The Unity Sand Ceremony is gaining in popularity as the ceremony to celebrate unity and love during weddings. Known for its visual and physical symbolisms, many couples add this to their weddings as an alternative to the relatively conventional unity candle ceremony. An added benefit of the Unity Sand Ceremony in comparison to the Unity Candle Ceremony is that the act of using sand as the uniting symbol is contemporarily elegant and makes for a lasting souvenir of that special moment.

The ceremony is carried out by using two or more different colored sands in long transparent jars or tubes. For maximum effect, it is best for the sand to be of contrasting colors. The bride and groom then take turns pouring sand to fill up a Unity Vase that normally stands between both jars while reciting their chosen vows. Just like the joining of hands during a traditional wedding ceremony and the lighting of candles during the Unity Candle Ceremony, the pouring of sands into one jar represents the joining of two lives and lifestyles. The flowing and blending of the different colored sands symbolize the blending of two lives.

One of the best things about the sand ceremony is that the chosen sand colors can be coordinated with the wedding theme or home décor. Since there is no real protocol or decorum for your choice of colors, just about any color available can be picked for the ceremony. Colors can be chosen because they are a favorite or because they are significant to the bridal couple for specific reasons, like the colors of the walls of the restaurant where the proposal was made, for instance.

Some couples go a step further and leave a small amount of sand in their respective containers to show that although they are husband and wife, and have embarked on a new life together, they are still individuals.

The wonderful thing about the sand ceremony is that at the end of it all, the jar with the mixed sands can be taken home and displayed as a permanent reminder of the couple's special vows and new life together. With each anniversary and Valentine's Day celebration, the jar will be a constant icon of love that can be showcased over and over again.

To personalize a Unity Sand Ceremony, some couples invite their family members to bring along their own colored sand. They can then take turns pouring their sands into the unity jar. This represents their lives being included into the new life that is being created. This, of course, is not compulsory for all sand ceremonies.

Till today, the origin of the unity sand ceremony is unconfirmed. Some say it is a Native American tradition while other believe it to be a Hawaiian cultural practice. Whichever it is, it has become a symbolic ritual during weddings and commitment ceremonies.

There may also be unity candles during a sand ceremony. These candles are mainly for effect purposes to sit atop the sand in all three sand jars. Normally ivory white in color, they may also be of different contrasting colors to the sands to act as a highlight. For added shimmer, a touch of glitter can be added to the candles, which are normally either short candles or tea light size.

Personalized jars are also possible - first names of the bridal couple can be engraved onto the unity jar along with other wedding details or phrases, like wedding date and venue.

These types of sand ceremony unity candles kits are perfect for outdoor weddings. Just like any other unity candle ceremony held indoors, unity candles for outside weddings are lit up first separately. The both candles are pitched together to light a bigger one usually positioned in the centre. The two individual candles can then be blown out or left lit for the rest of the ceremony.

It may be little trickier having a unity candle ceremony outdoors as factors such as wind, weather and positioning of ceremony paraphernalia. Unity candles for outside weddings are a little modified in the sense that the candles are normally placed within tall jars or lanterns-like containers so their flames will not be blown out by the wind. Bear in mind as well that there should not be any easily flammable material close by, like curtain fabric or tablecloth that can be blown up to the flames by the breeze.

The unity candles for outside weddings can be more flamboyant than the ones used for indoor weddings. As such, unity candles for those can be maroon colored, or even a little more on the Goth side like mud brown or even black. No matter the color, unity candles provide a sentimental and romantic touch to the whole ceremony.

To top it off, miniatures of these candles can be distributed as groomsmen or bridesmaid gifts, or even wedding favors. To make them slightly different from the ones used in the actual ceremony, have these miniatures in different shades with a little "Thank You" engraved on each.