Pro Tip: What is the New Tradition of a Sand Ceremony?
June 30, 2023
What is the New Tradition of a Sand Ceremony and How Do We Incorporate It?
The Dubsdread Catering Event Team weigh in with professional advice for this often-asked question on this newer tradition.
Your wedding day is bound to be one of the most personal, memorable, and love-filled days of your life. Surrounded by family and friends celebrating you and your partner, there are many opportunities between the ceremony and the reception to insert smaller, more personal extra special moments, such as a first look, first dance, or even a memorial tribute.
You have a host of traditions, both old and new, to choose from to add special meaning to your day. After “seeing it all” in event planning, our Dubsdread Catering team shares their experiences and Pro Tips to consider for one of the newer traditions, the Sand Ceremony.
WHAT IS A SAND CEREMONY?
Sand ceremonies are a variation of the unity candle ceremony and are filled with symbolism. During the wedding ceremony, the couple will take sand from their separate vases and pour it into one, combining the two different grains. This represents the coming together of two individuals in marriage, and the beginning of a new life, future, and family. While there is an endless selection of unity ceremonies to choose from, where does this one come from?
This tradition, unlike most practices, is fairly new! It began in the 1980s when people began shifting from indoor ceremonies to outdoor ones. With the candle ceremony, the flames were often extinguished from the wind and elements, so people had to come up with something new. Thus, the sand ceremony was born. Couples were able to symbolize their marriage in a new way and were also able to have a new keepsake from their wedding!
HOW DO I PERSONALIZE OUR SAND CEREMONY?
A wonderful thing about this ceremony is how customizable it is, with both the vases and the sand. While the sand can just be plain sand you buy from the store, you could also gather it from somewhere meaningful to you. Maybe it’s sand from the beach you got engaged, from the park where you both met, or from the lot you’re about to build your new house on.
You can also choose to have different colored sands that have a particular meaning:
- Pink/ Red – Love & Romance
- White – Devotion
- Yellow – Balance and Harmony
- Purple – Power & Strength
- Brown – Home & Hearth
- Blue – Tranquility & Patience
- Silver – Talents & Inspiration
The possibilities for the combination are endless! You can also use more than just two types of sand if you want to incorporate your kids into the weddings. Just have them pick their own color, and you will have a work of art by the end that you can take home and show off forever.
AS ALWAYS, YOUR DAY, YOUR CHOICE
If you are about to get married, or are planning a wedding for someone you love, think about incorporating this simple and sweet unity ceremony into your big day. It’s a beautiful way to symbolize your love and is a great way to personalize your wedding ceremony. And of course, with any tradition that you choose to add to your wedding event, determine what works best for you and your partner, and how to tailor it to make it special for just the two of you ... nothing else is needed!
Peighton Ballant is an Event Specialist with the Dubsdread Catering Team enjoys working with prospective couples to discover what they are most interested in bringing to their special day, and how to make those ideas come to life. Contact her today at [email protected].
