5 Tips When choosing your Wedding Ceremony Readings

readings to include during the ceremony.

When you’re planning your wedding, one of the many important decisions you’ll make is what readings to include during the ceremony.

There are many great options, but choosing the perfect wedding reading that reflects your personality and style can be tough. In this blog post, we’ll provide 5 ideas for choosing readings that perfectly capture who you are as a couple. We’ll also give you tips on how to select passages that will resonate with your guests. So without further ado, let’s get started!

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1. Select readings that reflect your personality

Think about what is most important to you; the reading and the person or persons you invite to do the wedding reading or readings and how it will be incorporated into your ceremony. This is an opportunity to share with your guests what matters deeply to you as a couple.

2. Find readings that reflect your unique personality

One easy way to choose a wedding ceremony reading is by selecting an excerpt from poem, book or song lyrics that you and your future spouse already enjoy. Think about the writers whose work inspires both of you, and look for passages that might be ideal for a wedding. This can be a great way to add personal meaning to your ceremony, and it’s sure to please any guests who are familiar with the source material.

3. Explore a variety of genres and styles to find the right fit

Another option is to choose readings that reflect the theme of your wedding. For example, if you’re having a rustic-themed wedding, you might want to consider excerpts from poetry about nature or love songs with country-inspired lyrics. If you’re looking for something more modern, consider pop songs or movie quotes that have special meaning for you as a couple.

4. You can tailor the readings to fit your needs

You can also use readings to set the tone for your ceremony; if you want things to be lighthearted and fun, look for readings with a sense of humour. On the other hand, if you’re hoping for a more serious and emotional ceremony, consider readings that are more sentimental in nature.

5. Add some personal flair to your wedding ceremony with unique readings

Whether you’re looking for a way to add personal flair to your ceremony or you’re just looking for something different, unique readings can be a great option. There are tons of options out there, and you can find the perfect one to suit your style. Listed below are some favourites, so don’t forget to check them out!

No matter what you choose, make sure the readings you select are appropriate for the tone of your wedding. If you’re having a formal affair, it might not be wise to include a reading from a children’s book (no matter how much you loved it as a kid). Likewise, if you’re planning a laid-back wedding, steer clear of anything too stuffy or overly dramatic. The key is to find readings that reflect your unique style as a couple.

There are no hard and fast rules. Just remember to stay true to yourselves and pick passages that will resonate with both you and your guests. With a little bit of thought and planning, you’re sure to find the perfect readings for your big day!

But wait! Before diving too deep into researching cute phrases and passages, talk with your wedding officiant or celebrant. They’ll be able to point out some amazing readings that suit both of us as well as give advice on how these rules work for religious ceremonies-and they might even help with tips, tricks and secrets along the way.

Our seven favourites

A little untraditional but all are sure to make your ceremony unforgettable. The first one…this is for all dog lovers!

Falling in love is like owning a dog – an epithalamion by Taylor Mali

(An epithalamium by the way is a song or poem celebrating a marriage written specifically for a bride)

On cold winter nights, love is warm.
It lies between you and lives and breathes
and makes funny noises.
Love wakes you up all hours of the night with its needs.
It needs to be fed so it will grow and stay healthy.
Love doesn’t like being left alone for long.
But come home and love is always happy to see you.
It may break a few things accidentally in its passion for life,
but you can never be mad at love for long.
Is love good all the time? No! No!
Love can be bad. Bad, love, bad! Very bad love.
Love makes messes.
Love leaves you little surprises here and there.
Love needs lots of cleaning up after.
Sometimes you just want to get love fixed.
Sometimes you want to roll up a piece of newspaper
and swat love on the nose,
not so much to cause pain,
just to let love know Don’t you ever do that again!
Sometimes love just wants to go for a nice long walk.
Because love loves exercise.
It runs you around the block and leaves you panting.
It pulls you in several different directions at once,
or winds around and around you
until you’re all wound up and can’t move.
But love makes you meet people wherever you go.
People who have nothing in common but love
stop and talk to each other on the street.
Throw things away and love will bring them back,
again, and again, and again.
But most of all, love needs love, lots of it.
And in return, love loves you and never stops.

Forever? – a wedding poem by Ms Moem.

