Wedding planning is anything but easy. On top of going to outfit fittings, tasting cakes and writing your vows you also have to choose readings for your wedding ceremony. Do the decisions never end!?!

Don’t worry, we’ve got your back. Below we’re sharing where you can find readings for your wedding that speak to who you are as a couple, what makes the perfect reading (and reader!) and a few of our favourite readings about love and marriage.

Where do you find readings for weddings?

First things first, where do you even find readings for weddings? Lucky for you, we’ve done the hard work for you. Check out some of our favourite readings, poems, quotes and blessings from literature, poetry, movies, religion and more:

Hopefully the wedding love poems, quotes, passages and readings above gave you a great list to choose from. If you want even more options, a quick Google search for “wedding readings” or “love poems for weddings” will provide endless choice.

readings for your wedding ceremony
by Flip Vision Productions

What makes a good wedding ceremony reading?

The most powerful and memorable wedding ceremony readings are the ones that the couple has a personal connection to and that aren’t heard at every, single wedding. Your guests will pay extra attention when they know the reading you chose is full of words that are meaningful to you.

So instead of choosing the most popular reading you find online, choose one that connects to you and your partner. Maybe that’s choosing a reading from your favourite song, TV show, movie or book of poetry. Maybe that’s including a quote that you discovered together while you were dating. Or maybe it’s selecting a wedding prayer that’s been recited at all of weddings in your family.

If you can’t think of an obvious connection to the wedding love poems or readings you’re finding, that’s okay! You can include a poem in your wedding ceremony even if you don’t go to poetry readings regularly or own multiple books of poetry. If the words feel powerful to you when you read them, that’s reason enough to include that love poem in your wedding.

Consider including your connection to the wedding ceremony poem as part of the introduction to the reading. For example, your reader could begin by saying, “I’ll be reading an Irish blessing in honour of Taylor’s Irish roots and the fact that Taylor and Sam first met over pints of Guinness.” Knowing this, your guests will be so much more connected to the wedding reading you’ve chosen.

wedding readings at wedding ceremony at Hotel Vancouver Fairmont
by Jumi Story

Who should read the readings for your wedding?

Not only do you have to choose readings for your wedding but you also have to choose a reader! For some couples this is a tough job and for others, there’s an obvious pick. You can choose one reader per reading/quote/poem or ask one person to do all of the readings.

Your reader should be someone you’re close to and someone you want to honour with a special role at your wedding. Asking someone to be a reader can be a great alternative if you’re skipping the wedding party, or don’t have room to add anyone else to your party. And of course, you want to make sure whoever you ask to give your wedding readings is comfortable with public speaking.

Once you’ve chosen your reading, give it to your designated reader with as much notice as possible. Ask them to rehearse the reading out loud so they can get comfortable reciting it without stumbling. You might even want them to recite the reading during your wedding rehearsal so they can get a feel for the space they’ll be speaking in.

Tip: Don’t ask your reader to memorize the wedding reading. While it might seem cool to have the reading memorized, we always suggest having the words written down. The last thing you want is for your reader to get nervous and completely forget everything they’ve memorized!

We recommend this for your vows too. Don’t memorize your wedding vows, but do practice saying them out loud. When you’re full of nerves on your wedding day, you’ll be grateful to have your wedding vows written down in front of you.

PS: Don’t have a reader in mind, don’t want to choose between friends or don’t want to break up the flow of your ceremony by having a reader come to the front? Instead of choosing a reader, you can ask your officiant to recite your chosen wedding reading. That way, you don’t have to choose someone else or coordinate a transition in your ceremony. Plus, you can be assured that your experienced officiant will do a great job reciting the reading you’ve chosen.

Pipe Shop Vancouver wedding ceremony
by Perspective Studios

Do you have to include wedding ceremony poems or readings?

No, wedding ceremony poems, readings, quotes and prayers are all completely optional. You don’t have to include any in your wedding ceremony if you don’t want to.

But before you completely toss out the idea, consider how you can make it your own. If you’re turned off of wedding readings because all of the ones you’ve heard before bore you, why not find something unique? If you don’t resonate with a religious reading, choose one from pop culture. If you don’t love serious poems, find a comedic ceremony reading.

At the end of the day, you can represent your love however you want. Some couples choose to do it through readings, poems and quotes. You may choose to incorporate songs, photos or something else that better represents you. Or you may choose to talk about your love using your own words in your personal wedding vows.

Where else can you include a wedding love poem or reading?

So if you don’t want to have wedding love poems or readings at your ceremony – or if you want to include them in even more places – where else can you incorporate readings, poems and quotes in your wedding day? Lots of places!

You can include your favourite reading, poem or quote in your wedding programs or on your wedding website. You can put some special words on your signage and decor around your ceremony or reception spaces. And you can always include a quote, poem or reading in your speech or in a toast during the reception.

There’s no shortage of places to include beautiful words on your wedding day!

Roedde House Museum wedding ceremony
by Erica Miller Photography

Some of our favourite readings about love for your wedding ceremony

Here are a few of our favourite readings for your wedding that are a hit with guests and couples alike!

Irish blessing for a wedding

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 rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

You are the answer to every prayer I’ve offered.  You are a song, a dream, a whisper, and I don’t know how I could have lived without you for as long as I have.

Apache wedding blessing

Now you will feel no rain,
for each of you will be shelter for the other.
Now you will feel no cold,
for each of you will be warmth for the other.
Now there is no more loneliness.
Now you are two persons,
but there is only one life before you.
May your days together be good and long
upon the earth.

Better Together by Jack Johnson

Love is the answer.
At least for most of the questions in my heart.
Like: “Why are we here?”, “And where do we go?”,
“And how come it’s so hard?”.
It’s not always easy,
And sometimes life can be deceiving
I’ll tell you one thing:
It’s always better when we’re together

The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.

Boy Meets World

“I wasn’t sure this day would ever come, but you were. I wasn’t sure love could survive everything we put it through, but you were. You were always strong and always sure. And now I know I want you to stand beside me for the rest of my life. That’s what I’m sure of.” —Topanga

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

There are a few rules I know to be true about love and marriage: If you don’t respect the other person, you’re gonna have a lot of trouble. If you don’t know how to compromise, you’re gonna have a lot of trouble. If you can’t talk openly about what goes on between you, you’re gonna have a lot of trouble. And if you don’t have a common set of values in life, you’re gonna have a lot of trouble. Your values must be alike. And the biggest one of those values? Your belief in the importance of your marriage. Love each other or perish.

Now that you’ve chosen the readings for your wedding ceremony, it’s time to choose your wedding officiant. Get in touch to book your officiant today!