The Unity Candle – Photography by Jacquelynn Buck

There is no doubt; traditional weddings are some of my favorites. They are the type of weddings that have time-honored traditions such as the unity candle. So what do you do when you want to maintain tradition but infuse your personality into your wedding? How about substituting a few things such as the unity candle for a cactus? If this makes no sense to you, then you need to see this wedding and read why the couple chose to replace the candle. This was one of many ideas these two came up with to personalize their special day.
The Westchester Wedding Planner_4100From the Bride: Matt was born in Tucson and has always lived surrounded by the desert. Instead of going with the traditional “unity candle”, we decided to pay homage to his roots and chose to water a baby saguaro cactus together. After the wedding, the appropriately dubbed “unity cactus” was planted at Matt’s childhood home up in the Tucson mountains. We liked the idea that it will grow with our marriage, and could last long enough for even our grandchildren and beyond to see it someday!

As Matt and I were planning the wedding, our one goal was to make the celebration feel very personalized. We have always shared a love for video games and Japanese animation and made sure to include those elements in our decor. Even though the wedding was elegant, we still were able to tip a subtle hat to the things that have brought us together. Whether it was our Totoro cake topper, our Kingdom Hearts grooms cake or the Nintendo elements at the photo booth, our geeky side still felt at home at our wedding.

My advice for brides is: In the months leading up to your wedding, you will have to make a thousand decisions. Some of those may seem like the most important things in the universe and some not so much. But here’s the thing: all those details that you’ve obsessed over won’t even matter during the wedding. Seriously, you won’t even see them. The whole night goes by in a blur, and the best thing you can do is to plan as much as you can up to a point, and then let it go. What matters MOST is that at the end of the night, you’re going to walk away with a lot of love from your guests, and a spouse on your arm.The Westchester Wedding Planner_4061 The Westchester Wedding Planner_4060 The Westchester Wedding Planner_4066 The Westchester Wedding Planner_4069 The Westchester Wedding Planner_4072The Westchester Wedding Planner_4068The Westchester Wedding Planner_4076 The Westchester Wedding Planner_4077 The Westchester Wedding Planner_4078 The Westchester Wedding Planner_4079

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Photographer: Photography by Jacquelynn Buck | Dress Designer: Allure Bridal | Venue: Stillwell House | Wedding Planner: Without a Hitch – Desiree Groseclose | Hair/Makeup: Beauty Artistry – Heather Van Houten | Flowers: Evergreen Flowers | Cake: Village Bakehouse | Music and Lighting : Satyr Entertainment | Pipe and Drape, Accent Linens : Endless Decor – Jorge Bueno | Dinner Linens: La Tavola | Cobalt Glassware: Arizona Party Rental | Videographer: William Winterton

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Posted on April 25th, by Aida Krgin in Blue, Orange, Real Weddings, Rustic Chic, Whimsical. 2 comments

Allure Bridal Non-Traditional Wedding Unity Candle Ideas


2 thoughts on “The Unity Candle – Photography by Jacquelynn Buck

  1. I love the Unity Cactus idea! What exactly did that part of the ceremony entail? Was sand poured around the cactus in the pot? I’m a wedding officiant and always looking for new ways to personalize a ceremony. Thank you.

    Reply
    • I’m so glad you enjoyed this feature. Here is what the bride shared with us:
      “Instead of going with the traditional “unity candle”, we decided to pay homage to his roots and chose to water a baby saguaro cactus together. After the wedding, the appropriately dubbed “unity cactus” was planted at Matt’s childhood home up in the Tucson mountains. We liked the idea that it will grow with our marriage, and could last long enough for even our grandchildren and beyond to see it someday!”

      Reply

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