Here's a poem we're having read at our church ceremony that I just LOVE:
We Walk Together
by Sue Boynton
And so one day
We fell in step.
It mattered not that each of us
Had traveled quite a way,
Or that the hour was rather late.
It just seemed very good
To walk together.
I think it seemed to each of us
A sweet surprise,
An unexpected joy,
To know such deep and quiet peace
With one another.
Seemed strange that out of those
Who through the years
Had crossed our paths,
In this, life richest afternoon,
We who had almost strangers been,
Were brought together.
Draw closer, friend.
And place your hand in mine.
And let me see about your eyes
That merry, crinkly smile
Which I have grown to prize.
what about "love is patient, love is kind..." from 1 Corinthians. I know it is done a lot and totally not original, but for me this reading takes on new life and meaning every time I hear it.
This is the one we used:
You have known each other from the first glance of acquaintance to this point of commitment.
At some point, you decided to marry. From that moment of yes to this moment of yes, indeed, you have been making promises and agreements in an informal way.
All those conversations that were held riding in a car or over a meal or during long walks - all those sentences that began with ”When we’re married”” and continued with “I will and you will and we will” - those late night talks that included “someday” and “somehow” and “maybe” - and all those promises that are unspoken matters of the heart.
All these common things, and more, are the real process of a wedding. The symbolic vows that you are about to make are a way of saying to one another, “You know all those things we’ve promised and hoped and dreamed - well, I meant it all, every word.”
Look at one another and remember this moment in time. Before this moment you have been many things to one another - acquaintance, friend, companion, lover and even teacher. For you have learned much from one another in these last few years.
Now you shall say a few words that take you across a threshold of life, and things will never quite be the same between you. For after these vows, you shall say to the world, this is my husband, this is my wife.
Those are really nice! I wanna give my FI's uncle a few to select from because he's the one reading it, I want him to feel comfortable ya know?
Keep 'em coming! :)
Genesis 2:28-24
The Lord God said: “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him.” So the Lord God formed out of the ground various wild animals and various birds of the air, and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them; whatever the man called each of them would be its name. The man gave names to all the cattle, all the birds of the air, and all the wild animals; but none proved to be the suitable partner for the man.
So the Lord God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was asleep, he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. The Lord God then built up into a woman the rib that he had taken from the man. When he brought her to the man, the man said:
“This one, at last, is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
This one shall be called ‘woman,’
For out of ‘her man’ this one has been taken.”
That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body.
This is a unique poem:
"Hope Is The Thing With Feathers" by Emily Dickinson
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,
And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
I've heard it in the chilliest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity
It asked a crumb of me.
There are lots of great resource books with tons of suggestions on readings--"Words for the Wedding" is one. Daphne Rose Kingma has a nice book with readings and the Knot has other suggestions. Go to your local Barnes and Noble and peruse the poetry section--tons of readings that are appropriate. Or, you can take a page out of the playbook of Celebrants....we create a personal narrative of your love story, which can be a great reading for a family member.
Good luck,
Sarah, www.sarahritchieweddings.com
not sure if it fits, but one of my favs i'm considering having read is one by Hafiz:
Even after all this time
The sun never says to the earth,
"You owe Me."
Look what happens with
A love like that,
It lights the Whole Sky.
We used the lyrics to the Billy Joel song "Just the Way You Are" for one of ours. Lots of people asked us what it was afterwards, if its ready right you'd never know its a song!
I dont have it on my right now, but we did the Irish Blessing. Its beautiful. Part of it goes
"May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your field" Theres more to it thats really pretty.
I highly, HIGHLY recommend heading over the Indie Bride and checking out the Kvetch section. They've compiled a huge repository of ceremony readings. You will almost certainly find something there that will work for you!
Good luck
@snowflake: That's the same reading we had at our wedding! It's called "Union" by Robert Fulghum.
We used the same reading as realeastcoaster and IA_Snowflake, Union by Robert Fulghum. I LOVED it and so did everyone else. Seriously, the only time I cried during the wedding weekend was when my best friend read this poem at the rehearsal.
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We're going to have a family member on either side of our families do a reading. Our officiant gave us two but we only liked one. Anyone have a reading to suggest? I'm sure I can google it but that's just not as fun!