60 Wedding Reading Ideas For A Truly Beautiful Ceremony

These sentimental and meaningful wedding reading ideas are sure to inspire and personalise your ceremony.

In every real wedding, I feature here on WWW, I always ask couples about their wedding music and their wedding readings. It’s important to remember that your wedding is not just about creative details but it’s also about creating atmosphere and touching moments. Not to mention your wedding ceremony is the most important part of your wedding day and you, of course, want to make it personal to you as a couple.

In asking couples what they chose for their wedding readings I hope that these ideas help you to come up with unique and individual wedding readings for your ceremony. Whether you are having a religious ceremony, civil ceremony or humanist ceremony, I have you covered.

Image by Lee Garland via Hope Mill Theatre Wedding

 

Wedding Readings – Ultimate List

Below I have collated wedding readings used by real-life couples featured in WWW real wedding features and hopefully, they spark a personal idea that resonates with you.

Wedding readings can be from poems, song lyrics, books, films, religious scripts or be written by yourselves. Be sure to consult with whoever is conducting your service to ensure they are suitable for the ceremony. Or if you really don’t think a wedding reading is for you, some couples opt not to have any at all and that’s what’s so great about your wedding day, you make the rules.

 

Quirky Wedding Readings

If you are looking for something a little different from the norm, why try looking at sweet childhood books or for fun poems for your wedding readings?

 

• A Lovely Love Story by Edward Monkton
• Yes I’ll Marry You My Dear by Pam Ayres
• Grow Old With You by Adam Sandler in The Wedding Singer
• The Colour of my Love by David Foster, Arthur Janov
• Winnie The Pooh by A.A.Milne
• Oh, The Places You’ll Go by Dr Seuss
• The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
• The Reluctant Bride by Lucy Mangan
• You’ve Got A Friend in Me – Toy Story
• The Little Prince by Antoine de St. Exupery
• Guess How Much I Love You? by Sam McBratney

Image by Ed Godden

 

Romantic Wedding Readings

Want to show how much you love one another? Use a piece of writing defining love for your wedding readings. Think about words that have spoken to your heart and that make you think of your beloved.

 

• Love’s Philosophy by Percy Bysshe Shelley
• Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres
• Blessing of the Hands by Rev. Daniel L. Harris
• The Future by Emma Salmon
• The Bridge Across Forever by Richard Bach
• Shakespeare Sonnet 116
• Ship by Carol Ann Duffy
• The Promise by Eileen Rafter
• These I Can Promise by Mark Twain

Image by Sharon Cooper Photography via Enchanted Garden Events Wedding

 

Themed Wedding Readings

To reflect you as a couple and represent your interests you could choose wedding readings about your city or country. Include a nod to your hobbies or loves, such as the countryside, pets or sport.

 

• London by John Davidson
• My Country by Dorothea McKellar
• Falling in Love is Like Owning a Dog by Taylor Mali
• Always Marry an April Girl by Ogden Nash
• Love and Friendship by Emily Bronte
• A Red Red Rose by Robert Burns
• Not Only by Brian Patten

Image by MIKI Studios via Puglia Wedding

 

Advice Wedding Readings

Ask a happily married loved one to read advice wedding readings. It will ensure the focus is totally on your marriage going forward not just the celebrations on the day.

 

• The Art of a Good Marriage by Wilferd Arlan Peterson
• Native American Wedding Blessing by Anonymous
• The Key to Love by Robert M. Millay
• A passage from The Joyful Wisdom by Friedrich Nietzche
• On Marriage by Kahlil Gibran
• To Love is Not to Possess by James Kavanaugh
• Don’ts for Wives and Don’ts for Husbands by Blanche Ebbutt

Image by Fiona Kelly Photography via South London Wedding

 

Traditional Wedding Readings

Try looking for older wedding readings that suit the occasion and tone of your wedding ceremony. Classic words are sure to last the test of time.

 

• All That I Want and Have to Say by Unknown
• On Love by Thomas A Kempis
• On Your Wedding Day by Unknown
• Love by Roy Croft
• Allons! The Road is Before Us by Walt Whitman
• The Presence of Love by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
• Union by Robert Fulghum
• Happiness in Marriage
• The Most Wonderful Of All Things in Life by Hugh Walpole

Image by Kristian Leven Photography via Royal Hospital Chelsea Wedding

 

Religious Wedding Readings

If you are having a religious ceremony be sure to have a look at these wedding readings, which are very popular with couples. Consult with the person conducting your ceremony for other wedding readings options and advice.

 

• Song of Solomon
• Corinthians 13
• An Apaches Blessing
• Wedding in Cana
• Ash Wednesday VI by T. S. Eliot
• Being in Love an extract from Mere Christianity by CS Lewis
• From the Old Testament: For Love is as Strong as Death
• From the New Testament: The First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians

Image by Kazooieloki Photography via Indie Autumn Wedding

 

Funny Wedding Readings

Want to inject a little laughter into your wedding ceremony? Any of these wedding readings ideas will sure to help and lighten the mood. It’s a great way to help you and your guests to relax too.

 

• He Never Leaves the Seat Up by Pam Ayres
• I like you by Sandol Stoddard Warburg
• I’ll be There by Louise Cuddon
• O Tell Me The Truth About Love by WH Auden
• Wedding Vows by Dr Seuss
• Be My Homer  by CJ Munn
• Atlas by U A Fanthorpe
• I Wanna Be Yours by John Cooper Clarke
• Recipe for a Happy Marriage

Image by Casey Avenue via Flowery Bohemian Wedding

 

Wedding Readings FAQ

What are the readings in a wedding?

Wedding readings can be a key part of a wedding ceremony. They allow space and time to share heartfelt words, be they a poem, speech, lyric, religious scripture or book extract. Usually read by someone the couple chooses, they can be used to share more about the couple and their story. That being said, you don’t always have to have readings as part of a wedding ceremony.

How do I pick a reading for my wedding?

Sit together or separately and think about your relationship. Consider your history and what matters to you both day-to-day. Then think about if or how you’d like to convey that. You can take inspiration for your reading from books, religious scripts, poems, songs, films, or write your own.

Only you can decide what is going to work, so go with your heart and consult your officiant for further guidance.

Who usually does readings at weddings?

There are no rules regarding who should do wedding readings. It’s totally personal preference. A couple could choose someone in their wedding party or someone else who is important to them. Alternatively, a couple could choose someone that’s a confident reader or performer.