Readings and Poems
Including one, two or even three readings in your ceremony is a really easy
and effective way to make the ceremony more personal and involve guests.
Any guest, or even the Bride or Groom, or can perform the reading. A group of
guests could also perform a reading between them. The Registrar will
reassure the reader on the day and advise when and where to perform the
reading.
Alternatively, your registrar will be happy to give a reading of your choice.
You can choose from the readings below, or find alternatives on the internet
or in books - or even write your own!
I Promise
I promise to give you the best of myself and to ask of you no more than you
can give
I promise to respect you as your own person and to realise that your interests,
desires and needs are no less important than my own.
I promise to share with you my time and my attention and to bring joy,
strength and imagination to our relationship
I promise to keep myself open to you, let you see through the window of my
world into my innermost fears and feelings, secrets and dreams.
I promise to grow along with you, to be willing to face changes in order to
keep our relationship alive and exciting.
I promise to love you in good times and in bad, with all I have to give and all I
feel inside in the only way I know how - Completely and forever
Love is Giving
Love is giving, not taking, mending not breaking, trusting,
Believing, never deceiving, patiently bearing and faithfully sharing each joy,
every sorrow, today and tomorrow
Love is kind, understanding, but never demanding.
Love is constant, prevailing its strength never failing
A promise once spoken for all time unbroken, love’s time is forever
My Luve by Robert Burns
O my luve is like a red, red rose,
That's newly sprung in June:
O my luve is like the melodie,
That's sweetly played in tune.
As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a` the seas gang dry.
Till a` the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi` the sun;
And I will luve thee still my dear,
While the sands o` life shall run.
And fare thee weel, my only luve!
And fare thee weel a while!
And I will come again, my luve,
Tho` it were ten thousand mile
Sonnet 18 - Shakespeare
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee.
These are the hands
Please join hands as a symbol of the union that you are making here today.
I’d like you to think about the hands that you are holding.
These are the hands of your best friend
Holding your hands on your wedding day
Promising to love you and to work together
as you build your future together.
These are the hands that will give you
Strength when you need strength
Tenderness when you need tenderness
And love when you need love.
These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes
Tears of sorrow
But also tears of joy.
These are the hands that will hold all those whom you love.
These are the hands that years from now will still be searching for your hands,
Still seeking the love, encouragement and support
That each of you seeks from the other
The Blessing of the Apaches
Now you will feel no rain –
for each of you will be shelter to the other
Now you will feel no cold for each of you will be warmth to the other
Now there is no more loneliness for you –
for each of you will be companion to the other
Now you are two bodies –
but there is only one life before you
Go now to your dwelling place,
to enter into the days of your togetherness
And may your days be good and long upon the earth
Today is the Day
Today is the day you will always remember
The greatest in anyone’s life
You’ll start off the day just two people in love
And end it as husband and wife
It’s a brand new beginning, the start of a journey
With moments to cherish and treasure
And although there’ll be times when you both disagree
These will surely be outweighed by pleasure
You’ll have heard many words of advice in the past
When the secrets of marriage were spoken
But you know that the answers lie hidden inside
Where the bond of true love lies unbroken
So live happy forever as lovers and friends
It’s the dawn of a new life for you
As you stand there together with love in your eyes
From the moment you whisper “I do”
And with luck, all your hopes, and your dreams can be real
May success find its way to your hearts
Tomorrow can bring you the greatest of joys
But today is the day it all starts.
In Marriage
In marriage, cherish each other in big ways and in small ways,
and never forget the magic of those three little words “I Love you”
In marriage, remember that it is the little things that make the difference…
Don’t forget birthday and the anniversaries
An occasional note means a lot.
Share each other’s life, even the small details,
for too often that day-after-day becomes year-after-year and then it’s gone
Give each other room to grow. We all need our time alone
Keep strong your faith in each other;
time has a funny way of testing us, and it’s faith that gets us through
Respect one another. This world could always use more of that
Speak your mind honestly, openly, but with kindness
Marriage Advice
Let your love be stronger than your hate or anger
Learn the wisdom of compromise,
for it is better to bend a little than to break
Believe the best rather than the worst
People have a way of living up or down to your opinion of them
Remember that true friendship is the basis for any lasting relationship
The person you choose to marry is deserving of the courtesies
and kindnesses you bestow on your friends
From I Corinthians 13:4-7
Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous;
love does not brag and is not arrogant,
does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own,
is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,
does not rejoice in unrighteousness,
but rejoices with the truth;
bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.
