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D.I.Y project - unity candle
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Photo by Ultimate Wedding Favors
Wedding traditions have been carried over for centuries, giving special meaning to ceremonies today. Some of these rituals were used by grandparents or parents while others are on the rise to popularity more recently, giving older traditions a face-lift.
One of these traditions that is seemingly popular now and has been for the past 20 or so years is the unity candle. However hard to peg down the date the unity candle was brought about, there's no denying it's symbolism. Customarily, the unity candle consists of two taper candles and a large pillar candle in the center. At the beginning of the ceremony, each taper candle is lit by a representative of the Bride and Groom's family (usually the mothers of each). Later in the ceremony the large pillar candle is lit by the Bride and the Groom using the two taper candles, essentially symbolizing two becoming one.
However sweet and romantic this tradition is, it unfortunately doesn't come without a cost. The average unity candle bought on your run of the mill wedding website can be anywhere from $20.00 to $60.00! Luckily, there's a way to have this wonderful tradition incorporated into your ceremony without having to spend a pretty penny. Economy-savvy brides are opting to make their own candles rather than shelling out the dough for a pre-made one making it a cheap but personal idea. Sound's complicated? Don't worry! The entire process takes about 15 minutes tops and is easy enough for even the creativity-challenged brides.
The best places to shop for supplies for this project is your local Michael's craft store or A.C. Moore. Each of these stores have comparable prices so regardless of which you choose, you're still getting a deal. Two taper candles and a large pillar candle in any color you desire (traditionally white, but being creative is good, too) costs on average a total of $4.00. The next thing needed is a sheet of vellum - a transparent piece of paper. This can be found in the aisle with scrap booking papers and runs around $0.65 per sheet. Finally, you'll want to pick out ribbon that matches the colors used in your wedding. A 5 yard roll costs about $0.50.
For this project, you'll want a flat surface and a good amount of space.
• First, open up whatever program used to create written documents on your computer and open a new one. Align everything to center and click so that the cursor is about halfway down the page.
• On the new document, type whatever phrase, name or quote you'd like to appear on the large pillar candle. You may need to make the font bigger or bolder in order to see it clearly on the vellum sheet.
• Once you have the desired wording on the document, do a test run and print on a normal sheet of paper. Make sure you print it in landscape view. If it came out as desired, print onto the vellum sheet. If it needs some changes, it may be a matter of trial and error until you get it that way you'd like it to look.
• After the ink on the vellum sheet has dried, you'll need to either hook up a hot glue gun or use spray-on adhesive. Bending the sheet of vellum around the large pillar candle, the ends of the sheet should meet in the back. Use a tiny dot of adhesive on the top and bottom of the sheet so the sheet stays on the candle without you having to hold it.
• When the adhesive has dried, do the same steps with the ribbon, making sure they are properly measured to meet in the back where the vellum did. Ribbon looks nice on the top and bottom of the candle, although not needed. It all depends on what you want your candle to look like. The same can be done with the two taper candles.
Have something wedding related you'd like to ask Lindsey? Contact her directly at Lindsey.Hetrick@gmail.com
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