I belong to a private Facebook groups for celebrants, and do you know what, it’s fast becoming my favourite space on the internet (apart from here, of course!). We have over 200 celebrants from all around the world; USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and all over Europe too and the wisdom of the group is so incredible that I literally learn something new everyday. This may be my tenth year as a celebrant, but in this job you never know everything and there is always new stuff to learn. ALWAYS.
So why I am I telling you all of this? Well, the other day one my USA buddies shared in the group her experiences of a new version of the sand ceremony, and a couple of others also chimed in to say they had seen and heard about it as well. So I thought, hey, I’ve got to let my wedding peeps know about this.
So if you’re not familiar with the sand ceremony, read this post for a general rundown of what it’s about and what it can entail. However, as it happens this new twist actually has nothing to do with the actual way that the sand ceremony is carried out, but what happens to the sand afterwards. You’re intrigued, right?
Photo by Pedro Bellido Photography
Okay, so with the regular sand ceremony, if couples have used a sand blending kit or a sand photo frame, which is basically a glass frame which your sand is poured into during the sand ritual, they will basically have a ready-made sand blended memento to take home, which nicely displays their blended sand. Or as with many of my couples, because the logistics of bringing lots of glassware to another country is a bit tricky, I provide the glassware and my couples bring a small glass or plastic container to pour some of the blended sand into after the wedding so that they can take it home. The point is, the blended sand comes home with you as a keep-sake.
But now, and here is the twist (finally), quite a few artists have emerged recently and come up with this ace way of turning your sand into a work of art, and taking keep-sakes to an all new level altogether. Check out these mind-blowing works of art by the company Unity in Glass.
Double bloody wow, right?
So how does it work? Basically, you choose your colours and order the sand from these specialist companies. It is special sand which the glass art is then made from, so you can’t use regular artificial sand or natural sand. You then have your sand ceremony, as you would as normal during your ceremony and I think it would make a nice touch to let your guests know that the sand is going to be made into artwork after the ceremony, as a keepsake. You then send the blended sand back to the glass artists and they make the glassware of your choice and send it back to you. A lovely gift and a lovely tangible memory to receive in the quieter moments after your wedding has been and gone.
Love this.
Sounds awesome right? What an amazing keepsake to have. Beautiful glassware made from symbolic sand that you blended together on your wedding day and even more so if you had friends or family members help you with the blending ritual.
One thing I would say, it’s not cheap. But hell, it’s so worth it. If I had done this, my glassware would now be living high up on a shelf somewhere, or in a glass cabinet under lock and key and insured, yep, that’s right insured.
For my USA/ Canada readers you might want to check out Unity in Glass which is based in the States. For my peeps in Europe, Unity in Glass also have a European branch, so you can have your artwork shipped from somewhere a little closer to home. Woo hoo! Win-win.
If you do this, I’d love to know and to see the final outcome of your awesome artwork, because I’m nosy like that.
