Unity Candle & Sand Ceremony Music
Songs to accompany the unity candle or sand ceremony — instrumental and vocal options for this symbolic moment.
The unity candle ceremony is a beautiful and symbolic moment in many modern weddings. Two taper candles — representing the bride and groom as individuals — are used together to light a single larger unity candle, symbolising the joining of two people and two families into one.
For outdoor and beach weddings where candles aren't practical, the sand ceremony offers the same symbolism using coloured sand poured into a single vessel. In both cases, the right music can transform a simple ritual into one of the most remembered moments of the day.
5 Ways to Use Unity Candle Music Effectively
- Match the lyrics to your story. Listen carefully to the words of your chosen song and make sure they reflect how you feel about each other and about the life you're beginning together.
- Include your children. If this is a second marriage or you already have children together, consider having them participate with their own small candles. Choose a song with family-centred lyrics — "Circle of Life" by Elton John or "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong work beautifully for this.
- Rehearse the timing. Run through the unity candle ceremony with the music at your rehearsal. This helps everyone feel confident and lets you estimate exactly how long the ceremony takes — so you know whether to fade the song or let it play out.
- Start instrumental music early. If you've chosen an instrumental piece, begin it softly in the background while the officiant explains the symbolism. Then increase the volume slightly when the lighting begins. If you've chosen a vocal song, start it after the officiant finishes speaking — you don't want the song competing with their words.
- Prepare a fade point. Know in advance where in the song you'll fade out if you finish early. This avoids the awkward experience of standing at the unity candle while a 4-minute song continues playing with nothing left to do.
Classical & Instrumental Unity Candle Songs
Timeless pieces that create a serene, reverent backdrop for the unity ceremony.
- Sleepers Awake! — Bach
- Gymnopédie No. 1 — Satie
- Wedding Song — Kenny G
- Greensleeves — Various Artists
- When You Say You Love Me (Piano Tribute) — Josh Groban
- Love Theme from St Elmo's Fire — David Foster
Vocal Unity Candle Songs
Songs with meaningful lyrics that tell the story of two becoming one.
- I Will Be Here — Steven Curtis Chapman
- Give Me Forever (I Do) — John Tesh
- Keeper of the Stars — Tracy Byrd
- One Hand, One Heart — Bernstein (West Side Story)
- When You Say Nothing at All — Ronan Keating
- Let It Be — The Beatles
- Everything I Do (I Do It For You) — Bryan Adams
- I Do (Cherish You) — 98 Degrees
- How Deep Is Your Love — Bee Gees
- By My Side — Ben Harper
- Because You Loved Me — Celine Dion
- Feels Like Home — Chantal Kreviazuk
- Circle of Life — Elton John
- Beautiful in My Eyes — Joshua Kadison
- This I Promise You — NSYNC
- Forever and For Always — Shania Twain
- From This Moment — Shania Twain & Bryan White
- I Cross My Heart — George Strait
- Me and You — Kenny Chesney
- You Light Up My Life — LeAnn Rimes
- Grow Old With Me — Various
- Always — Atlantic Starr
- Always & Forever — Heatwave
- All My Life — K-Ci & JoJo
- For You — Kenny Lattimore
- Amazing Grace — Various
- The Prayer — Andrea Bocelli
- When You Say You Love Me — Josh Groban
- Ave Maria — Pavarotti
- Songbird — Fleetwood Mac
- What a Wonderful World — Louis Armstrong
- The Wedding Song — Noel Paul Stookey
- Wonderful World — Louis Armstrong
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