Creating Your Own Unforgettable Sand Ceremonies Your wedding sand ceremony should be meaningful and trendy, something you should customize to match your wedding and your wedding style. It’s a new tradition in lieu of unity candles, play with sand not fire!  Your sand ceremony requires colored sand, but who’s the one who decides what you put your sand in? Who decides the color and consistency of your sand? We believe it’s YOU and here are some hints and tips from the wedding fairy, PJ! Just like a wedding theme, a wedding venue, there are new and old wedding traditions. Yes, you can mix them OR NOT! Discovering your wedding style means not having the usual cookie-cutter wedding, it means it’s your wedding, it should be your style. If you’re low on imagination, we’ll take your pulse and loan you ours!  Make your wedding unique, make it memorable, make it different from the last wedding you or your guests attended.

The sands of time: it’s a song, it’s a book, it’s in the movies. It is part of cultures, it’s different colors and different textures. But what and why does sand make your unity so special and unique? It can be natural, the composition of sand varies on the locale, on local rock sources and conditions. It can be non-tropical like silica. What’s that, why is it such a perfect choice? Silica is a minerals associated with health benefits, found in nature as sand or quartz. In your body, it’s a chemical compound that holds you together (silicon dioxide, or SiO2). A second common type of sand is calcium carbonate (i.e. aragonite) which is created over the past half billion years, with forms of life, like coral and shellfish, you’re adding your story to history! (i.e. a primary form of sand in areas where reefs dominate ecosystems like the Caribbean and Mexico)

Here We Go:  As you select, compare and choose your themed container, you will also choose a permanent resident (vase or container) for your keepsake unity sand creation.

Here is your step-by-step how to:

1. Choose your theme objects/containers. One for each of you and a final keepsake vase-type container which will be the final destination for your sand. Consider having the final container engraved with your names, date, possibly destination. When you choose your theme containers, you may want more than three if you are also joining children in your ceremony. We can help you with many diverse options.

2. Select your sand with thought. It may be based on a different color for each person, your wedding colors, your favorite colors and consider your colors for even more meaning. http://www.destinationweddings.travel/default.asp?sid=23734&pid=55895  There are also ready-made sand kits to help give you some ideas!

3. With your Sand Ceremony comes words and vows that you’ll use during this exchange. Give this time and thought, consider having someone record this with good sound and movie options

4. At your ceremony, on your wedding day, place your sand ceremony location near your vow exchange. For example within and to the side in your gazebo, aside your wedding beach huppa, a small bistro table within reach and view of your guests. Have your smaller vases filled with your perfect pick of sand, some décor is acceptable but don’t over-shadow the ceremony with other objects.

5. Set your timeline for when you wish to include your Sand Ceremony, add this to your program and have those joining in nearby and aware of their signal to approach the Sand Unity table.

6. Put some thought into preference you have for your sand design or layers, we also suggest adding one or two small objects into the sand along the side visible OR NOT that have more special meaning (i.e. seashell, birthstones, a pearl, feather, concert ticket where he may have proposed, a child’s talisman. Or let the sand fall where it may! You may choose to have someone, or Officiate recite your sand ceremony vows as you create your keepsake. You might also want to have a special video with good sound to record this for future pause.

7. How would you like to finish your Sand Ceremony? With a brief hand-holding, a kiss to your child? Be sure your children are included if possible. You may choose to fill the vase or not, but seal it tightly to avoid sand movement. Remember, you’ve got to transport this home. (one choice for sealing your keepsake is pouring some melted candle wax over the top, your choice of color or white)

8. The wedding fairy insists that “the Sand Ceremony, or Sand Unity Ceremony does not have to be for only weddings.” This may be a special honeymoon act of love. Use a combination of sand you choose and pack with natural elements at your honeymoon destination to complete your keepsake. The wedding fairy created “A Unity Venue” which brought four daughters and their parents together over a week-end getaway. A special night was chosen, (a surprise) with four different colors of sand and seashells, the five of them created one larger sand vase for their mother, then created four individual smaller heart-shaped vases for each sister to take home and cherish.  It’s fun, it’s memorable, who will you share your sand with? Consider a BFF Sand Ceremony! Planning to proposal? Have a Proposal Sand Ceremony…will she add her sand OR NOT?

9. Have a Wedding Sand Ceremony with your guests! On your invites ask each guest who would like to participate to bring a certain amount of sand. Have a vase or special container aside of your wedding registry and ask them to make a wish for you and add their sand!

Where to find colored sand: Craft stores, handicraft stores like Michaels, wedding sections in department stores, party stores and of course, on-line!

How to color your own sand!    http://www.wikihow.com/Color-Sand

The wedding fairy is a concierge in destination wedding planning and honeymoons planning.  Every couple is unique, your wedding travel planner should be too.  Check on the wedding fairy’s calendar of events, is your day available? email pj@wildsidedestinations.com with your interests.

Sincerely, the wedding fairy, PJ

PS: Meet the wedding fairy in person February 22 at the Luxe Bridal Event at Castaway in Portland! http://luxebridalevent.com/#!/HOME