Make your winter wedding special with one of these creative unity rituals

 

 

Are you planning a winter wedding, or have you been asked to officiate one? 

 

Add one of these cozy unity rituals to a simple wedding ceremony script to create an intimate and personalized ceremony that celebrates the wonder of the winter season.

 

1. Candle Lighting Ceremony 

 

Candle lighting ceremonies will always be a winter wedding favorite, with their sparkling warmth and timeless symbolism to brighten the darker winter months.  

 

Light a unity candle as a couple, using two smaller candles to light a larger one, or ask friends and family members to join in the ritual. Consider asking parents, grandparents, or children to light the two smaller candles before passing them along, giving these important people the chance to show their support and participate in a special way. 

 

Or get the whole guest list involved, by asking everyone present to light a candle to bless the union -- filling the entire ceremony space with dazzling, love-infused light. 

 

For more inspiration on how to get multiple generations and guests involved, visit: 

Winter Solstice Ceremony Script With Candle Lighting

 

 

 

 

 

2. Mulled Wine or Cider Toast

 

Add a seasonal twist to a traditional wine ceremony and toast! Instead of toasting with the usual cabernet or merlot, use a spiced wine garnished with star anise, cinnamon, or orange zest, or substitute a spiced cider. (Non alcoholic versions are available for both beverages, if you’d prefer something with less bite.)

 

Simmer the wine the night before your ceremony, adding ingredients together, as you reflect on the special moments that brought you closer together. Just don’t forget to bring a heating element to your ceremony, to warm the wine back up before you toast.

 

Use this AMM Minister’s original wine blending script to help you get started writing your own: 

Kick Your Wedding Off with a Toast: A Wine Blending Ceremony Sample Script

 

 

 

 

 

3. Love Letter Exchange

 

Love letters make our hearts melt all year round, no matter how cold it gets outside. 

 

To prepare for this ceremony, set aside time to write a message to your partner telling them how they make you feel, and describing the qualities you love most about them. Write down plans you have for the future and favorite memories from past times together. 

 

Love letters can be exchanged in place of, or in addition to, traditional wedding vows. Read them aloud in front of guests during the ceremony, exchange them silently, or share them before the ceremony officially begins, with only your wedding officiant present.

 

Focus on authenticity and speak from the heart -- you don’t have to be a professional writer to pen something that will make your sweetheart swoon. 

 

During the ceremony, your wedding officiant might say something along the lines of: 

 

Officiant: 
“You’ve chosen to write letters to each other in the place of traditional vows. It’s with these words that you express your deepest love, your commitment to this marriage, and your dreams for the future. If you’re ready to offer your heart fully to each other, I invite you to exchange and read your letters now.”

 

 

This Written Vows Ceremony Script can be easily modified to include a love letter exchange. 

 

 

 

 

4. Bonfire Lighting Ceremony

 

This unusual unity ritual provides a seamless transition from an outdoor ceremony to a cozy outdoor reception, by giving guests a warm fire to gather around. It can also be modified for an indoor wedding by using a fireplace.

 

After the rings and vows have been exchanged, work together with your partner to light a bonfire in a prepared fire pit or fire ring. This might take a few minutes, but don’t worry -- there’s no rush. This patient teamwork is a perfect symbol of what your marriage is all about! Once the fire’s lit, your wedding officiant will offer a final blessing and pronounce you married. 

 

Then, invite your guests to pull their chairs up to the fire for an evening of storytelling, singing, and warming winter beverages. 

 

Curious how to add a bonfire to a wedding ceremony safely? Read: 

Plan & Officiate a Beltane Inspired Wedding

 

 

 

 

5. Burying the Vows

 

This unique ritual is perfect for snowy ‘winter wonderland’ climates with several inches of snowfall. 

 

To prepare, write your wedding vows on rice paper or another eco-friendly paper that will decompose safely and quickly in water or soil. You’ll read these vows to each other during the ceremony, and then head outside to bury them in the snow when the ceremony is through! 

 

Mark the spot where you’ve buried your vows with brightly colored holly or a decorative wreath, then warm up inside with friends and family. 

 

As the snow begins to thaw in the spring, the promises you’ve made will mix with the soil below and nurture a new year of growth and possibilities.

 

Your wedding officiant might say something like:

 

Officiant:
“Denise and Stephanie will now head outside to bury their vows in fresh snow. Snow symbolizes peaceful reflection, the playfulness of childhood, individuality, and a pureness in love, values they hold dear. By placing their vows in snow, these two promise that the promises they’ve made today will continue to nurture and shape their relationship, mixing with the soil below at season’s change to nurture them through each new year.”

 

 

 

 

---

 

Looking for something else? 

 

 

• How to Perform a Unity Sand Ceremony (for Wedding Officiants)

 

• Tasting the Four Elements - An African Inspired Wedding Tradition
   
• Give Your Love Letter Ceremony a Centuries-Old Twist with Letterlocking
   
• How to Tie a Handfasting Cord -- The Infinity Knot
   
• Don’t Use Sand! -- Creative Alternatives for Your Sand Ceremony

 

• The Oathing Stone: A Modern Twist on a Traditional Scottish Unity Ceremony

 

 

See all articles tagged Unity Rituals

 

---