Wedding Unity Ceremony Songs (Candle, Sand, Rope)

Updated November 16, 2023 | Written by Matthew Campbell

The wedding unity ceremony is a symbol of two people joining as one. Two families unite. Two souls unite. The event takes place during the wedding ceremony after the wedding couple exchanges their vows.

unity ceremony songs

When picking out the song for the unity ceremony, you must consider the following 3 factors:

  1. Does the song have a special meaning to both of you?
  2. Does the tempo of the song (fast or slow) match the mood of your ceremony?
  3. Does the song’s genre and meaning match your music tastes and relationship?

As an experienced wedding DJ, I’ve assembled a list of songs for the unity ceremony. Songs are selected by the meaning of the song and popular hits by today’s couples. Besides new and trending, additional lists are grouped by genre to match your taste in music.

New Unity Ceremony Songs

  1. “Love One Another” by Paul Cardall (Classical – 2023)
  2. “Your Hands” by Mae Estes (Country – 2023)
  3. “Stumble Together” by Matt Bednarsky (Folk – 2023)
  4. “Your Hands” by Mae Estes (Country – 2022)
  5. “Hand in Hand” by Thad Fiscella (New Age – 2022)
  6. “Infinity (Piano Version)” by Flying Fingers (New Age – 2022)
  7. “Last Love” by Jon Mullins (Pop – 2022)
  8. “Lover of Mine” by Louyah (Singer-Songwriter – 2022)
  9. “Worth It” by Ryan Cabrera (Pop – 2022)
  10. “Our Forever” by Spencer Crandall Country – 2022)
  11. “Always Be Yours” by Scott Drury (Christian – 2022)
  12. “Chance of a Lifetime (The Proposal)” by Cory Singer (Pop – 2022)
  13. “If I Didn’t Love You” by Ben Abraham (Alternative – 2022)

Top Songs to Celebrate a Marriage Unity

  1. “Canon in D” by Brooklyn Duo (Pop – 2020) With more than 15 million views on Youtube, this piano and cello duet is an instrumental cover of one of the most popular wedding songs of all time behind the “Wedding March”.
  2. “One + One” by Lawson Bates feat. Olivia Collingsworth (Country – 2019) If you are looking for a religious song for your unity ceremony, listen to this song as it describes a couple joining together with God.
  3. “Hand in Hand” by David Arkenstone (New Age – 2018) This Celtic gem fits perfectly into any wedding ceremony.  It can be used not only for the unity candle lighting but also for the rope ceremony or sand ceremony.
  4. “Air on a G String” by Hauser (Classical – 2020) Hauser is a cellist and a member of 2Cellos.  He broke out on his own on this widely popular instrumental wedding song.
  5. “No Matter Where You Are (Wedding Version)” by Us The Duo (Pop – 2020) Even though they did not win the season they were on America’s Got Talent, this song will win over your heart.
  6. “I Would, I Could, I Do (Duet)” by Treela (Pop – 2019) This song is not by a superstar singer but this beautiful song has the perfect message for a message of unity during a wedding ceremony.
  7. “Take My Hand (The Wedding Song)” by Emily Hackett feat. Will Anderson (Singer-Songwriter – 2014) This is a great love song in the singer-songwriter category.

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Unique Folk Tracks

  1. If I Didn’t Love You – Ben Abraham
  2. Sing Me a Song – William Prince, Serena Ryder
  3. Hold Us Tight (Acoustic) – The Macarons Project
  4. Better Half – JJ Heller
  5. I’ve Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You – Bob Dylan
  6. No Matter Where You Are (Wedding Version) – Us The Duo
  7. Compass (Cinematic Version) – Analog Heart
  8. I Chose You – Caleb Edens
  9. Forever From Now – Sheffield
  10. Hallelujah – Alison Sparrow
  11. Before You – Fortunate Ones
  12. Touching Heaven – JOHNNYSWIM
  13. One Flame – Amber Norgaard
  14. By My Side – Ben Harper
  15. Wedding Song (There Is Love) – Peter, Paul & Mary / Noel Paul Stookey

Tip

See a list of duet songs for the wedding ceremony and reception.

