How to Make Your Own Unity Candle

The unity candle, a new tradition, only recently introduced to the Protestant wedding ceremony, has come to symbolize a lot of things - the unity of a couple, the joining of two families, the forging of a new entity in marriage. These are all important to the couple, a symbolic display of their feelings. The act of lighting the unity candle then can be just as symbolic, showing not only the act, but the feeling behind the act. The best way to do this is by bypassing the expensive store bought candles and making your own.

The price of a unity candle is directly proportional to the inflation in price of anything wedding related. Whenever you take a simple object and slap a special tag on it for an occasion - weddings, graduations, birthdays - the price will skyrocket. However, when you take the time and energy to make your own, you're creating something special that will have infinitely more meaning in 20 years and save you a few dollars today.

The first step is finding the right candle. You need a large piece, something that will give you lots of room to work with and not burn out, or destroy any of your keepsakes. You can purchase a large candle from a candle shop, or you could even go the extra mile and make your own.

Once you have your candle, it's time to start making it special in your own way. The first thing you'll want to do is coat it in something sticky, acrylic paint or epoxy - something that will allow you to paste on all of your keepsakes.

Now you get to go crazy with the decorating. Find pictures, mementos, wedding charms; whatever you want to place on that candle to remember years down the line what it stands for, place carefully on your candle. Now, fill in the rest of the space with paint or further decorations of your choice. Make it look nice, not just a candle with pictures pasted to it. This is your chance to be creative. Finish it all up by coating another layer of acrylic over the top to seal it up. You don't want anything to fall off or melt when you light that candle. It's supposed to last for years.