Tie a knot? Pour some wine? Light some candles?

No, that's not the order of the events for the day. That's me trying to figure out what special ceremony we can include within our marriage ceremony.

Candle ceremonies are one of the most common ceremonies. The bride and groom each take a lit candle (often lit by their mothers) and simultaneously light a third larger "unity candle." They may blow out their individual lights, or leave them lit, symbolizing that though they are now united, their individuality remains.  You can purchase a personalized unity candle, allowing the candle to be a keepsake.

Image via An Unforgettable Wedding

Wine ceremonies are good if you enjoy wine, which the FH and I do not. In a wine ceremony the bride and groom pour wine from two separate carafes (usually one white, one red) into one glass, which they both drink from.

Image via Flickr

Water and sand ceremonies are similar to candle ceremonies. The bride and groom take different colours of water (or different colours of sand) and pour them into a large container making a third colour of water (or a mixture of the two sand colours). With the sand ceremony, there's the option of having the sand-filled vase as a keepsake.

Image via Little Wedding Guide

Tying the knot or handfasting is a ceremony in which a number of colored ribbons or cords are used to tie the bride and groom's hands together before the vows are made.

Image via Rose Haven Designs

I'm at a loss as to which ceremony we should include. I am leaning towards the handfasting, but I think my FH wants to have the sand ceremony (I'm convinced this is partly because of his hoarding nature, as the sand would result in a keepsake).

Which do you think we should include? Should we go the traditional route (i.e. unity candle) or create an entirely new ceremony (perhaps related to our chemistry backgrounds)?