Unity Candles have become quite popular in the last 2-3 decades and can be a wonderful moment in your ceremony.  While planning your ceremony, there are some things you should consider about using these candles.

1. Not all faiths allow these candles. Since this is not a bona fide Christian element, some faiths will not allow them to be worked into the wedding ceremony.  If so, you could still light a Unitiy Candle at your reception in conjunction with the prayer before the meal, the cake cutting, or the toasts.
2. Not all venues allow candles at all. Especially in older/historic churches, you may find that venues only allow electric candles. Wax damage and the risk of fire is just too great. If so, consider an alternative. Your mothers could start the ceremony by delivering small pitchers of wedding rice to the altar. Then, in your ceremony, you could pour the small pitchers into a larger vase.
3. Assemble the candles on the stand immediatly upon purchase. Make sure that the stand is well balanced and doesn’t rely on the weight of the center candle to support the tapers. You might also consider a candle pedastal and two candlesticks instead of a stand. Make sure the tapers will stand straight, but are also easy to remove and replace.
4. Pre-light the candles. New wicks are not designed to be lighted. They are supposed to be trimmed and lighted before use. This ensures a small gentle flame during lighting and and even burning of the candle for the rest of your ceremony. If the wicks are pre-lighted and properly trimmed, the tapers and unity candle will light easily during these moments during your ceremony.

There are many ways to symbolize the joining of two into one. As You Wish will be happy to meet with you to brainstorm ideas that are special and uniqe to you as a couple, yet still fit the parameters of your ceremony.