Ceremony Ideas

Host Your Wedding in Maine at Our Beautiful Maine Inn. Unique Ceremony Ideas to make your day One of a Kind!

Unity Candle Ceremony

A Unity Candle Ceremony can easily be added to any marriage ceremony. It is placed near the end of the ceremony, following the Exchange of Rings. However, the mother's usually lights the two outer candles as they are escorted forward at the beginning of the ceremony. If there are breezes present, they may want to light the taper candles just prior to the Unity Candle Ceremony.

A Unity Candle set consists of two slender candles (called tapers) and a large center candle. They are usually white candles.

The Unity Candle Ceremony is a popular choice for both religious and non-religious ceremonies because it is non-denominational and has no religious significance.

The two outer candles represent your individual lives before today. They represent all that you are from your vast experiences, and they represent your individual families. As you each take a single candle and light the center candle, you will extinguish your individual candles.

Often the Bride will blow out the Groom's taper candle and the Groom will blow out the Brides taper candle. This represents the closing of the chapters in your individual Books of Life and the beginning of new chapters as you begin to write a new book of Life as wife and husband!

 Rose Ceremony

In the Rose Ceremony, the Bride and Groom give each other a red rose bud. Two red rose buds are all that is necessary. If you have children involved in the ceremony, you may have a rose for each of them too. The Rose Ceremony is placed near the end of the ceremony just "after" being pronounced husband and wife.

In the old language of flowers, a single red rose has always meant "I love you". The Rose ceremony gives recognition to the new and most honorable title of "Wife and Husband".

This ceremony originates in a classic rose ceremony from a lost and elegant age. It was rewritten by the Hon. Mark Ovard and rewritten again by Larry James explaining the true meaning of the ceremony - and in ways that can endure through your married life together - this is a unique and meaningful addition to any marriage ceremony. It will also inspire your guests.

Couples will often stop as they exit and hand the mother of the bride and groom each their rose bud, whispering "I love you," before proceeding with their exit, knowing that love is not love until you give it away! This is a nice way of involving the mother in the ceremony. Some have preferred to both turn and walk to their mothers and present the rose buds immediately following the rose ceremony.

Unity Sand Ceremony

The Unity Sand Ceremony is a novel alternative for the popular "unity candle ceremony" incorporated into many of today's weddings. The essence is to symbolize the union of "two into one". This sand version is not only beautiful and interesting, but also more appropriate for an outdoor setting. With the addition of fresh flowers, these distinctive vases will make an intriguing addition to a home's decor. The vases measure 8" tall, 2" deep and 11" across (for all three vases)

A unique alternative to the candle-lighting ceremony, this kit includes three, blank glass cylinders and a heart vase. The heart vase measures 3 1/4" x 9", and each cylinder measures 7 1/2" tall, 1 3/4" in diameter. Also ideal for a sand ceremony! Crushed glass and colored sand are sold separately. This item is no longer available with engraving.

BLENDED FAMILY SAND CEREMONY

To reflect the joining and blending of two lives into one, it is suggested to fill one cylinder with white crushed glass to represent the couple’s spiritual foundation and to fill the other two cylinders each with a different color crushed glass to represent the individuals. During the ceremony each color is poured into the heart vase one by one (usually the celebrant adds the white crushed glass first) and then all three are added together at the top to symbolize the union.

Most often we think of marriage as the joining of two people to be wife and husband. In reality, marriage is often much more than that. It is also the coming together and merging of family and friends. When the bride and/or groom have children, it is appropriate for the children to be included in the wedding ceremony. With children present, the wedding ceremony also becomes the proclamation of a new family or a "family wedding."

Generally speaking, children will accept a parent's remarriage more readily when they feel included in the wedding plans, the wedding ceremony and are given a tangible symbol of being embraced by a new family; perhaps a beautiful bracelet, a gold-banded birthstone ring or some other significant token of love. Blended families are often referred to as step-families or co-families. This ceremony can easily be incorporated into the wedding ceremony.

Pouring different colored sands together is another way to symbolize the joining of the bride and groom and their family together.  

THE BUTTERFLY RELEASE CEREMONY

The butterfly symbolizes new beginnings and rebirths. What better way to celebrate the beginning of a new life together than with the releasing of butterflies at your wedding. Every release is unique and special just as every wedding and every moment of our life is unique and special. Releasing butterflies is a magical and unique experience that will put a smile on every guest's face. Their shimmering beauty and graceful flight are a wonder to young and old alike. Your "butterfly release" will inspire a memorable and unique experience to be cherished for a lifetime.
This part of the celebration is usually at the conclusion of their ceremony, after the pronouncement of marriage and often during the kiss. A butterfly release provides a memorable and photogenic conclusion. Their release is environmentally safe and helps in the restoration of the butterfly population.

Your guests or just the Bride, Groom, Bridesmaids and Groomsmen can participate in a butterfly release. The choice is yours. Often the minister will hand the Bride and Groom a beautiful white box containing the butterflies for the Bride and Groom to release as he reads some or all of the ceremony below.

Upon opening the lid of the box, the butterflies will flutter around and may even land on close-by objects including the Bride and Groom, providing unique photo opportunities. Have you ever held a beautiful, live butterfly in the palm of your hand? Watch closely as it responds to the warmth of your skin and slowly open its magnificent wings.

When planning a butterfly release, with the exception of a few rules, you are limited only by your imagination. Butterflies should only be released outside during daylight hours on a sunny or overcast (not rainy) day with a temperature above 65 to 70 degrees.

The butterflies should be set free no later than two hours before sunset. This allows the butterflies time to eat and find a hiding place for the night. Releases should be held in areas protected from the wind or the butterflies will quickly disappear. A warm, sunny flower filled area or garden is best. No matter how you choose to release your butterflies, a butterfly release is a beautiful, unusual, and exciting way to celebrate the beginning of your new life together. Nature has given us many beautiful wonders. None are more spectacular and memorable than that of the butterfly in flight. Experience the extraordinary. Release a bouquet of butterflies at your celebration of Love.

WHITE DOVES RELEASE CEREMONY

Here's a great way to add romantic elegance and symbolism to your wedding by releasing two White Doves at the end of your ceremony. As a true symbol of Love, the White Dove chooses its mate for life, therefore they are a very fitting and final addition to any wedding. They create a magical atmosphere as they circle the skies before leaving on their new journey together.

LOVING CUP CEREMONY