It’s Wednesday! I am very much looking forward to Friday, but Wednesday will do for now.

I’m enjoying getting to share with y’all some of my wedding details. It’s very different talking about it after it’s happened, as opposed to before when I had this panicked ‘I’ve-only-got-x-weeks-left-omg’ look on my face.

Today I want to share about our sand ceremony.

When you look up wedding ceremony traditions, all kinds of suggestions pop up. I knew I wanted to do something, but I definitely did not want to do a unity candle. Sorry, but me & fire do not mix very well. All I could picture was my hair, my dress, the altar, the pastor, the flowers, etc. catching on fire. NO THANKS!

My BFOTB (best friend of the bride) Frank suggested a sand ceremony, mentioning that it would be extra special since my husband proposed to me at the beach. He also suggested that we use beach sand for it. I loved the idea!

Sand ceremony kits online & at stores like Michael’s are expensive, $50+ for 3 jars. That’s a little ridiculous! With Frank’s help – he was the best during my whole crazy wedding planning – I bought 3 Italian water bottles instead.

They were perfect because 1) my husband is Italian, & 2) it cost me about $12.

During pre-marital counseling, our pastor told us that if we didn’t add any personal touches to the ceremony, it’d be about 15 minutes long. That’s no fun! I’m glad we did the sand ceremony. Our pastor shared with everyone that part of the sand was from Ft. Lauderdale beach, where we had our first date & where we got engaged. (The red sand was from Hobby Lobby 🙂 )

I love the meaning behind the sand ceremony. Once combined, the 2 different colors of sand can never be separated. That’s why my husband gave the bottle a good shake once we were done!

Our sand ceremony was also the perfect time for the organist to play the hymn When Love is Found/ The Gift of Love. They’re the same tune, but the words to When Love is Found are so sweet & capture the ups & downs of life. I get emotional every time I hear the tune.

“Praise God for love, praise God for life,
in age or youth, in husband, wife.
Lift up your hearts. Let love be fed
through death and life in broken bread.”

Thanks for joining me for Wedding Wednesday!