Ceremony Readings

Quite often people choose to have a reading or two at their wedding. Typical choices are a favorite excerpt from a book, a poem, a family prayer, etc.

Readings are typically done by guests of honor such as the Maid of honor, Best man or a parent. What you choose to have read will help set the mood and express to not only your soon to be spouse how you feel but, to the entire assembly of loved ones. If you happen to find quite a few that you would like to share but, just don’t want to make people sit through a very long ceremony, consider having some of the readings printed up. The guests may then read them to themselves and take them home if they want.

It can be a difficult task trying to decide exactly what you want said. What will tie into the mood that you have worked so diligently to portray? It’s easy to get frustrated and go with what everyone always chooses and be typical or worse yet redundant.

We have assembled a few favorites below. Hopefully you will enjoy them as well. If it’s not quite what you are looking for, maybe they will inspire you to write your own. Or if you are just not the writing type, you can go searching for something similar, or completely opposite! Look for poems, sonnets, excerpts from novels or even the lyrics to a song. Just keep yourself and your mind open and willing to become inspired.

Traditional:
Wedding Prayer by Robert Lewis Stevenson
How Do I Love Thee by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
To a Stranger by Walt Whitman

A little less traditional:
An Excerpt From Tuesdays With Morrie By Mitch Albom
The Master Speed by Robert Frost
I Wanna Grow Old With You by Adam Sandler

Longer readings:
The Invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer
Tin Wedding Whistle by Ogden Nash

Lastly, a nice idea may be to use a prayer or blessing that comes from your heritage or religion. Below is a beautiful example of a short and sweet reading.

An Irish Wedding Blessing:
May your mornings bring joy and your evenings bring peace.
May your troubles grow few as your blessings increase.
May the saddest day of your future be no worse than the happiest day of your past

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