Money Saving Monday is back, YAY!!!  Today I want to talk a little bit about one of the most common ceremony rituals – the Unity Candle and alternatives to it.  While this isn’t generally a HUGE cost it is still an expense and an opportunity to be unique.  

A lot of people choose to do a unity candle during their wedding.  John and I did.  I can’t remember exactly how much it cost us, so I did a quick google search which turned up unity candle sets anywhere from $14 to $200!  How do you get around this if you wish to do a unity candle?  DIY of course!  Lots of resources come up when you do a search on DIY Unity candle, but here are a few I found that looked useful:  Road to the Aisle,  DIY Network, and Wedding Bee.

But what if you like the idea of a unity candle but want something more cost effective and more unique?  We’ve had several brides to do some unique and cost conscious alternatives to the unity candle.  In June, Crystal and Justin had a sand ceremony at their wedding in place of a unity candle (this is also perfect for an outdoor wedding – no worrying that the flame will blow out).

Then in October, Kayla and Brock did something we’d never seen before – a glow ceremony.  So unique and so cool!

And perhaps my most favorite unity ceremony for both it’s expense (free!) and it’s personalization, Cathy and Mike had family and friends sign a family Bible that had been passed down to them as a showing of unity between the two families.  

I hope these examples have given you some good ideas on how you can do a unity candle on-the-cheap or replace it with something personal and cost effective.  If you have any additional suggestions, I’d love to hear them in the comments section!