No Unity candle allowed.

samanthajeremy

The ceremony site my fiance and I have choosen in on the rooftop.  We are not allowed per fire code to have open flames which means we are not able to light a Unity candle during the ceremony.  Neither of us wants to blend sand becuase we it's not a beach like theme.  I'm going for more classic and romantic feel.  Does anybody  have any suggestions of what we could do instead?

jerseydevil

How about a rose ceremony?

http://www.usabride.com/wedplan/a_rose_ceremony.html

trix1223

Since a wedding already IS a "unity ceremony" I don't see the need for another unity thing either.My DD and SIL had a lovely wedding without a unity anything, and unless they haven't told me, the wedding police haven't declared their union null and void.

And I have to admit that whenever I hear "rose ceremony", all I can think of is the dopey "The Bachelor" show.

ekilzer1

Ditto to the other posts! You certainly do not need to have any special unity ceremony.... if you are really set on it, I have heard of people doing a wine mixing ceremony....

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

Just echoing everyone else - we didn't do any of that. We had 2 readings, vows, ring exchange, kiss. It was quite brief and people seemed to appreciate that.

amber2123

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_customs-traditions_unity-candle-allowed?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:36Discussion:ac8cdad5-76fd-4adb-94e7-196869d89160Post:e4a65cb1-1e50-435c-835a-e520b2f4d74b">Re: No Unity candle allowed.</a>:
[QUOTE]We did colored water.  We had large vases with smaller ones behind that we poured from.  In front of each vase of colored water, we had a picture of our parents on their wedding days.  We moved all three vases inside and placed them with the guest book which was sheets of paper asking for guests advice. Here's what it all looked like:
Posted by tldh[/QUOTE]

Do you mind if I steal the picture of your parents thing?  It sounds perfect!

tldh

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_customs-traditions_unity-candle-allowed?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:36Discussion:ac8cdad5-76fd-4adb-94e7-196869d89160Post:ac6016f6-61ca-466c-a044-4a1c447cf8eb">Re: No Unity candle allowed.</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: No Unity candle allowed. : Do you mind if I steal the picture of your parents thing?  It sounds perfect!
Posted by amber2123[/QUOTE]

Go ahead.  We also had the reverend do an intro of:

"T & C have the examples of their parents long unions to guide them.  They are also mindful that everyone here has wisdom to share about marriage.  After the ceremony, the vases will be moved inside next to guest book paper.  There, T & C ask that you leave your advice for them that will later be bound into a book."

Every single guest filled them out.  We even have pictures of married couples huddled together deciding what to write.

[Deleted User]

We got married in the Catholic church and we were not allowed to have one either. No big deal.

Emmafiley

Hi!
Gosh, that's a problem.   Would you consider electric candles?!?.  You could have the individual ones lighted, and then when the mom's go up, each could turn off their candle and together turn on the larger one.  Not exactly sure where to get them, but I'm sure they're out there.
Then, I've also hear about unity cords.   I'm putting a link to a site that tells about them and how the ceremony would go.   www.godsknot.com/CordOfThreeStrands.aspx?gclid=CIbmiYv19aQCFeFN5QodKDuLiw
I think the idea given about the colored water sounds nice, too.
Or, possibly you could forgo the unity candle and try some other tradition?  The Knot has a great section on wedding traditions.  Hope it all works out for you!
Emma

kristenrmu22

I am in the same boat...but honestly could care less about it as nothing is traditional about our wedding. I thought about having a moment of reflection...basically like a moment of silence where the violin would play something and we reflect and whisper if we like etc. I haven't run this by the FI yet but I am paying a bunch for a violin and would like her to play a tad during the ceremony too. 

ChickenOnSunday

I hate the idea of a unity candle. We did, what I liked to call, a dirt ceremony. Our mothers both brought dirt from the homes we grew up in. This dirt was then poured on a knock-out rose. We also had wedding pictures of our parents and grandparents and a vase of in-memory flowers.



I can't find the final version as "performed" by the pastor...but this is what we started with.
Honoring their Past   “The vessels to my left/right contain earth from the places from which Shelly and Daren have come. This earth symbolizes those people, places and things that have helped mold them into who they are today. Shelly’s earth is from Iowa, where she grew up and spent her youth with family and friends, while Daren’s is from Pennsylvania where he did the same. It is with those family members and friends that we celebrate the uniting of those two lands and families as Shelly and Daren join them together today. I now ask the mothers to come forward and pour the earth into the new vessel, honoring the place from which Shelly and Daren have come and the loved ones who are not with us today, and the uniting them together.”

JessicaCrystalGailAmerson

get electric candles or battery powered candles and just flip em on as u go problem solved and u still get your romantic look without breaking rules