Unity Candle

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What Is a Unity Candle?

The Unity Candle ceremony is a popular Christian and secular wedding ritual symbolizing the joining of two individuals into one family. The ceremony typically involves three candles: two taper candles (representing each partner's individual life before marriage, often lit by their mothers as they enter) and one large central candle (the unity candle). During the ceremony, both partners use their individual candles to simultaneously light the central candle — symbolizing the creation of their new family unit. Variations include whether to extinguish the individual candles afterward (some couples leave them lit to symbolize maintaining individual identities within the marriage).

The Unity Candle in Modern Weddings

The Unity Candle ceremony became widespread in Western weddings in the 1970s and 1980s. Today it remains a meaningful symbolic ritual at religious and non-religious ceremonies alike. Some couples substitute other unity rituals — sand pouring ceremonies, wine blending, tree plantings, or lock ceremonies — that carry similar symbolism while feeling more personally meaningful.