Ideas

Ten Wedding Ceremony Readings Reddit Couples Used

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Choosing a ceremony reading ain't easy! Do you go with a total tear-jerker of a love poem? Or a LOL-worthy monologue from your favorite movie? Well, we decided to turn to Reddit's wedding planning sub to see what real brides and grooms had to say, and found this fantastic thread, where couples shared the readings they used IRL. Below are ten of our favorites that are totally worth borrowing.  

1From Louis de Bernieres’s "Captian Corelli’s Mandolin"

This perfect passage eloquently compares falling in love to the unconditional act of staying in love. "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."

2The Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage

Newlywed holding hands by alter. via Pexels
The SCOTUS ruling was not just a big legal win for same-sex couples — it’s also a beautiful piece of prose about the meaning of marriage. "No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were."

3"To Love Is Not to Possess,'" by James Kavanaugh

This poem will speak to couples who are fiercely independent but still so strongly in love. "To love is not to possess, To own or imprison, Nor to lose one's self in another. Love is to join and separate, To walk alone and together, To find a laughing freedom That lonely isolation does not permit."

4"I Cary Your Heart With Me," by E.E. Cummings

Couple holding hands by alter at wedding ceremony. via Loverly Real Weddings
Part of this poem’s charm is in how it’s written, but it’s a wonderful piece when read aloud, too. "i fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)"

5"An Awesome Book of Love!" by Dallas Clayton

Believe it or not, this sweet poem comes from a picture book. It’s about love in all forms (not just between spouses), but it’s perfect for a wedding ceremony. “I'd love you whenever whatever it takes I’d love you no matter ‘Cause you’re you and I’m me Together forever in love as can be"

6From Victor Hugo’s "Les Miserables"

Whether you’re into musicals or not, you can’t deny that the story of Les Miserables embodies love, loyalty and devotion. That’s what this excerpt is all about. "The future belongs to hearts even more than it does to minds. Love, that is the only thing that can occupy and fill eternity. In the infinite, the inexhaustible is requisite."  

7The “Mawwaige” Speech from the Princess Bride

Newlywed under alter. via Loverly Real Weddings
“Mawwaige is what brings us togevah today." ‘Nuff said.

8"100 Love Sonnets," by Pablo Neruda

If you’re into poetry, it’s pretty hard to write a wedding ceremony and not include one of Pablo Neruda's breathtaking love poems. "I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply, without problems or pride…"

9"How Falling in Love is like Owning a Dog," by Taylor Mali

Do you consider yourselves “dog people”? This sweet and funny poem will certainly speak to you. "Love doesn’t like being left alone for long. But come home and love is always happy to see you. It may break a few things accidentally in its passion for life, but you can never be mad at love for long."

10"The Greatest Adventure," A Hobbit’s Tale

Remember that your readings don’t have to be explicitly about love. You may want to focus on your future! "The greatest adventure is what lies ahead. Today and tomorrow are yet to be said. The chances, the changes are all yours to make. The mold of your life is in your hands to break."
Kristin Doherty
About The Author
Writer and Content Strategist. 
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