Will you love me when I’m ancient
Will you feel the same as today?
Will I still make you have butterflies
And feel proud in every way.

Will you still chat to me daily
And try to make me laugh?
Will you still give me a cuddle
And sneak a peek at me in the bath?

Will you still wake up each morning
And turn to me with a grin?
Will you still tell me I’m beautiful
And mean, outside and in.

Will you always want to hold me
And want me to feel blissfully safe?
Will you still know what I am thinking
Just by reading what lies on my face.

And if you still want to go ahead with this
Then here’s to our life together
So answer yes to all these questions
Then there’s no doubt this will last forever.

Marriage – author unknown

Marriage is about giving and taking
And forgiving and forsaking
Kissing and loving and pushing and shoving
Caring and sharing and screaming and swearing
About being together whatever the weather
About being driven to the end of your tether
About sweetness and kindness
And wisdom and blindness
It’s about being strong when you’re feeling quite weak
It’s about saying nothing when you’re dying to speak
It’s about being wrong when you know you are right
It’s about giving in, before there’s a fight
It’s about you two living as cheaply as one
(you can give us a call if you know how that’s done!)
Never heeding advice that was always well meant
Never counting the cost until it’s all spent
And for you two today it’s about to begin
And for all that the two of you had to put in
Some days filled with joy, and some days with sadness
Too late you’ll discover that marriage is madness.

“Marriage is Like My Old Car” by Marie April Gismondi

“The way I see it, marriage is like my old car.
When I bought it new from the dealership,
everyone around me was saying; “Wow that’s a nice car!”
It was all bright and shiny and worthy of admiration.
And then as the years went by…
there were places where the paint was starting to peel off.
It got a little dent and a scratch or two here and there…
and once it was over a decade old…
People started saying; “Why are you still driving that old thing?”
But my car ran like a top and would never leave me high and dry.
Every time something sounded a little off, or needed attention,
I got to work on it and fixed whatever needed fixing immediately,
knowing that you get what you give.
And then, when she became “a classic”,
it was off to the body shop she went for a new paint job.
People once again began saying; “Wow, that’s a really nice car!”
But what they didn’t know was that all the things that really matter,
were always things that nobody could see from the outside.
A marriage is like my old car.
It’s the maintenance you do between the high of the wedding day,
and gaining the admiration your grandchildren
by being the couple who still laughs and shares secrets,
and still holds hands after all these years.
So don’t worry so much about what people think or say.
Just do your oil changes, keep up with your maintenance,
get out and have fun,
don’t be afraid to blow the dust off now and then,
and fix whatever breaks as soon as it happens.
This is my advice for a marriage
that will motor successfully on down the highway of life.”

Readings from the Movies!

There are many different types of readings that you can give at your wedding. Poetry and literature have always been popular, but don’t overlook movies for some great cinema moments to read from!

Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Shawn Slovo

“Love is a temporary madness, it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides. And when it subsides, you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion, it is not the desire to mate every second minute of the day, it is not lying awake at night imagining that he is kissing every cranny of your body. No, don’t blush, I am telling you some truths. That is just being “in love”, which any fool can do. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident.”

Love Actually

Romantic-comedy fans will love this movie line that never goes out of style.
“Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion’s starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don’t see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often it’s not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it’s always there – fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge – they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaking suspicion love actually is all around.” —The Prime Minister

Star Trek. “Trekkie” or not, this perfectly summarises the power of love

“Commander, I don’t think you can analyze love. It’s the greatest mystery of all. No one knows why it happens or doesn’t. Love is a chance combination of elements. Any one thing might be enough to keep it from igniting—a mood, a glance…A remark. And if we could define love…predict it…it would probably lose its power.” — Neelix

Congratulations

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! We hope our ideas for readings have helped you get started in finding the perfect wedding reading for your ceremony. Don’t forget to be creative and choose readings that truly reflect you as a couple. Have fun with it! If you’re still looking for more inspiration, be sure to check out our other blog posts and resources on eeek! Don’t forget to talk with your wedding officiant or celebrant. They’ll be able to point out some of the most meaningful and exciting passages that suit not only you as a couple but your ceremony too! And if you’re planning a celebrant led wedding then you are sure to find the one for you on eeek! Happy Planning!

Image credits The Unbridled