Sooner or Later – Anonymous
Sooner or later we begin to understand
that love is more than verses on valentines, and romance in the movies.
We begin to know that love is here and now, real and true,
the most important thing in our lives.
For love is the creator of our favourite memories,
and the foundation of our fondest dreams.
Love is a promise that is always kept,
a fortune that can never be spent,
a seed that can flourish in even the most unlikely of places.
And this radiance that never fades,
this mysterious and magical joy,
is the greatest treasure of all -- one known only by those who love.
A Journey by Nikki Giovanni
It’s a journey that I propose
I am not the guide nor technical assistant
I will be your fellow passenger
Though the rail has been ridden
winter clouds cover autumn’s exuberant quilt
we must provide our own guide-posts
I have heard from previous visitors
the road washes out sometimes
and passengers are compelled to continue groping
or turn back
I am not afraid
I am not afraid of rough spots or lonely times
I don’t fear the success of this endeavour
I am Ra
in a space not to be discovered but invented
I promise you nothing
I accept your promise of the same
we are simply riding a wave
that may carry or crash
It’s a journey and I want to go…
Sonnet 116 - 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:
Oh, 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
The Passionate Shepherd to His Love by Christopher Marlowe
Come live with me, and be my love,
And we will all the pleasures prove
That valleys, groves, hills and fields,
Woods, or steepy mountain yields.
And we will sit upon the rocks,
Seeing the shepherds feed their flocks
By shallow rivers, to whose falls
Melodious birds sing madrigals.
And I will make thee beds of roses,
And a thousand fragrant posies,
A cap of flowers, and a kirtle,
Embroidered all with leaves of myrtle.
A gown made of the finest wool
Which from our pretty lambs we pull,
Fair lined slippers for the cold,
With buckles of the purest gold.
A belt of straw and ivy buds,
With coral clasps and amber studs,
And if these pleasures may thee move,
Come live with me, and be my love.
The shepherds’ swains shall dance and sing
For thy delight each May-morning;
If these delights thy mind may move,
Then live with me, and be my love.
To Be One With Each Other by George Eliot
What greater thing is there for two human souls
than to feel that they are joined together
to strengthen each other in all labour,
to minister to each other in all sorrow,
to share with each other in all gladness,
to be one with each other
in the silent unspoken memories
The Art of a Good Marriage
Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens
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 at no time taking the other for granted;
the courtship should not end with the honeymoon,
It should continue through all the years
It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives
It is standing together facing the world
It is doing things for each other,
not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy
It is speaking words of appreciation
and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways
It is not looking for perfection in each other
It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humour
It is having the capacity to forgive and forget
It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner
An excerpt from "A Farewell to Arms" by Ernest Hemingway
At night, there was the feeling that we had come home,
feeling no longer alone,
waking in the night to find the other one there, and not gone away;
all other things were unreal.
We slept when we were tired and if we woke the other one woke too
so one was not alone.
Often a man wishes to be alone and a woman wishes to be alone too
and if they love each other they are jealous of that in each other,
but I can truly say we never felt that.
We could feel alone when we were together,
alone against the others.
We were never lonely and never afraid when we were together.
An excerpt from "The Prophet" by Khalil Gabran
You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.
Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of heavens dance between you.
Love one another, but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same
music.
Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.
Another excerpt from "The Prophet" by Khalil Gabran
Love has no other desire but to fulfil itself.
But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart
and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of
praise on your lips.
To Keep Your Marriage Brimming by Ogden Nash
To keep your marriage brimming
With love in the loving cup
Whenever you're wrong, admit it;
Whenever you're right, shut up.
Touched by an Angel by Maya Angelou
We, unaccustomed to courage
exiles from delight
live coiled in shells of loneliness
until love leaves its high holy temple
and comes into our sight
to liberate us into life.
Love arrives
and in its train come ecstasies
old memories of pleasure
ancient histories of pain.
Yet if we are bold,
love strikes away the chains of fear
from our souls.
We are weaned from our timidity
In the flush of love's light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.
Yet it is only love which sets us free.
