of disappointment, sorrow, grief, despair, and life's trials and tribulations.
Together the sweet and the bitter represent "Love's Journey" and all of the experiences that are a natural part of it. For all who share the wine from this Loving Cup, so may you share all things from this day on with love and understanding. Those who drink deeply from the Loving Cup with an open heart and willing spirit, invite the full range of challenges and experiences into their being for themselves and the Bride and Groom.

Minister pours wine into the Loving Cup and holds it up and says: This cup of wine is symbolic of the cup of life. As you all share the wine from the Loving Cup, you undertake to share all that the future may bring. It represents the blessing given and passed on to each participant in this ceremony. All the sweetness life's cup may hold for each of you will be the sweeter because you drink it together. Whatever drops of bitterness it may contain will be less bitter because you share them. Drink now, and may the cup of your lives be sweet and full to running over.

After family and friends have sipped wine from the Loving Cup, it is passed back to the minister.

Minister holds up the Loving Cup and says: This Loving Cup is symbolic of the pledges you have made to one another to share together the fullness of life. As you drink from this cup, you acknowledge to one another that your lives, separate until this moment, have now become one.

Minister hands the Loving Cup to Bride and Groom and says: Now drink to the love you've shared in the past. The Bride and Groom sip from the Loving Cup.

Officiant or Minister says: Drink to your love in the present, on this your wedding day. The Bride and Groom sip from the Loving Cup

Officiant or Minister says: And drink to your love in the future and forever more! The Bride and Groom sip from the Loving Cup and hand it back to the Minister.

Officiant or Minister says: As you have shared the wine from this Loving Cup, so may you share your lives. May you explore the mysteries of the Loving Cup and share in the reflection of love in one another's soul. From love all things proceed and unto love they must return. May you find life's joys heightened, it's bitterness sweetened, and all of life enriched by God's blessings upon you (or. . . and all of life enriched by the love of family and friends).

The Marriage Vessel and the Rose
The Marriage Vessel and the Rose ceremony may be used as an alternative to the Unity Candle, especially for outdoor weddings. You will need a table for the vessel and the rose. Filling the vessel the water is only necessary when you use the second version.

First Version
(The Groom presents the rose to the Bride and says): (Bride) _______________, this rose represents the beauty I see in you. I thank you for the person you are and the person I am becoming because of your love for me. (The Bride presents the vessel to the Groom and says): (Groom) ______________, this vessel represents the strength I see in you. I thank you for the love and care you have given me, and for all we will share together in this life. (The Bride then places the rose in the vessel; they hold it together and the Bride and Groom say): As our gifts bring beauty and purpose to each other, may our lives continue to enrich and strengthen one another.
(The Officiant says): (Groom) ____________ and (Bride) ______________, as you share each passing day, and as your days become years, remember this tradition you have created. On each wedding anniversary, place one additional rose in the marriage vessel to symbolize your ever-growing love for one another. May The Marriage Vessel and the Rose always be a symbol of the beauty and strength you bring to each other’s lives.

Second Version
(The Groom hands Bride a long-stemmed rose and says): (Bride) ___________, take this rose as a symbol of my love. It began as a tiny bud and blossomed just as my love has grown for you. (The Bride places the rose into a vessel or vase filled the water and says): (Groom) ____________, I take this rose, a symbol of your love, and I place it into water, a symbol of life. For just as the rose cannot survive without water, I cannot live without you. (The Groom responds by saying): In remembrance of this day, I will give you a rose each year on our anniversary as a reaffirmation my love and the vows we have spoken here today. (The Bride responds by saying): And I will refill this vessel with water each year, ready to receive your gift in reaffirmation of the new life you have given me and the vows we have spoken here today. (The Bride and Groom join hands around the rose-filled vessel and say together): Just as this rose and vessel of water give beauty and life to each other, so may our love blossom and grow throughout our life together.

Ceremony of The Rose (The First Gift)

In this ceremony the bride and groom present each other a red rose bud as a symbol of love and their first gift as wife and husband.

First Version
The Ceremony of the Rose symbolizes the merging of the Bride’s and Groom’s families. When the Bride enters, she has in her possession two roses, usually red. As she approaches the altar, the Bride will stop and offer a rose and a kiss to her mother or significant mother figure. In doing this, she is expressing her gratitude for preparing her for this moment and for receiving the man she is about to marry into her family. When the wedding ceremony has ended and she and the Groom exit, the Bride will stop and offer a rose and a kiss to the Groom’s mother or significant mother figure. In doing this, she is expressing her gratitude for preparing her new husband for this moment and for receiving her into the Groom’s family. A variation you may consider is to present both roses either upon the entrance or upon the exit.

