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Candle Lighters, a
great way to include children
Written by
Susan Protz
Do you have young people
you hold near and dear to your heart, but already have a flower girl
or ring bearer? Why not have them serve as candle lighters?
My fiancé and I have four youngsters (aged 8 to 12) that we cherish.
They are the offspring of good family friends. We decided to appoint
each youngster as a candle lighter.
We discussed the idea with our officiant. He was very enthusiastic.
When we got his approval, we asked the four young people.
Right before my aunt and my fiancé's mother is seated, each candle
lighter will process and each ignite a candle. Our church has four
candles used for each Mass; those are the candles they will light.
Each one of them will then be seated with their parents.
I did a bit of research on the good ole Web and I found a song
entitled Come To A Wedding. The lyrics are sung to the melody of
Morning Has Broken. That’ll be “their song” during the ceremony.
Additional song options are an instrumental.
Canon in D,
Rondeau,
Dodi Li and
"Air On The G String" from Orchestral Suite No.3 are good choices.
A contemporary selection may be chosen. Can You Feel The Love
Tonight, Sunrise, Sunset, A Time for Us, I Believe and
The Wedding Song (There Is Love) are other suggestions. Check with your
officiant; some houses of worship may have restrictions on what can
or cannot be used during a ceremony.
In addition to lighting the candles, we will also get each one of
them a small carnation or freesia corsage to wear. These flowers are
inexpensive and add a nice touch.
The parents were willing to get tuxes for each of the young gents,
but we decided not to let them incur any additional expense. The
boys will wear their Sunday best and the young lady will be attired
in a holiday dress.
The candle lighters will also be introduced at the reception.
They’ll be announced right before the bridal party.
These four young people are genuinely excited about their role in
the wedding. (The young lady is a daughter of a guy I dub my “Number
Two Brother.” He’s from our old neighborhood and we go back many
years! Her sister, however, is my flower girl). They can hardly wait
until November 10th!
They are also getting a small gift as a memento. Ideal and
inexpensive gifts are monogrammed
handkerchiefs (for boys), a prayer
book or a
Silver Cuff ID Bracelet. We are giving the young lady a
Heart Locket Bracelet.
Candle lighters are indeed an excellent option to select when it
comes to having children in one’s wedding. I do believe my fiancé
and I are more excited about it than the kids are.
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