Having a wedding day that is uniquely “you” includes finding ways to make your ceremony more than an exchange of vows! We’ve put together 8 unique unity ceremony ideas to honor and celebrate your union. We’ve also included a few ideas that pull the most cherished members of your family into the mix!

1) Candy Blending

Ok, we are kind of obsessed with this option as a fun & unique way to have a unity ceremony at your wedding! If you have a major sweet tooth. Or a routine of filling up your bag with sugary treats before heading out to a movie for date night, a candy blending ceremony is where it’s at. At the same time, this is a fun unity ceremony to involve children.

Find some aesthetic jars on Amazon that you can continue to use in your kitchen after the wedding. Anything clear that will allow your guests to see what it is that you’ll be blending. Note: Try to avoid glass jars if you are going to include children. You’ll need to purchase a jar for each person included in the candy blending ceremony. And one large jar to blend all the candy into.

Here’s the fun part! Everyone involved in the candy blending gets to choose the candy that best represents their personality! Kisses for you, hot tamales for your partner! Above all, you’ll need to decide whether you’ll be blending individually packaged candy or “loose” candy. This will 100% depend on what you plan on doing with the large jar after the ceremony. Place it at the bar for everyone to share? Keep it at your sweetheart table for photos? Gift it to one of the children? For an added touch, when it comes time to pour your candy into the collective jar, have your officiant or a treasured family member read a short poem that reflects on the sweetness of love!

2) Mix A Signature Drink

Was one of the most fun parts of planning your wedding, coming up with a signature drink? Or creating a unique drink menu to offer your guests at the reception? Why not kick things off by mixing up a ceremonial first signature drink at the altar! And yes, you can take a sip when it’s ready! Your mixologist can help you pre-measure the ingredients and have them ready for you on a side table.

If your signature drink has several components, decide ahead of time who will be pouring what during the unity ceremony. This will help avoid any confusion and potential spills! If you want to level up this unique unity ceremony idea, you can mix your drink into a chalice and hold your hands over your partners as they sip from it, and vice versa. You’ll also need to decide if you’ll be finishing the libations at the altar or if it’s just a ceremonial sip.

3) Wine Corks & Beer Caps

You can delete all those Pinterest boards full of DIY projects that include your never-ending pile of wine corks! Love visiting wineries together? Besides your trips to vineyards and wineries, do you often have heated debates over red vs white? What about your monthly date night that includes flights from “your” place? If you’ve saved each and every wine cap, champagne cork, or beer cap from game night at your house or those random evenings enjoying a sip in your backyard together, why not use them for a unique unity ceremony idea?

Maybe you have caps from bottles of vodka and beer caps. No judgment! whatever it is that you enjoy sipping on together, infuse them into your ceremony to show off your unique personalities! These caps and corks are great to blend together during your ceremony! If you want to display it at your welcome table, or later in your home use a shadow box. Those nights you spent together snuggled on the couch after you popped open a bottle and started streaming your favorite series, deserve just as much recognition as the fancy trip you took overseas!

4) Pot a Small Plant or Flower

This is another wonderful unity ceremony idea that can include family members that you wish to honor. If you are including a grandparent or a parent in this ceremony, decide who will pot the seeds, and who will water them. Lastly, you and your partner can push a decorative stick into the soil. You’ll need a small pot filled with potting soil, a packet of seeds, and a small watering can. If you want to truly honor who you are as a couple, you can include a small but fun piece of decor as part of the process.

If you’re stuck on the decorative idea you can go with a pretty ribbon to tie around the pot. Bonus points for a braided ribbon! A decorative plant stick to drive into the soil once your potting unity is done also works. In all honesty, you could probably snag a custom monogrammed wedding cake topper and use it in place of a potting stick! How cute would that be? Ask your planner or a trusted friend to snag your pot after your ceremony so you can display it at your sweetheart table.

5) Handfasting

Historically, handfasting is an old Celtic tradition. Additionally, this ceremonial process was not used in weddings, but to make an engagement official. Today, handfasting is used during wedding ceremonies by modern couples who are looking for a unique unity ceremony idea. Whether you are secular or religious, it’s a beautifully symbolic ceremony to incorporate into your big day. During a handfasting ceremony, the couple’s hands are tied together using a decorative cord or ribbon. The cord symbolizes that the couple’s lives are now “bound” together. If you wish to include a special family member in your handfasting ceremony, you can ask them to tie the knot for you. Or, once the knot is tied, ask them to attach a special charm to the cord.

If you want to keep the handfasting short and sweet, your officiant can recite the following.

“In the joining of hands and the fashion of a knot, so are your lives now bound, to one another”

If you’re looking for an extended version of a handfasting ceremony, copy and paste the following.

“Please pay special attention to the hands that you hold.

The hands you hold are the hands of your partner, young and strong and full of love, holding your hands as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever.

These are the hands that will work alongside yours as together you build your future.

These are the hands that will hold you and comfort you in grief and uncertainty.

These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes, tears of sorrow and joy. These are the hands that will give you strength. And these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.”

6) Pass Your Rings Around to Your Guests

Having an intimate wedding day? This is a wonderful way to involve each and every one of your guests and honor them as the community that loves and supports you in your life together! Your wedding bands will need to be in a sachet pouch and tied tightly! You’ll start with the members of your wedding party, and the last person will then pass your rings on to the seated guests. The idea is for each guest to rub your wedding bands between their hands or fingers to infuse your bands with their love and best wishes. It’s an incredibly intimate experience and a wonderful way to involve everyone that has gathered to witness your union.

If your wedding day has a more large-scale guest list, you can pull off a modified version of this. You might not have the time to have your rings passed to every single one of your guests, but you can pass them along the first two rows of seating at your ceremony. That way you are including your wedding party (if seated) and your immediate family. If your wedding party is standing at the altar with you, start by passing the rings down each side. Again, the last member of your wedding party will pass the rings on to the seated guests.

7) Orthodox Crown exchange

Have you ever been to an orthodox wedding? If so, you’ve probably witnessed this beautiful exchange. During an Orthodox crown exchange, a crown is placed on the head of each person. The ceremony continues when the crowns are exchanged back & forth. The exchange happens a total of three times. The type of crown used in the ceremony will vary on the couple’s cultural background. In Greek Orthodox ceremonies, the crowns are referred to as Stefana. The Stefana crowns are connected to each other by a white ribbon. Russian orthodox crowns are typically gold and Christian Orthodox crowns range in style.

The crowns symbolize that the couple is the “royal family” of their home, their faith, their union, and their family. Having an Orthodox crown exchange will depend entirely on your cultural background and religion. It is an undeniably beautiful ceremony and one that your guests will never forget experiencing.

8) Unity Volcano

How unique and fun is this idea? This idea is for the high school sweethearts who met in the chemistry lab. And the college classmates whose friendship later evolved into more! Or, couples that just absolutely love science! All things considered, mixing a school project-style volcano at the altar has to be the most unique unity ceremony idea on our list! Do you remember the formula? Baking soda and vinegar!

Your planner or day of coordinator can set up your volcano, or whatever vessel you choose, at the altar. You’ll also need the correct amounts of baking soda and vinegar in separate containers or cylinders nearby. When it comes time for your unity ceremony, you’ll each get to pour from one of the cylinders into your vessel, to create an eruption! Before you decide to go with something a bit more showstopping make sure to clear it with your wedding venue. After that, make sure that your unity setup includes safety goggles!

Now that you’ve scrolled through our list of 8 unique unity ceremony ideas to honor & celebrate your union, come find us on Instagram and tell us all about your wedding plans!