Second Version
(‘The Officiant says): (Groom) __________________ and (Bride) __________________ have chosen to give each other a rose which is their first gift as husband and wife. (The Officiant gives both the Bride and the Groom a rose, and they, in turn, will present their rose to each other.)
(‘The Officiant says): This rose was born of the tiniest of seeds and has blossomed into this beautiful flower. So it is with your relationship. It began as a small feeling that grew and eventually blossomed into something beautiful. Now you stand before us today to make a commitment to each other as husband and wife. Since you know that love must be shared, it is your desire to share these first gifts with two very special people, two people who helped to prepare you for this moment and molded you into the individuals that you are today. (The Bride and Groom turn and present their roses to their mothers or significant mother figures and offer a hug or a kiss).

Third Version
The Officiant says: Today you will receive the most honorable titles that exist between a man and a woman—the titles of husband and wife. You have chosen to give each other a rose as your first gift. In the language of flowers, the rose was considered a symbol of love, and a single rose means only one thing—”I love you.” So it is appropriate that your first gift to each other as husband and wife will be a single rose. Please exchange your gifts. (The Bride and Groom present each other a rose.)

The Officiant says: (Groom) __________ and (Bride) ________, because you both have given and received this symbol of love, I encourage you to choose one very special place in your home for roses. Then on each anniversary, you both may take a rose to that special place as a recommitment to your marriage, and express with this symbol that your marriage is a marriage based on love.

In every marriage, there are times when it is difficult to verbalize certain feelings. Sometimes, we hurt those whom we love most, then find it difficult to say, “I am sorry,” or “Please forgive me,” or “I need you.” When you simply cannot find these words, leave a rose at your specially chosen place, and let that rose say what matters most—”I love you.” The other should accept this rose for the words that cannot be found, and remember that the unspoken love is the hope you share and the faith you have in your future together as husband and wife.

Breaking of the Glass (Jewish Tradition)
The Breaking of the Glass is a Jewish tradition with many meanings. It is a symbol of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, a representation of the fragility of relationships, and a reminder that marriage changes the lives of individuals forever. After the couple is pronounced husband and wife, the glass, or light bulb, which usually is wrapped in a cloth and placed in a sill bag, is then laid by the groom’s foot.

At the end of the ceremony, the officiant says: We conclude this ceremony with the Breaking of the Glass. In Jewish tradition, the Breaking of the Glass at a wedding is a symbolic prayer and hope that your love for one another will remain until the pieces of the glass come together again, or in other words, that your love will last forever. The fragile nature of the glass also suggests the frailty of human relationships. Even the strongest of relationships are subject to disintegration. The glass then, is broken to “protect” the marriage with this implied prayer: May your bond of love be as difficult to break as it would be to put together again the pieces of this glass. The groom then breaks the glass with his foot and everyone shouts “Mazel Tov!” which means “good luck and congratulations!”

Blended Family Ceremony

Most often we think of marriage as the joining of two people to be wife and husband. In reality, however, it is much more than that. When either of the bride or groom has children, it is appropriate for the children to be included in the wedding ceremony. With children present, the wedding ceremony becomes a "family wedding." Children will usually accept a parent's remarriage more readily when they feel included in the wedding plans, the wedding ceremony, and are given a tangible symbol or some significant token of being embraced by a new family. Pouring different colored sands together is also a way to symbolize the joining of the couple and their children together in a blended family. See the Blending of Sands Ceremony described above.

Honor Your Mother Ceremony

This is a ceremony to honor your mother, mother-in-laws, close family members, or those who have passed on with roses on the day of your wedding. What a nice surprise this honorable tribute is if neither mother knows; it will fill their hearts with joy and pride, and will also help set the tone of the relationship you establish with your new mother-in-law, a harmonious bond that will last forever. Simply have your florist add two extra red roses with baby's breath and ribbon to the back of your bridal bouquet. As you walk to the alter, stop and present one rose to your mother along with a kiss and say, "I love you, mom. When the ceremony is over and you are walking arm-in-arm with your new husband, stop and repeat this gesture of love and respect with your mother-in-law. As you hand her the rose, you may want to add, "I'm happy to be a part of the family."