| Wedding candles symbolize wonderful things like hope, romance, tradition, and spirituality. The flame of a candle represents passion, loyalty, and devotion. A lit candle in a window denotes home and homecomings; two candles lit together signify unity.
During a wedding ceremony, a lighted candle represents the bond between two people. The enduring flame that shines is an example to others. For many years such symbols have been part of the marriage ritual, and are found across virtually all cultures. The use of tapers to light a single unity candle is also a popular ritual, and retailers are beginning to stock such items in a variety of shapes and themes. |
Modern wedding candles often reflect something important to the couple’s values. For example, a couple with Irish heritage may choose to light a unity candle with an Irish wedding blessing inscribed on its side. Or a very religious man and woman may light a candle with a verse from their bible printed along its stem. The verse can contain special words that feel especially pertinent to their faith and marriage.
In wedding receptions,
candle wedding favors are increasingly popular, and are given to guests as a kind of symbolic thank you and reproduction of the ceremony’s significance. With the gift of a candle, guests feel part of the ceremony and take their favor away as a kind of souvenir of the reception itself. There are several different kinds of candles used as favors available. One recent trend is giving a candle personalized with the couple’s name and the date of the ceremony on the base or stem. Another is giving candles shaped like wedding elements – a wedding cake candle, for example, or candles shaped like coffee cups and saucers.
Candles might also highlight an event’s theme. Receptions with a beach theme might order candles with seashell decorations; fall-themed weddings might include gel candles with leaves pressed inside. The candles can be lit at the beginning of the dinner and flood the reception hall with quiet elegance. What you decide to do in the end with the beauty of candlelight is really all up to you!