The Sand Pouring Unity Ceremony
When planning my own wedding, I was a fan of the sand pouring unity ceremony.
I thought it was a neat symbolism showing two lives coming together as one. My fiance never liked the idea of a sand pouring, but I was ready to convince her that it was a cool idea. I felt that it really encompassed the meaning of marriage, where your sand mixes with your partners and the grains of sand can never be separated. Sounded like the a great idea.
And then I began to film weddings.
The Messy Truth About Sand Pouring
Half of the weddings I film seem to have a sand pouring ceremony involved.
It starts with the couple wondering which bottle of sand is theirs, figuring it out, and then taking turns pouring the sand into the vessel. Most of the time the vessel is a picture frame with a picture of the couple in the front with room for sand in the back.
Sand ALWAYS gets in front of the picture, and there is no way to fix this without taking the frame apart and destroying your symbolism. If you are outside, the frame is likely to blow over and cause sand to spill. At one of the weddings I filmed they picked the frame up when the ceremony was over and sand was leaking from the bottom.
The bottom line is that sand pouring is messy, and it takes a really long time to complete. One sand pouring I witnessed was as long as the rest of the ceremony, since the couple had to take turns pouring on thin layers to complete the effect.
If you have to do a sand pouring, I would suggest a large, probably round, glass vessel so that the pouring goes faster and there is no leaking when you are done.
For everyone else, I would stick with the unity candle.
Some Cool Alternatives To Sand Pouring
If you are looking for other great ideas for Unity Ceremonies, we have created just the guide for you! Check out our Ultimate Guide to Unity Ceremonies to read more about 11+ different ceremonies that will help symbolize the unity of you and your spouse!
Recent Comments