Our Unity Candle

As we tried to figure out which traditions to incorporate and which to let go of, we decided to keep the Unity candle. I liked the symbol of the two families coming together with our marriage. We decided to have each of our mothers light one of the candles when they entered, and we lit the center one during the ceremony. (And we kept the two original candles lit!)

I knew when I decided I might want to do a Unity candle that I did not want to buy some pre-packaged 3-Piece Wedding Unity Candle Set that was overpriced and probably not our style. So I instead looked at what I already owned that might work. What I decided on was the two pewter candlesticks I bought last April at a thrift store in Sweden while visiting my best friend and long-distance matron-of-honor, K. And the center pewter candlestick was a moving gift from the church I used to work at when I lived in Norway. And I already owned the taper candles (actually they are Ikea candles that I had bought in Norway!). For me, it was a great feeling to find things I already owned and liked that we could use on this special day and, of course, beyond. And the added benefit is that this added extra meaning around our ceremony, for me at least. :)

And the flowers in the photo are K's bouquet. She may not have been there physically, but she was very present throughout our journey through phone calls, letters, emails, and I knew she was thinking about us and praying for us. I am not sure who had the idea to put her flowers there, but I am so glad they did. It was a nice way to have K somehow more present with us.

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