FAQS

What is Unity Glass?
Unity Glass is a type of unity ceremony for a wedding. Modeled after a sand ceremony except instead of sand, colored glass crystals are combined as part of the ceremony. The mixture is ultimately sent to an artist that will use this mixture to create a unique work of art such as a sculpture, vase, or bowl. The colored glass is specially formulated specifically for glass blowing. It will expand and contract over the temperature spectrum as your final glass artwork is made. 

What is Unity in Glass?
Unity in Glass is a US registered trademark of our company. We are artist owned and operated. We introduced the unity glass concept in 2011. We are glass artists and designers with an amazing in-house customer support team.

Who makes the glasswork?
Glass artists Nick Billalba, Sarah Billalba, and Brittany Trowbridge in our Lubbock Texas studio.

When should I place my order?
Any time between now, and up to a week or so before the wedding. (Overnight shipping is available.) Never hesitate to contact us. Most of our clients order months before their wedding. International customers will need to take into consideration international shipping times and customs clearance. Shipping occurs the same or next business day, and US shipping is typically via USPS Priority Mail or USPS First Class Package Service with 2-3 business day delivery. Tracking numbers are provided for all shipments.

Are the display containers included?
We do not sell containers for display at your wedding. We've learned that most couples have the perfect containers at home or borrowed. Champagne flutes, small bud vases, or clear glass votive candle holders work great. These can also be sourced locally for just a few dollars. If you are having a destination wedding, these may be borrowed from the venue. After the wedding, we only need the color mixture returned via the prepaid return mailer that is included with your order. 

After I place my order, when do you ship?
We ship the same or next business day. Our standard shipping time is 2-5 business days in the US. UPS Next Day Air or Second Day Air is available during checkout, for orders placed on business days before 11 AM Central.

What is included in the shipping fee?
Our shipping fees cover the 3 needed shipments. For our US clients this includes: 1) The glass crystals to you 2) The prepaid return mailer and then 3) The final glass artwork to you.  

When I order, exactly what do I receive?
Your package will include 1) individually packaged and hand packed amounts of your selected colors (up to 4 colors and 135 grams, or up to 8 colors and 300 grams). 2) Two labeled zippable bags to hold the mixture of color on its way back to our studio. 3) For US based clients, we will include a prepaid return mailer to conveniently ship the mixture back to us, with a tracking number that we have attached to your order. 

Do you have any example unity ceremony wording that we can use at our wedding?
We do! Some of our very thoughtful clients have given us permission to share the wording they used at their weddings. Please feel free to use these for yours, or as a starting point for crafting your own. They are published on our blog, available here and here.   

May I order just an ornament or a heart shaped paperweight? Yes. Our larger sculpture, vase, and bowl packages include 300 grams of color and up to 8 colors. We offer smaller packages 135 grams of color, and up to 4 colors, for our smaller item. Please see our available packages, here. 

How did you get the idea for this?
This is a concept first introduced by Unity in Glass from Lee Ware. Our product line is modeled after a unity sand ceremony. Unlike the sand ceremony, we provide glass crystals specifically formulated for glass blowing, for use during your ceremony and the final product of Unity in Glass is fine art that will last a lifetime. This concept was first developed by our glass artist, Lee Ware.

Will my glasswork be unique?
Yes. With the hand-made nature of our art glass, all pieces will be unique but very closely represented by our example work on our website.

Will the colors selected appear exactly as shown on the website?
They will vary in the final glasswork based upon the combination selected. We try to accurately represent the colors on our website. 

How long does it take to get the final glasswork back, after the wedding?
As soon as the color arrives back at the studio we will enter it into our workflow. We target within 3-6 weeks. Peak wedding season such as the Fall, our production time extends to 8-16 weeks, due to seasonal high demand and the handcrafted nature of our work. Please let us know if you have special "need by" requirements. We will be happy to accommodate your schedule as best possible.  

If something happens to the glass artwork during shipping, what will happen?
We pack carefully to best protect against breakage during shipping. It's extremely rare. However, we archive a small portion of each clients crystals in our studio for up to 12 month. The piece will be re-made due to shipping damage if needed. Please notify us within 3 days of shipping damage. 

I’ve received the glass color. May I add something to it?
No—nothing else please. Our glass is specially formulated to work with our clear molten crystal. All expands and contracts at exactly the same rates over the temperature spectrum. Please protect it from contamination of other glass, dust, or dirt. If something happens (spills, etc), just let us know. All isn't lost. We'll give the glass a little bit of a scrubbing before we start your masterpiece. 

Can we save part of the glass color after mixing?
Only a small portion (a tablespoon), if you like. We will need most of it to create your sculpture. We will return most of the remaining glass color to you, after we create your final glasswork. We store a small portion of each couples color mixture in our studio for up to a few month after final shipping, just in case. 

What if our wedding is coming up very soon?
We ship every order the same or next business day. We have overnight shipping available. Orders received by 11 AM Central on business days, will be shipped the same day.   

Can you refund the price if our wedding is cancelled or for any other reason?
Once the order is placed, refunds typically can’t be issued. We are 100% committed to customer satisfaction. Any color crystals shipped, can’t be returned to stock due to quality control practices. Billing occurs when the order is placed.  We offer highly personalized and responsive service. We will work as best possible with you as circumstances come up. We understand.

Can you ship internationally?

For international clients, there are a few changes to our process. First and foremost is the price. International shipping starts at $99, but it includes shipping of the crystals to the client, as well as the final shipping of the glasswork. Since we are unable to purchase shipping from another country, the client will be responsible for shipping the crystals back to us. Then we also need to make our clients aware that their country may add on some import duties/taxes upon delivery (not included). For this we will declare the first shipment of the glass crystals at $99USD, then the second package we will declare a value of the total invoice minus the $99.We would love to play our part in any and all weddings globally. But due to these and any other unforeseen issues, we ask our international clients to place their orders at least 4 weeks in advance to account for any delays in the shipping process. If you are interested or have any further questions, please email us at info@unityinglass.com