Wedding Ceremony Readings

Wedding Ceremony Readings

Wedding ceremony readings don't have to be religious.

I personally feel they add to your ceremony and are a way to personalise your ceremony.  They are also a great way to include special friends or family in the wedding ceremony.

Any poems or readings you choose should ideally reflect who you are as a couple.  Take a little time to think about it and review a number of readings until you find one/s that appeal to you both.  You can have as many as you like, but most opt for 1-3 readings or poems throughout your ceremony.

A Blessing of the hands is a favourite verse of mine for couples to say before they exchange wedding rings to highlight the significance of the rings.

After something more romantic?   How about The Magic of Love by Helen Steiner Rice, A Lovely Love Story by Edward Monkton, or Sonnet 116 by William Shakespeare or Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernières.

If you love travel, use a section from Dr. Seuss’s Oh,the Places You’ll Go!

Something more traditional but not too religious - try The Art of Marriage by Wilferd (correct spelling!) Arlan Peterson or an excerpt from the reading from the first letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians 'Love is patient, love is kind...'.

Do you and your partner love music? Think about including the lyrics of a song you both find meaningful, ensuring you credit the author.

Or if you prefer something more earthy, think about Desiderata or an Indian marriage blessing.

I have many wedding readings and poems examples to share with couples who book their wedding ceremony with me, or feel free to ask me any questions on my contact page.

Do you have any favourite wedding ceremony readings or wedding ceremony poems to share? I'd love to hear from you?

Happy reading/s!
Trudy the Brisbane Marriage Celebrant x

Blessing of the Hands Daniel L. Harris

These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever.

These are the hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your future.

These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch, will comfort you like no other.

These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief fills your mind.

These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow, and tears of joy.

These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children.

These are the hands that will help you to hold your family as one.

These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it.

And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.

The Magic of Love by Helen Steiner Rice

Love is like magic, and it always will be,

For love still remains life's sweet mystery.

Love works in ways that are wondrous and strange,

And there's nothing in life that love cannot change!

Love can transform the most commonplace

Into beauty and splendour and sweetness and grace.

Love is unselfish, understanding and kind,

For it sees with its heart, and not with its mind.

Love is the answer that everyone seeks;

Love is the language that every heart speaks.

Love can't be bought, it is priceless and free.

Love, like pure magic, is life's sweet mystery!!

A Lovely Love Story – Edward Monkton

The fierce Dinosaur was trapped inside his cage of ice. Although it was cold he was happy in there. It was, after all, his cage.

Then along came the Lovely Other Dinosaur.

The Lovely Other Dinosaur melted the Dinosaur’s cage with kind words and loving thoughts.

I like this Dinosaur thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur.

Although he is fierce he is also tender and he is funny.

He is also quite clever though I will not tell him this for now.

I like this Lovely Other Dinosaur, thought the Dinosaur. She is beautiful and she is different and she smells so nice.

She is also a free spirit which is a quality I much admire in a dinosaur.

But he can be so distant and so peculiar at times, thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur.

He is also overly fond of things.

Are all Dinosaurs so overly fond of things?

But her mind skips from here to there so quickly, thought the Dinosaur. She is also uncommonly keen on shopping.

Are all Lovely Other Dinosaurs so uncommonly keen on shopping?

I will forgive his peculiarity and his concern for things, thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur. For they are part of what makes him a richly charactered individual.

I will forgive her skipping mind and her fondness for shopping, thought the Dinosaur. For she fills our life with beautiful thoughts and wonderful surprises. Besides, I am not unkeen on shopping either.

Now the Dinosaur and the Lovely Other Dinosaur are old.

Look at them.

Together they stand on the hill telling each other stories and feeling the warmth of the sun on their backs.

And that, my friends, is how it is with love.

Let us all be Dinosaurs and Lovely Other Dinosaurs together.

For the sun is warm.

And the world is a beautiful place.

Sonnet 116 William Shakespeare

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove:

O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark,

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wandering bark,

Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.

Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle’s compass come;

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

If this be error and upon me proved,

I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

Captain Corelli’s Mandolin excerpt Louis de Bernières

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.

From Oh, The Places You’ll Go! by Dr Suess

“Congratulations! Today is your day.

You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

You’re on your own. And you know what you know.

And YOU are the couple who’ll decide where to go.

You’ll look up and down streets. Look ‘em over with care.

About some you will say, “We don’t choose to go there.”

With your heads full of brains and your shoes full of feet,

you’re too smart to go down, any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any you’ll want to go down.

In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town.

It’s opener there in the wide open air,

Out there things can happen and frequently do

to people as brainy and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew.

Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.

Oh! The places you’ll go!

You’ll be on your way up! You’ll be seeing great sights!

You’ll join the high fliers who soar to great heights!

You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have all the speed.

You’ll pass the whole gang, and you’ll soon take the lead.

Wherever you fly you’ll be best of the best.

Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don’t. Because sometimes, you won’t.

You’ll get mixed up of course, as you already know.

You’ll get mixed up with so many strange birds as you go.

So be sure when you step.

Step with great care and great tact

and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act.

Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.

And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?

Yes! You will indeed!

(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)

Kids, you’ll move mountains!

So, be your name Buxbaum or Dowrie or Bass

or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea,

you’re off to great places!

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting.

So … get on your way!

Excerpt from The Art of a Good Marriage by Wilferd Arlan Peterson

"A good marriage must be created.