Sonnet from the Portuguese, XLIII by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose With my lost saints,
I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! – and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
Carrie's Poem from Sex and the City
His hello was the end of her endings
Her laugh was their first step down the aisle
His hand would be hers to hold forever
His forever was as simple as her smile
He said she was what was missing
She said instantly she knew
She was a question to be answered
And his answer was "I do"
I Love You by Roy Croft
I love you
Not only for who you are
But for what I am when I am with you.
I love you
Not only for what you have made of yourself
But for what you are making of me.
I love you for the part of me that you bring out.
I love you for putting your hand into my heart
And passing over all the foolish, weak things that you can’t help.
Dimly seeing there and drawing out,
into the light all the beautiful belongings
That no one else had looked quite far enough to find.
You have done it without a touch, without a word, without a sign.
These I Can Promise - Anonymous
I cannot promise you a life of sunshine;
I cannot promise riches, wealth, or gold;
I cannot promise you an easy pathway
That leads away from change or growing old.
But I can promise all my heart's devotion;
A smile to chase away your tears of sorrow;
A love that's ever true and ever growing;
A hand to hold in yours through each tomorrow.
A Celtic Blessing - Anonymous
May the road rise up to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
The rain fall soft upon your fields
May the joy of living for each other
Trip a smile from you lips
A twinkle from your eye
May you have walls for the wind
And a roof for the rain
Drinks beside the fire
Laughter to cheer you
And may you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward
A Special Person - Anonymous
Sometimes in life,
You find a special person
Someone who can change your life,
Just by being part of it
Someone who will laugh with you
And cry with you
Someone who can make you believe
That there really is good in the world
Love isn't the person
You can see yourself with
It's the person
You can't see yourself without
True Love - Anonymous
True love is a sacred flame that burns eternally,
And none can dim its special glow or change its destiny.
True love speaks in tender tones and hears with gentle ear,
True love gives with open heart and true love conquers fear.
True love makes no harsh demands It neither rules nor binds,
True love holds with gentle hands the hearts that it entwines
A Good Wedding Cake
4lb of Love
½ lb of sweet temper
1lb of butter of youth
1lb of blindness of faults
1lb of pounded wit
1lb of good humour
2lbs of sweet argument
1 pint of rippling laughter
1 wine glass of common sense
A dash of modesty.
Put the love, good looks and a sweet temper into a well furnishes house.
Beat the butter of youth into a cream and mix well together with a blindness of
faults.
Stir the pounded wit and good humour into the sweet argument, then add the
rippling laughter and common sense.
Work the whole thing together until everything is well mixed and bake gentle
forever.
What is Marriage ?
It is sharing and caring
Giving and forgiving
Loving and being loved
Walking hand in hand
Talking heart to heart
Seeing through each others eyes
Laughing together
Weeping together
And always trusting and believing in each other.
For love that is shared is a beautiful thing
It enriches the soul and makes the heart sing.
He Never Leaves The Seat Up… - Anonymous.
He never leaves the seat up
Or wet towels upon the floor
The toothpaste has the lid on
And he always shuts the door!
She’s very clean and tidy
Though she may sometimes delude.
Leave your things out at your peril
In a second they’ll have moved!
She’s thoughtful when he looks at her
A smile upon his face
Will he look that good in 50 years
When his dentures aren’t in place?
He says he loves her figure
And her mental prowess too
But when gravity takes her over
Will she charm with her IQ?
She says she loves his kindness
And his patience is a must
And of course she thinks he’s handsome
Which in her eyes is a plus.
They’re both not wholly perfect
But who are we to judge?
He can be pig headed
Whereas she won’t even budge!
All that said and done, they love
The time they spend together
And I hope as I am sure you do
That their happiness will last forever
He’ll be more than just her husband
He’ll also be her friend
And she’ll be more than just his wife
She’ll be his soul mate ‘til the end
The Wedding Ring by Alice E. Chase
The sweetest story that’s ever been told
Lies in these slim circles of gold
Joining two people as husband and wife
To share in the joys and the sorrows of life
For richer or poorer – in sickness and health
Your marriage can yield up a wonderful wealth
Of memories to treasure and hopes to renew
All part of the promises made by you two
With faith in each other and love as your guide
As long as forever, you’ll walk side by side
And the shining reminder of how much you care
Will lie in the little gold band that you wear