One of the nicest additions to the wedding ceremony of the last few decades is the unity candle lighting ceremony. Popularized sometime during the 1970s, this portion of the marriage ceremony has now pretty much become commonplace in most Christian wedding services and is viewed by many as one of the most touching parts of the day’s events.

During the unity candle lighting ceremony, the couple being wed vow to join their lives as one, uniting themselves in good times and bad and promising to support one another throughout their lives. In some instances, the individual candles from which the unity candle is lit remain lighted to symbolize that though the couple is now married, they stay maintain their individual lives and purposes. Others choose to extinguish the individual candles in favor of just one glowing central candle.

For this ceremony, couples usually purchase a large personalized white candle that sits on a stand on the altar, with one single candle on either side. The candles come in a variety of styles, from very plain to more ornate, sometimes featuring silver or gold decoration as well as the name of the couple and date of the ceremony. It is customary to maintain the candle as a keepsake of the wedding ceremony and many couples light it each year on their anniversary.