We are often asked about If and How to Include Children in Your Wedding Ceremony or Vow renewal ceremony

Yes, you can certainly include children into your ceremony. These are are few ways, of how to include children in your wedding ceremony:

• Unity Sand Ceremony
• Family Poem
• Unity Candle
• Giving a gift to the children

Unity sand ceremony- The unity sand ceremony has an empty vase on a table, along with bottles of colored sand for each member participating in the sand ceremony. The couple and each child participating can have their own bottle of color sand. The officiant will invite the children to join the couple. The sands are blended together into the empty vase on the table. Each container of sands represents each individual participating in the ceremony. When the sands are blended together they symbolize the uniting of the children along with the couple being married or renewing their vows. Just as the individual containers of sands can never be separated into there own containers so will your lives be joined together as one family never to be separated. This is a beautiful way to symbolize the joining of families and children have fun being involved in the ceremony with the pouring of the sand.

Family Poem-  the officiant will invite the children to join the couple being married and the family will join hands. The officiant would then recite the family poem as the family is joined together. After the poem is recited the family is asked to give one another a loving family hug. The poem can also be done along with a unity  sand ceremony.

Family Poem

Including your children in your wedding ceremony is a beautiful memorable touch

A family is …..The sweetest feelings, The warmest hugs, Trust and togetherness
Unconditional love
The stories of our lives written on the same page
The nicest memories anyone has ever made
Treasured photos
Thankful tears
Hearts overflowing with all the years
Being there for one another
Supporting and caring
Understanding, Helping, Sharing
Walking life’s path together
And making the journey more beautiful because …..
We are a family…..
And a family is Love.

Unity Candle Ceremony- children can also participate in unity candle lighting ceremony. Similar to a unity sand ceremony there is a center candle then each family member has their own candles. The individual candles are light then during the ceremony the family will take their lit candles and together light the center candle.  As the center candle is lit the flame symbolizes the brightness of each individual’s own lives that they bring to the family.

Jewelry or gift– often the couple being married wants to give their children a gift to remember this special day. We enjoy incorporating the giving of this gift into the ceremony. Before the couple exchange their rings the parents will give a gift to their children. The gift can be a piece of jewelry, pocket watch, or anything you feel is special. We recently had a couple get bracelets made that had the coordinates of the wedding location engraved on it.

We have officiated a number of ceremonies with children participating. All very loving and bonding a true family relationship.  Often marriage is viewed as the union of two people. Yet marriages not only unite the couple, it unites the families. With the changing structure of what a family is in today’s world we are offered unique and wonderful opportunities to simply increase the number of loving caring relationships we have in our lives.

Hold hands as a family during your wedding ceremony. Wedding ceremony at Carrabelle Beach