White has been a symbol of celebration since Roman times. In other cultures such as Asian cultures, red is the traditional colour because it symbolises joy. White has also come to be synonymous with purity and joy.
For centuries the wedding or the engagement ring has graced the second finger of the left hand. This traditional goes all the way back to the time of the Egyptians. They believed that a vein ran directly from the 2nd finger to the heart.
The lighting of the unity candle symbolizes the merging of two lives into one. In some ceremonies the lighting of the unity candle will also incorporate the families of the bride and groom. There it symbolizes the joining together of two families, as well as the union of the couple, in a marriage. It marks the transfer of commitment from their families to the new commitment in establishing their own family in their life together.
Originating during the time of the Romans, the kiss was used to bind a legal agreement. A kiss was the seal of a betrothal. Later this was adopted in Christian ceremonies, using a kiss to mark the union of man and wife. In the agreement of marriage, it was also believed that when two people kissed a part of their soul was left in one another with the exchange of breath, symbolic of the union of those two people. The kiss, occurring at the end of a ceremony is an announcement of the status of the newly formed couple and their public commitment to each other.