 

Popular Pop Hits

  1. Last Love – Jon Mullins
  2. Worth It – Ryan Cabrera
  3. Songbird – Rita Wilson, Josh Groban
  4. Chance of a Lifetime (The Proposal) – Cory Singer
  5. Make You Feel My Love – Blessing Offor, Bob Lanzetti
  6. When You Married Me – Andrew Brien
  7. I Do – Monique Melendez, Byron Addison
  8. I Am Yours – Andy Grammer
  9. Here, Right Now – Joshua Radin
  10. The Only One – Music Travel Love
  11. Could I Love You Any More – Reneé Dominique feat. Jason Mraz
  12. All My Life – SAILR
  13. Nothing Lost – The Alternate Routes
  14. I Would, I Could, I Do (Duet) – Treela
  15. I Belong to You – Jacob Lee
  16. Love Someone – Lukas Graham
  17. Today I Do – Tamia
  18. Promise To Love Her – Blane Howard
  19. Yours – Ella Henderson
  20. Take My Hand (The Wedding Song) – Emily Hackett feat. Will Anderson
  21. Guiding Light – Foy Vance feat. Ed Sheeran
  22. The Wedding Song – Matthew Mole
  23. I Choose You – Sara Bareilles
  24. A Thousand Years – Christina Perri
  25. Ave Maria – Beyonce
  26. The Prayer – Charlotte Church & Josh Groban
  27. Yours, Mine & Ours – Teresa James & David Chamberlin

Tip

As the ceremony begins, plan processional songs for your entire wedding party.

 

Modern Country Tunes

  1. Our Forever – Spencer Crandall
  2. Wherever Time Goes – Jake Hoot
  3. Believe in Love – Charlie Worsham
  4. If It Were Up To Me – Johnny and Heidi
  5. Giving It All (To You) – Haley & Michaels
  6. If I Know You – Justine Chantale
  7. One + One – Lawson Bates feat. Olivia Collingsworth
  8. All Your’n – Tyler Childers
  9. I Do – Casi Joy
  10. Greatest Love Story – LANCo
  11. Yours – Russell Dickerson
  12. Marry Me – Martina McBride and Pat Monahan
  13. I Could Never Love You Enough – Brian McComas
  14. When I Said I Do – Clint Black and Lisa Hartman Black
  15. Amazing Grace – Lari White
  16. From This Moment On – Shania Twain & Bryan White
  17. When You Say Nothing At All – Alison Krauss

Tip

Having a religious ceremony in a church? See a list of Church wedding songs.

 

Romantic R&B Favorites

  1. Faithfully – Brian McKnight
  2. I Found A Love (Live at Levon Helm Studios) – José James, Taali
  3. Sent From Heaven – Rahsaan Patterson
  4. My Word – Derran Day
  5. I Choose You (Acoustic) – Kiana Ledé
  6. Fall for You – Leela James
  7. Happily Ever After – Case
  8. For You – Kenny Lattimore
  9. Always and Forever – Heatwave
  10. Inseparable – Natalie Cole

Non-Traditional Indie Songs

  1. Lover of Mine – Louyah
  2. Ritual – Chadwick Johnson
  3. Anything – JJ Heller
  4. Make You Mine – Meg Ammons
  5. For a Lifetime – Ryann Darling feat. Cory Ard
  6. I Will Spend My Whole Life Loving You – Imaginary Future & Kina Grannis
  7. I Get to Love You – Ruelle
  8. The One – Kodaline

Tip

Having a non-traditional wedding? See a list of non-traditional wedding recessional songs for walking out.

 

Rock Tunes to Set the Tone

  1. All Because of You – O.A.R.
  2. Never Stop (Wedding Version) – SafetySuit
  3. When You Say Nothing At All – Ronan Keating
  4. When You Love Someone – Bryan Adams
  5. All You Need Is Love – The Beatles

Religious Christian Tracks

  1. Always Be Yours – Scott Drury
  2. Two Becoming One – Jonathan and Emily Martin
  3. When I Say I Do – Matthew West
  4. Flesh Of My Flesh – Leon Patillo
  5. Faithful Friend – Twila Paris & Steven Curtis Chapman
  6. A Page Is Turned – Bebo Norman

Traditional Classical Instrumentals

  1. Air on a G String – Hauser
  2. Canon in D – Brooklyn Duo
  3. All Of Me – Daniel Jang
  4. Just the Way You Are – The Piano Guys
  5. One Hand, One Heart – O’Neill Brothers Group
 

Misc Genre Selections

  1. Infinity (Piano Version) – Flying Fingers
  2. Hand in Hand – Thad Fiscella
  3. Make You Feel My Love (Acoustic Instrumental) – Casper Esmann
  4. Hand in Hand – David Arkenstone
  5. Ave Maria – Luciano Pavarotti

Do you have a favorite unity ceremony song for weddings? Please share your song below in the comments.

