When looking for unity ceremonies for your wedding, one popular choice is the Cord of Three Strands Ceremony, which is also known as God’s Knot, the unity braid, or unity rope. 

 

 

Origins of the three-strand cord for weddings

 

The origins of the three-strand cord can be traced back to the book of Ecclesiastes 4:12 found in the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament. “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” The three strands represent God, the groom, and the bride and braiding them into one symbolizes the joining of one man, one woman, and God in marriage. The idea is that with God at the center of the marriage, His love will continue to grow and keep the couple united in a flourishing relationship.

 

 

Cord of Three Strands wedding ceremony

As a unity ceremony, the Cord of Three Strands wedding ceremony plays a special part. The groom holds a small metal ring with three cords attached and the bride braids them into one rope, symbolic of the union of God, husband, and wife.

While braiding the Cord of Three Strands, someone often reads a description of the meaning of the ceremony (samples of readings are plentiful). However, if you prefer, you can keep the significance between just the two of you and have a soloist sing a song or simply play music. For couples who are not religious or prefer to leave God out of their ceremony, the Unity Braid ceremony can be performed by replacing “God” with the word “love.”

 

Cord Of Three Strands Unity Rope Wedding Braids 3/8" pick your colors

Other levels of symbolism

Following the braiding, wedding vows can be exchanged with the ancient handfasting tradition using the three-cord strand to bind their hands. Handfasting is also symbolic of the binding together of two people in love.

Cords are a symbol of strength, and colors used bring yet more symbolic meaning adding a special layer to the vows being exchanged. Most often the three cords are of three different colors, chosen by the couple for the colors' symbolic meanings to them. Custom made three cords can be ordered in specific colors.

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Memorable unity wedding ceremony ideas

Unity. It’s something unique in today’s world and an important ingredient for a happy marriage. For couples planning to add a unity ceremony to their wedding, it presents a symbolic reminder of love and oneness within the marriage as the bride and groom embark on their new life together as one. And you don’t have to feel like your unity ceremony is a cookie-cutter type ceremony. First of all, each bride and groom are uniquely special. Plus, you have plenty of unity wedding ideas to work with to make the ceremony your own. 

Unity candle

Let’s start with the unity candle. This one is traditional with a capital “T”. Two individual taper candles, which sit on each side of the larger unity candle, are usually lit by the parents or mothers of the bride and groom at the beginning of the wedding ceremony. These signify the two individuals coming from two different families. When the time comes for the unity ceremony, the bride and groom each take those candles lit by their parents and use them to light the single candle. As the two flames become one, it represents their unity in marriage. If you don’t have parents or mothers to light the candles they can be lit before the wedding ceremony starts. It still represents the two flames becoming one.

Unity candles are available in sets both plain or decorative. If you like the idea of the unity candle but wish to make it a little different, you can always use a decorative indoor candle lantern for a special effect. Plus the lantern makes a nice keepsake. If you go this route, be sure to choose a lantern(s) that are open or are easy to open so you don’t find yourself fiddling with the lantern when you are trying to light it.

Handfasting

The handfasting wedding ceremony, while it presents a picture of unity, offers abundance of other symbolism that works well for couples looking for ideas for their unity ceremony. This ancient Celtic ritual involves binding the couple’s hands together with cords or ribbons to symbolize the joining of two lives. This was once considered a Wiccan or Pagan ceremony but is now considered mainstream and is often included in Christian and secular weddings. Handfasting most often accompanies the exchange of vows but can be performed while a meaningful poem is read or even the history of tying the knot. The ribbons or cords used in this ceremony offer another layer of symbolism with meanings for the different colors used. 

 

Wine blending ceremony

For couples who enjoy drinking wine together, a wine blending ceremony makes the perfect choice. The couple each choose a wine to create their own special blend. For the ceremony, they mingle to two in one cup and then drink from it. The drinking together from a single cup is said to represent the sharing all of life’s experiences, both bitter and sweet and it represents unity because once blended it is impossible to separate one wine from the other. If you want to actually drink from the cup at the same time, a German Bridal Cup can make that possible.

 

Unity sand ceremony

The sand ceremony is a meaningful unity wedding ceremony for couples as well as for a blended family scenario, because a sand ceremony is an easy and fun way to incorporate children. In my opinion, using colored sand creates a great visual. The premise for this ceremony is the sand blends as it is poured and it is just about impossible to separate. Besides using colored sand, some people choose sand gathered from favorite vacation spots or other locations that hold special meaning to the couple.

If you choose a decorative container to pour the sand into, it becomes a special wedding keepsake which can be displayed in your new home.

Thanks for reading. If you have other unity ceremony ideas you'd like to share, be sure to leave them in a comment.

 

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Photo credits: Flickr, Amazon, AnnaSwanSales, Flickr