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Rose Ceremony. In the language of flowers, a single red rose symbolizes true love. In this ceremony, the ide and groom exchange red rosebuds, acknowledging the symbolism of the flowers. In some cases, the couple chooses to also give their mothers a red rose as a token of love and respect.
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Chinese Tea Ceremony. Part of the Chinese tradition, the tea ceremony demonstrates respect and appreciation for their families. In the past, the ide served tea privately to her own family before the wedding, but it's been adapted to include both families in the ceremony held immediately following the wedding. The newlyweds serve pour tea, first serving the groom's parents, followed by the grandparents. The ceremony is then repeated for the ide's family. Each guest takes a sip of tea, and then places a red envelope containing gifts for the ide and groom.
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Sand Ceremony. Nearly as popular as the unity candle, the sand ceremony features the ide and groom each holding a different color of sand in a vase. They alternate pouring layers of colored sand into a shared vase, representing their separate lives, and then finish by pouring sand at the same time to symbolize their joined lives.
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Emily Chastain Photography
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Wine and Chocolate Ceremony. Who doesn't love these two culinary treats? In this ceremony, the ide and groom both sip from a wineglass to represent sweetness and cele ations, and then take a bite of dark chocolate, which signifies bitterness and dark days. As a married couple, you'll both experience sweetness and dark days, but it will strengthen your bond as husband and wife.
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Wine Ceremony. You could skip the chocolate and stick to wine. The ide holds a glass of white wine while the groom holds red wine. They each sip from their glass, and then pour it into a mutual vessel, creating a rose wine, symbolizing the blending of two hearts to become one.
