By By Blake Kritzberg
By now, surely everyone's familiar with the unity candle, but did you know there are other unification ceremonies to choose from when planning your wedding?
Although the unity candle seems to have been with us forever, in reality it's only about ten years old. During those years, more "two-become-one" motifs have arrived to round out the theme.
Unification ceremonies are not only a symbol of togetherness, they're also flexible elements of a wedding. These ceremonies can be "opened up" to include important family members, such as the bridal couple's parents. Children from previous marriages can play a part, as can the entire congregation in a smaller wedding. Candle and rose ceremonies are common choices for adapting in this way.
Unification ceremonies can also be "stacked." It's not unusual to find a wedding that includes a hand and water ceremony, for example, or a wine and rose ceremony. Some couples play music during these ceremonies and others don't.
The timing of unification ceremonies varies by wedding, but they most often take place directly before or after the exchange of vows. These ceremonies may be especially important in non-religious weddings, which may end too quickly otherwise!
Let's look at some alternatives to the Unity Candle ceremony:
* Rose Ceremony * Hand Ceremony The groom then takes the bride's hands, palm side up. The officiant says, "They are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness, as she promises her love and commitment to you all the days of her life."
* Knot Ceremony * Sand, Water and Wine Ceremonies A nice touch is to have the bride pour white wine while the groom pours red. You can then serve rosé at the reception to remind everyone of the ceremony.
* The Salt Covenant * The Foot-Washing Ceremony This short article hasn't covered all the unification ceremonies: there are bread-sharing ceremonies, circling ceremonies, broom jumping ceremonies, and probably more ceremonies that are being invented right now.
However, if you feel a unification ceremony might make your wedding more meaningful and personal, consider these alternatives. Don't forget that you can use more than one!
Blake Kritzberg is the proprietor of: Visit the site for easy, elegant, unusual, and affordable wedding favor ideas, wedding favor FAQ, and a free wedding screensaver. This article may be freely reprinted so long as this resource box and URL are preserved.
The rose ceremony is a flexible, informal ceremony especially suited to an interfaith or non-religious wedding, not to mention a garden wedding! In the rose ceremony, bride and groom exchange a single rose as their first married gift to each other. They are asked to recall this symbol of their love during the more trying seasons of marriage.
In the hand ceremony, the bride takes the groom's hands in hers, palms up. The officiant invites her to view his hands as a gift, and says: "These are the hands that will work along side yours, as together you build your future, as together you laugh and cry, and together you share your innermost secrets and dreams."
In the knot ceremony, the mothers of the bridal couple are given a cord, which the officiant later asks them to give to the bridal couple. The couple ties a lover's knot, which they may save to look back on later.
These are all mixing ceremonies suited to a Unitarian or interfaith wedding. The sand ceremony is said to arise from Apache customs, and is popular in beach weddings. In each case, the bride and groom pour sand or liquid from two separate vials into one. In the wine ceremony, they drink the mixed wine.
The salt covenant is an ancient tradition, well-described in the Bible, and appearing regularly in Indian-national and Jewish weddings. Like the Jewish Huppah, the salt covenant (a mixing ceremony with ancient connotations of loyalty, protection and hospitality) is beginning to show up in non-Jewish weddings as well.
The foot washing ceremony (not to be confused with the Scottish bridal foot-washing ceremony, a raucous pre-wedding event) is a fascinating, solemn custom emphasizing the role of dual servitude in a marriage.
http://www.just-wedding-favors.com
By Anonymous
Los Angeles, CA September 28, 2004 – Nomine Candles has created a unique line of aromatherapy pillars and botanical jars that not only promote a more healthful candle burning experience but offer a distinct European aesthetic that compliments any home.
Nomine Candles are made with 100% natural wax made with soybeans and botanical oils. They are free of petroleum byproducts, additives and synthetic fragrance. Nomine uses only 100% cotton wicks. Unlike paraffin, soy candles produce virtually no black soot to ruin walls and furnishings. Soy wax is American grown and a renewable resource. It cleans up easily with soap and warm water and is biodegradable.
Nomine Candles offers a healthy alternative to traditional synthetic fragrance by using only aromatherapy grade essential oil blends derived from the leaves, stems, flowers, bark, roots, or other elements of a plant. With an increasing number of people suffering from allergies and headaches due to synthetic fragrance, Nomine’s essential oil blends offer a more subtle and clean aroma. All Nomine Candles are hand-poured in small batches for quality assurance.
