| Unity candles are very big in the US, although it is | | | | rhyme or flow - just make it your moment. |
| unclear where it originates from - evidence indicates | | | | There are lots of websites who make personalized |
| it may well be a far eastern tradition. It's a symbol of | | | | pillar candles but for your individual candles, I suggest |
| uniting yourself and your husband as a couple and | | | | personalizing them yourself. You can either |
| also uniting you as families. | | | | personalize your own or do each others by engraving |
| There are many different ways of incorporating a | | | | their name and symbols, rubbing the candle with a |
| unity candle and as it has no 'religious' connection it | | | | favorite scented oil, decorating with personal items |
| shouldn't interfere with anything. | | | | and ribbons of a favorite color. |
| You don't say if your parents are going to be there | | | | I know of a couple who purchased a candle-making |
| as it usually involves them as well as your family. The | | | | set and make their own candles by adding her in of |
| general just is that you have a main personalized | | | | her favorite flower petals and some curls of hair for |
| candle called the 'pillar' candle. You and your partner | | | | hers and she put some cut hair from him in the scent |
| each have smaller candles or tapers which are lit by | | | | in his |
| your parents. You then light the pillar candle. Each | | | | Of you make / decorate each others be sure to |
| close member of the families (parents, children's, | | | | focus all of your love and good intent into it. When |
| brothers and sisters) have an individual candle or | | | | they lighted the pillar candle they each let some wax |
| taper which they light from the pillar candle and recite | | | | drop onto the candle from theirs to complete the |
| a passage as they are doing so. | | | | ceremony. |
| All of this is normally done after the wedding | | | | But if you really don't want to go that way then you |
| ceremony. | | | | can always go the same way as most couples do |
| As an alternative you could light each others' tapers | | | | You can either print the vows / readings out on a |
| or candles (I think that individually personalized | | | | card or ask the captain to read it out and you can |
| candles would be a nice keepsake to put with your | | | | repeat it. A lot of couples do this as it takes the |
| pillar candle) and then both light the pillar candle | | | | pressure off and there's no worry of mistakes! |
| together, reciting a hand written piece that is | | | | But there are a lot of couples out there that would |
| personal to you. For example the two flames are | | | | rather tell each other what they mean them, then |
| yourselves uniting and becoming one as you light the | | | | have to stay there and repeat what the captain just |
| candle together etc. | | | | said. For me I would want to be able to hear from |
| If you like I can write something and you could add | | | | him/her what I mean to him/her then having them |
| your own lines to personalize it. It doesn't have to | | | | say it to me. |