We all know that it's traditional to light a unity candle at the wedding but have you ever thought of encouraging a different tradition? Start a wedding tradition among your friends and family by opting to create a mixed sand arrangement instead.

My family recently gathered in Fort Wayne, Indiana for my cousin's wedding. Though I was absent, this story made it all the way down to me and surprisingly fast. Instead of lighting a unity candle, Jason and Dana instead poured sand into a tall glass vase. Since her wedding colors were turquoise and white, they chose two shades of blue and poured the sand in at the same time. The result was beautiful.

A unity candle flickers like an eternal flame representing the love of the bride and groom. Something like a sand candle (wicks can be inserted) or sand arrangement is a unique symbol of unity stronger than most others. The crystal of sand, like tiny pieces of their hearts and lives, come together and form something beautiful and respectful. Each crystal of sand resides beside a crystal of sand that represents their new husband or wife. Lives converge. Feelings, thoughts, emotions, and daily life all become one precious thing now. Such is the representation in a sand filled vase.

If you're looking to truly personalize your wedding, try something unique like this as an alternative to lighting the unity candle. When you view the sand in the vase every day in your home it will be a constant reminder of the precious, wonderful things you cherish together.

Personalized weddings are the way to go it seems, at least that was the case for my cousin and his new bride. Jason and Dana's wedding in Fort Wayne Indiana was everything that I would expect from them and more. They chose a lot of unique twists on older wedding traditions and it came together beautifully in the biggest family event in over a decade.

Jason and Dana decided to have their wedding officiant turn his back to the wedding guests and face only the bride and groom. This way, everyone in the church was looking at them–their special day. I'd never seen it before and was very surprised when I heard that it had been done this way. Kudos to Jason and Dana though because this was just the first thing they did to personalize their wedding.

I wonder at which point during the wedding planning that my cousins decided to shake things up a bit. Knowing Jason, that much wasn't surprising. Knowing the kind of woman it would take to make the other half of a happy couple, it wasn't that surprising of Dana. Still, I was taken aback by it in the best of ways.

Personalized weddings are huge now and this is just one way that modern brides can put a unique spin on their weddings, truly turning the wedding into a day all about the couple.

When you're planning your wedding, consider asking your wedding officiant to face you instead with his back to the guests. It's a bit out of the ordinary but that's precisely what makes it so cool.