Nancy Covello, owner and candle maker, was motivated to create this all natural candle line from a personal commitment to alternative health therapies and a longstanding vegetarian lifestyle. Nancy comments on her motivation, “I was concerned when my walls became black with soot from paraffin candles. I immediately sought to find an alternative. However, many soy candle companies were producing products that aesthetically weren’t as pleasing to the eye as their paraffin counterparts. My goal with Nomine was to try and make a candle that had the best of both worlds, health and style.”
Inspired by the stories and pictures of her Italian ancestors, Nomine Candles evoke the scents, moods and the nostalgic images of the Italian countryside. Nomine (pronounced
Noh-mi-neh) simply means “name” in Latin and was chosen to celebrate the power of the meaning behind names.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Nancy Covello
Nomine Candles
Phone 310-617-9986
www.nominesoycandles.com
This article courtesy of http://angel-candle-stick-holderspicks.coolblogs.info/.
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By jeremy gauthier
Unique Tin Can Candle Holders
Ah yes the good old Tin Can. The tin can has been around for years, providing many different projects to be made from tin cans. They are one of the most versatile mediums for crafts, besides wood and foam. Best part about them, they are cheap. Tin cans can be used to make all kinds of candle holders, providing a unique touch to your home or garden. In this article, we will share some ideas on how to make interesting and unique candle holders out of tin cans.
There are two primary size tin cans, soup cans and coffee cans. Both offer a wide variety of different craft ideas. Tin cans can be cut, punched, painted, weathered and modified in multiple ways. They can be set on top of a table or hung out in the garden.
Let’s start with the basics. Most people will decide to punch holes into the can, which is the easiest. However you can use any type of cutting tools. A drill is handy, but even better is a Dremel tool. But for those who will be using a hammer or even a drill, let’s start there. Before you start anything, fill the can with water and freeze it. This will allow you to punch holes easier, with out bending the can.
It always helps to have some kind of plan or design in your head or on paper. In fact drawing the design out on paper allows you to modify it and then tape it around the tin can as a template. Think about weather or not you may want to paint the tin can or weather proof it for outside garden use.
One example of a design is a simple western motif. Download of a silhouette graphic of a dog howling at the moon. With the Dremal tool cut out the scene on the tin can. After painting it black and punching two holes at the top, you can hang it in a garden. Simpler designs would include punch out designs such as creating a bunch of tiny wholes to create a night sky effect. Patterns also look great.
Once you have cut out a design, painting time can finish the look of your candle holder. Allot of times I'll choose black, because the light will shine through better at night or in a dim room. A light blue and white to match your kitchen décor will add a unique touch. You can add almost any type of embellishing to the can, such as colored stones or ribbon.
For those of you who want a more elaborate candle holder, try the larger coffee cans. They provide a larger area to work with. One idea for the larger cans is to cut wholes about half inch in diameter and attach pieces of stained or any colored glass on the inside of the can. You could create an entire stained glass tin can candle holder. The larger cans are also great for outdoors. Their large base is perfect for decks and walk ways, as they will not tip over easily.
By cutting slits down the sides of cans you can bend the edges downward, creating nice flared out look. Just remember to file down the edges, they will be sharp. For an added flare, twist the ends with a pair of pliers. There is a lot you can do with this method and even adding other cut out pieces to the cans. You could create angled top for the can, just like a lantern.
With a little bit of imagination and paint, you can turn any tin can into something worth putting on a table or mantle. So experiment and have fun. Don't worry about messing up; I'm sure you have plenty of cans lying around. To find more articles on Candle Decorating, Candle Scaping or Decorating Tips, visit www.expressivecandles.com.
Written by: Michelle and Jeremy Gauthier - info@expressivecandles.com Jeremy co-owns and runs a small candle making company in Florida. Expressive Candles offers Scented Hand Poured Candles and a growing collection of Candle Decorating and Candle Scaping articles.
December 18, 2003 - This article is copyright by www.ExpressiveCandles.com
Expressive Candles offers Scented Hand Poured Candles and a growing collection of Candle Decorating and Candle Scaping articles.