Budget Bride: Unity Braid

I don't really know if this post can be considered a Budget Bride post... mostly because I really had very little to do with making this thing. This DIY project was all Zeke. He got the wood for the base, he structured the cross and figured out how to mount the thing... I have no idea how he did it, so I can't give you any kind of tutorial or tip.

But I'm posting about it anyway! Why? Because I think that a unity braid is a great alternative to the unity candle. Or unity sand. Or unity been-there-done-that.

Our Unity Braid

I've always liked the idea of the unity braid (sometimes it's called a Cord of Three Strands) because it really embodies what a marriage (at least a faith-based marriage) is all about. Both Zeke and I have very distinct personalities, very unique characteristics. We didn't lose those characteristics when we said our vows. No, we're still ourselves. That's symbolized by the two different colors, the orange and blue, in our braid.

At the same time, our marriage is made complete and strong only because we have another strand in our braid- God. He's represented in our braid by the lighter (almost white-beige) strand. Like it says in Ecclesiasties, "A strand of three is not easily broken." We were brought together by the Lord. We will remain strong in the Lord, and He alone will get us through our times of trial and will keep us together.

Zeke made our unity braid in the shape of a cross. He actually tied the top part of the cross before the wedding, and then we braided together the bottom part. I'd never seen anything like that before. When I asked him to be in charge of the unity braid, I was picturing just a simple braid. He totally went above and beyond with the cross shape.

Unity Braid

 It's so fitting, though. By forming a cross with our braid, we're saying that our marriage will be a reflection of the kind of love that led the Son of God to die for humanity and take away our sins. We're saying that individually, we are strong and beautiful, but by being braided together, we are more than the sum of our parts. Our marriage is bigger than just Zeke and Adrie. Three little ropes are okay, but when they're braided together, there's so much more there.

During our ceremony- Braiding the Unity Braid

 Anyways. Now that I've told you the reason behind our using a unity braid, I'll fill you in on the very few details that I know. The strands themselves are actually rope used for boat tie-downs. I thought they were pretty, there were lots of colors to choose from, and we were running low on time, so that's what we went with. I would have preferred to use a true white for the strand representing God, but there wasn't one
available. In the end we went with a beige cord. It has red flecks in it, which made me think of the sacrifice of Christ, so that made up for it not being white, I think.

Unity Braid

The base was given to us by a woodworking friend at Zeke's old camp. He also made our cake topper. He had a rough piece of wood that he hadn't started working on yet, and it looked great. I actually didn't even think of using it for a unity braid base, but Zeke saw the purpose in the wood and grabbed it.

... and that's all I know. It turned out really cool, though, and it's something that we'll be able to display in our home for years and years to come, unlike a unity candle. It's a definite symbol of our marriage and will remind us of our commitment to be unified with each other and with God as we celebrate our lives together!