How to light unity candle?

MelissaRNMace

We are having an outdoor ceremony in November in Central Florida.  The unity candle table will be in a gazebo.  What is the best thing to use to light our individual candles?  Matches?  A lighter? Do we do it at the same time or can we use the same implement to light them, one after the other?  Thanks!

artbyallie

Typically the bride and groom candles are lit by the respective mothers immediately after they are escorted down the aisle. Then later in the ceremony the bride and groom use those candles to light the unity candle.

With an outdoor ceremony, I would advise against candles because the odds are not in your favor that any of them will stay lit. If you insist upon it, they should be in a hurricane glass or some other sort of shield to keep the breeze from blowing them out. And IMO this style of lighter usually works best. http://www.amazon.com/BIC-Multi-Purpose-Lighter-Lighters/dp/B00GUQWAS8/ref=sr_1_10?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1437316362&sr=1-10

mrscomposer

MelissaRNMace said:

We are having an outdoor ceremony in November in Central Florida.  The unity candle table will be in a gazebo.  What is the best thing to use to light our individual candles?  Matches?  A lighter? Do we do it at the same time or can we use the same implement to light them, one after the other?  Thanks!

I've only seen a couple of candle ceremonies.  In one, the mothers came up and lit the individual candles at the same time.  In the other, the couple did it at the same time (two lighting implements).  Lighter, matches, it doesn't matter... but a full lighter might be more reliable than matches, especially if you're nervous/sweaty/shaking/etc.

Since you're having an outdoor ceremony in a gazebo, are you prepared for what's going to happen if the wind comes up?  You light the candle, the candle goes out, you light the candle, the candle goes out....

lembaslover

Since it's outside be prepared as PP have said to have difficulty lighting the candles. However if you're in a place that isn't typically windy or you think the gazebo will block the wind and want to risk it make sure your officiant is prepared to roll with it. For my friend's wedding it was really windy and the candles didn't light but their officiant was great and had some fun with it.

MelissaRNMace

Thank you. I think I'll get lighters. The gazebo, and ceremony area in general, is shielded pretty well by tall, dense hedges. We will be lighting them ourselves just before the center candle as our families aren't giving us in marriage to each other. We are coming to each other ourselves. Thankfully our officiant is fantastic. She has a wonder sense of humour and decades of experience behind her as a Unitarian minister.