When creating a wedding ceremony that reflects your personalities and relationship, selecting the right readings can make your ceremony truly magical. The readings during your ceremony can evoke many different emotions and responses, from joyous laughter to tearful sentimentality. Deciding which specific readings to use is an intensely personal choice for you and your soon-to-be-spouse to make, but finding ceremony readings to consider is easier than you might think. Read below for our expert advice on finding wedding readings and links to several online resources.
Note: If you’ve hired (or are considering hiring) a professional wedding officiant, they will often provide you with potential readings to consider once they’ve had a chance to get to know you as a couple. Not sure where or how to find a wedding officiant to perform your ceremony? WeddingOfficiants.com is home to the Wedding Officiant Directory, and we’ve been connecting engaged couples with local wedding officiants since 1999. Click here to search for officiants in your area!
Bible and Scripture Readings
If you are planning a religious wedding ceremony, then including religious scripture in your choices for readings may be an appropriate choice. Popular religious scriptures such as 1 Corinthians 13 (Love is patient, love is kind…) are time-tested staples at wedding ceremonies and can lend a sense of tradition and connection to God to your big day. While religious ceremonies will often include non-religious readings as well, choosing scripture for readings is traditional and a way to incorprate your faith into your ceremony.
Wedding Poems
Poems can be a wonderful choice to use as ceremony readings – they are short enough to be inserted into a standard-length wedding ceremony, and impart wisdom and emotion in an efficient and entertaining way. Modern wedding poems such as Union by Robert Fulghum can succinctly express much of the meaning behind the ceremony itself and help reflect your values and beliefs as a couple. Choosing spiritual poetry such as works by Rumi or Hafiz can also lend an air of mystical union to the occasion – think of a wedding poem almost like a song to be played during your ceremony. Ask yourselves, “how do we want people to feel?” and select your readings based on the emotion or sentiment you want to invoke.
Fun Wedding Readings
Sometimes a usually traditional and somber occasion just needs a good laugh to break the ice, and choosing whimsical or funny ceremony readings can be a great way to lighten the mood and put your wedding guests at ease. Couples will often choose to incorporate poems or prose from authors such as Dr. Seuss can keep the atmosphere fun and light, and really set the tone for the rest of your day if that’s what you’re looking for. Laughter sometimes is the best medicine!
Find Readings on the Web
There are many websites which offer a catalog of wedding ceremony readings for you to consider, some better than others. Here are our favorites:
- Wedding Ceremony Readings on CeremonyOfficiants.com
- Wedding Readings Library on About.com
- Gospel Readings on ForYourMarriage.com
- Catholic Wedding Readings on CathloicWeddingHelp.com
Ask Your Wedding Officiant
One of the many reasons to use an experienced, professional wedding officiant to perform your wedding ceremony is that officiants will often provide you with resources such as sample readings to consider for your ceremony. Once an officiant has a chance to get to know you as a couple and understands the atmosphere you are trying to create at your wedding ceremony, they may have specific suggestions for readings you may want to use as well. Don’t already have an officiant booked for your ceremony? We’ve got you covered – search our directory of local wedding officiants today!