Quick video of wedding ceremony song picks.

 

FAQs

The Unity Ceremony isn’t just about the wedding couple. When you marry, you also join families. A great way to involve your parents or grandparents is to have them light the candle for the bride and groom. It’s up to the wedding couple whether or not to extinguish their individual flames are left lit.

If you choose to honor your extended friends instead of the biological family, the best man and maid of honor can step in. It’s definitely up to you as the wedding couple.

This also works brilliantly in same-sex ceremonies. There is no gender-specific role. It’s about togetherness. One side lights each of their candles and passes that candle to the wedding couple. Their individual flames become one flame. It’s symbolic. It’s beautiful. It’s a tear-jerker. This is why choosing the right song for this part of the wedding ceremony is key.

Unity candles are a big business for candle companies. They come in all sorts of sizes and colors. For the do-it-yourself bride and groom, they can buy a standard candle. Then, the candle can be decorated in your wedding colors with ribbon, beads, and whatever suits your fancy. Unity candles can be purchased as a single candle or in a candelabra setting with a single tapered candle on each side of the official unity candle.

This ceremony isn’t long. So be aware of the time. If you choose to not have others participate, it will be even shorter. Talk to your wedding coordinator and professional DJ for great suggestions. The last thing you want to do is stand there awkwardly thinking, “I didn’t realize the guitar solo was so long in this song.”

Traditional wedding Unity Candle songs celebrate the union of the bride and groom. Bridal couples can select romantic pop songs “I Was Meant To Be With You” by Diamond Rio, “True Companion” by Marc Cohn, and “Give Me Forever (I Do)” by John Tesh. Bridal couples can also select instrumental songs perfect for church weddings like “Wedding Song” by Kenny G. Since the candles are being lit, a theme-appropriate song would be “You Light Up My Life” by Debby Boone.

An alternative to the unity candle songs ceremony is the unity sand ceremony. The sand ceremony is perfect for venues that don’t allow candles, non-religious ceremonies, and ceremonies on the beach — of course!

The unity sand ceremony can be done after the vows are read as the unity candle ceremony would be. Alternatively, it can be done during the vows — especially if you write your own. The sand ceremony uses multiple sand colors to fill a single glass container such as a vase. The bride and groom take turns filling a glass vase — also known as the unity vase. The sand colors can be coordinated with the bridal couple’s wedding colors. The same unity candle songs below are also fitting for the sand ceremony. (Just don’t pick “Dust in the Wind.”)

Why trust Matthew Campbell?

DJ, Author, Music Lover

matt

Matthew (Matt) Campbell is the founder/editor of My Wedding Songs from his experience as a wedding DJ. He is the author of two wedding planners: ‘Wedding Songs Planner’ and ‘The Wedding Music Toolkit’. Matt is the host of the ‘Wedding Songs Podcast’. He shares music inspiration in his weekly newsletter the ‘Wedding MusicLetter’. His articles have been published on Rolling Stone, DJ Life Magazine, and DJ Times. Matt resides in the wedding capital of the world – Las Vegas.

2 Comments

    1. Hi Teena. Absolutely. We have seen weddings with multiple events at a wedding celebrating two coming together as one such as the sand ceremony, unity candle ceremony, wedding rope ceremony, jumping the broom and more. It’s your wedding and do what makes you happy!

      Reply

  2. My daughter is getting married in the Fall in the mountains. Candles for the unity ceremony Wong work since its outdoors and may be windy. I’m thinking the sand unity is more for weddings at the beach. Any suggestions for a unity ceremony in the mountains?

    Reply

    1. Hi Fatims. Most of our unity candle songs will also be great for the sand ceremony as well. Just skip the songs with candle in the title of course.

      Reply

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