In marriage the "little" things are the big things.

It is never being too old to hold hands.

It is remembering to say, ”I love you" at least once a day.

It is never going to sleep angry.

It is having a mutual sense of values, and common objectives.

It is standing together and facing the world.

It is forming a circle that gathers in the whole family.

It is speaking words of appreciation, and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.

It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.

It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.

It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.

It is not only marrying the right person -- it is being the right partner."

Adapted from 1 Corinthians 13

Love is always patient and kind,

It is never jealous;

Love is never boastful or conceited;

It is never rude or selfish.

It does not take offence,

And it is not resentful.

Love takes no pleasure

In other people‘s faults,

But delights in the truth;

It is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope.

It is always ready to endure whatever comes.

Finally, true love does not come to an end.

Cherokee Prayer

God in heaven above please protect the ones we love.

We honour all you created as we pledge our hearts and lives together.

We honour mother-earth - and ask for our marriage to be abundant

and grow stronger through the seasons;

We honour fire - and ask that our union be warm and glowing with

love in our hearts; We honour wind - and ask we sail though life

safe and calm as in our father's arms; We honour water - to clean

and soothe our relationship - that it may never thirsts for love;

With all the forces of the universe you created, we pray for harmony

and true happiness as we forever grow young together."

Irish Blessing

May the blessing of light be on you—

light without and light within.

May the blessed sunlight shine on you

and warm your heart

till it glows like a great peat fire.

May your home be filled with laughter

May your pockets be filled with gold

And may you have all the happiness

Your Irish heart can hold.

May your blessings outnumber

The Shamrocks that grow

And may trouble avoid you

Wherever you go.

May luck be a friend to ye,

And be with ye in all yer days,

And may trouble be to ye,

A stranger, always.

Desiderata by Max Erhmann (1927)

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let not this blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams; it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Blessing for a Marriage, by James Dillet Freeman

May your marriage bring you all the

exquisite excitements a marriage should bring,

and may life grant you also patience, tolerance,

and understanding.

May you always need one another - not so much

to fill your emptiness as to help you know your fullness.

A mountain needs a valley to be complete;

the valley does not make the mountain less but more;

and the valley is more a valley

because it has a mountain towering over it.

So let it be with you and you.

May you need one another, but not out of weakness.

May you want one another, but not out of lack.

May you entice one another, but not compel one another.

May you succeed in all important ways with one another,

and not fail in the little graces.

May you look for things to praise, often say,

"I love you!" and take no notice of small faults.

If you have quarrels that push you apart,

may both of you hope to have good sense

enough to take the first step back.

May you enter into the mystery which is the awareness

of one another's presence - no more physical than spiritual,

warm and near when you are side by side, and warm and near

when you are in separate rooms or even distant cities.

May you have happiness, and may you find it making one

another happy.

May you have love, and may you find it loving one another!

From The Bridge Across Forever by Richard Bach

A soul mate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys to fit our locks. When we feel safe enough to open the locks, our truest selves step out and we can be completely and honestly who we are; we can be loved for who we are and not for who we’re pretending to be. Each unveils the best part of the other. No matter what else goes wrong around us, with that one person we’re safe in our own paradise. Our soul mate is someone who shares our deepest longings, our sense of direction. When we’re two balloons, and together our direction is up, chances are we’ve found the right person. Our soul mate is the one who makes life come to life.


Marriage Joins Two People in the Circle of Its Love by Edmund O’Neill

Marriage is a commitment to life, to the best that two people can find and bring out in each other. It offers opportunities for sharing and growth that no other human relationship can equal; a joining that is promised for a lifetime. Within the circle of its love, marriage encompasses all of life’s most important relationships. A wife and a husband are each other’s best friend, confidant, lover, teacher, listener, and critic. There may come times when one partner is heartbroken or ailing, and the love of the other may resemble the tender caring of a parent for a child. Marriage deepens and enriches every facet of life. Happiness is fuller; memories are fresher; commitment is stronger; even anger is felt more strongly, and passes away more quickly. Marriage understands and forgives the mistakes life is unable to avoid. It encourages and nurtures new life, new experiences, and new ways of expressing love through the seasons of life. When two people pledge to love and care for each other in marriage, they create a spirit unique to themselves, which binds them closer than any spoken or written words. Marriage is a promise, a potential, made in the hearts of two people who love, which takes a lifetime to fulfil.


Let’s grow old together Taken from poems by Denise Braxton Brown and Peggy Wrightsman

Let's grow old together... beginning with today.

Let's work slowly with each other and build a relationship that we can both enjoy being a part of.

Let's share love and understand that neither of us is perfect; we are both subject to human frailties.

Let's hold each other close and whisper through the night-- pledging our love, honouring our commitment.

Let's encourage each other to pursue our dreams, even when we're weary from trying.

Let's expect the best that we both have to give and still love when we fall short of our expectations.

Let's be friends and respect each other's individual personality and give one another room to grow.

Let's be candid with each other and point out strengths and weaknesses.

Let's understand each other's personal philosophy, even if we don't agree.

Let's lie awake long into the night sharing our innermost secrets.

Let's be friends as well as lovers.

Let's laugh at time and plan with each other and wonder how we ever got along without this love we've found.

Let's never take for granted these moments that we've shared, but always be reminded of how intensely we have learned to live, how completely we have learned to love.

Let's grow old together... and look back on life and smile.