About eight years ago, I was the maid of honor in a wedding at which the Unity Candle went up in flames. I mean huge, billowing flames. The groom had to go blow it out when the priest began to look nervous about his vestments. The couple in question, however are no longer Catholic and still deliriously happy together.
I also once attended a cowboy-themed wedding (in New Jersey, by the way) after which the bride was thrown from her horse on her way back down the aisle with her new husband.
And a couple years ago, I had the honor of going to a wedding that was really a backyard barbecue, with all the groomsmen (ten of them, I believe) wearing shorts and Steelers jerseys. (The groom wore a tux … with a Steelers jersey.) And we weren’t even anywhere near Steelers country. I have to admit, though, that wedding was a blast.
Damn, now that you mention it, I hope the photographer got some ostrich egg pictures! God knows we paid her enough…it was funny, because before the ceremony it and another ostrich were kind of dancing around, and it was sticking its feathers out. I thought it was a mating thing or something, which would have been REAL interesting if that happened during the ceremony. After the ceremony was over, and I saw it pushing the egg across the savanna, I pointed out, “Hey, look, it laid an egg!” Which wasn’t news to everyone else – they saw it happening!
What’s a unity candle? Does it have religious significance?
I’ve been to dozens of weddings, but they’ve all been Jewish, and no such candles. No pronouncing of man and wife, either, but they do that in the movies, so I’ve heard of it. (Yes, I live in a parallel universe, but we have the same media, so I know all about the prom and throwing the bouquet and such. I’m sure that it’s all exactly like TV, too )
A unity candle is one larger candle, usually set on the altar or a table in the chancel area. The bride and bridegroom each bring a smaller candle or taper to it and light it together after their vows, signifying that what was once two is now one, or however you want to put that. Sometimes the smaller candles are provided by the respective families.
To finish the answer - it has no historical religious significance and seems to have come about around 40 years ago. Not all churches allow it, and I don’t think any require it.
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