Readings during ceremony???

[appletini]

I''m in a wedding and the bride would like for me and another girl to each do a reading during the ceremony. Well she told the other girl she''d like for her to read Cortinthians...love is patient, love is kind....well she told me that I can choose whatever I want to read. And I am completely clueless. I didn''t have people do readings at my wedding so I am stumped and the programs I''ve saved over the last year don''t have anything I like or are the Corinthians which I cannot use.

Does anyone have any suggestions? What are you asking people to read at your wedding? I need help! Thanks!

 

[marchswallowbird]

Get this book: "The Wedding Ceremony Planner: The Essential Guide to the Most Important Part of Your Wedding Day." I have it, and it has a bunch of suggestions for readings in it. It''s about $12 on Amazon.

 

[cara]

There is an indiebride thread that has a lot of great ceremony readings...

Here

If you are having trouble picking a direction, it might help to ask the bride what genre she had in mind (Shakespeare, another bible verse, funny reading, etc.) But she probably asked you ''cause she didn''t want to have to pick it herself!

 

[marchswallowbird]

I really like this one:

To Love is Not to Possess
James Kavanaugh
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.
It is finally to be able
To be who we really are
No longer clinging in childish dependency
Nor docilely living separate lives in silence,
It is to be perfectly one''s self
And perfectly joined in permanent commitment
To another--and to one''s inner self.
Love only endures when it moves like waves,
Receding and returning gently or passionately,
Or moving lovingly like the tide
In the moon''s own predictable harmony,
Because finally, despite a child''s scars
Or an adult''s deepest wounds,
They are openly free to be
Who they really are--and always secretly were,
In the very core of their being
Where true and lasting love can alone abide.

 

[marchswallowbird]

And this:

they say nothing lasts forever
That all good things, they must end
That there''s nothing in this life that ever lasts
With one look into thy brown eyes
I know it isn''t true
Thou art my future, my present, my past.
I will love thee forever and beyond
And through all eternity
I will hold thee close to me
We are two souls come together ... we are One
I will love thee forever and beyond
And our love will light the way
Forever and a day
With a brilliance that outshines the brightest sun

 

[marchswallowbird]

And this!

The Promise
Eileen Rafter
The sun danced on the snow with a sparkling smile,
As two lovers sat quietly, alone for a while.
Then he turned and said, with a casual air
(Though he blushed from his chin to the tips of his hair),
"I think I might like to get married to you"
"Well then, she said, "Well there''s a thought,
But what if we can''t promise to be all that we ought,
If I''m late yet again, when we plan to go out.
For I know I can''t promise, I''ll learn to ignore
Dirty socks and damp towels strewn all over the floor.
So if we can''t vow to be all that we should
I''m not sure what to do, though the idea''s quite good".
But he gently smiled and tilted his head
Till his lips met her ear and softly he said
"I promise, to weave my dreams into your own,
That wherever you breathe will be my hearts home.
I promise, that whether with rags or with gold I am blessed
Your smile is the jewel I will treasure the best.
Do you think then, my love, we should marry - do you?"
"Yes" she said smiling "I do".

 

[sammyj]

Someone posted this link awhile back (and yes, I saved it even though I''m a LIW!

).

 

[mayachel]

Aww I just love reading romantic stuff.

 

[appletini]

Thanks so much for the suggestions!

 

[Happylyndsey2009]

http://www.metrolyrics.com/i-will-be-here-lyrics-steven-curtis-chapman.html check out this link, this is a beautiful song that so many people are having read at their weddings as a poem instead. my sister had it sang at her wedding and it was beautiful, so i am thinking of having it read at mine. xx

 

[luvthemstrawberries]

Date: 2/12/2009 8:15:46 PM
Author: sammyj
Someone posted this link awhile back (and yes, I saved it even though I''m a LIW!

).

I really like the Ecclesiastes verses in this link.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Date: 2/12/2009 7:23:02 PM
Author: marchswallowbird

I really like this one:

To Love is Not to Possess
James Kavanaugh

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.
It is finally to be able
To be who we really are
No longer clinging in childish dependency
Nor docilely living separate lives in silence,
It is to be perfectly one''s self
And perfectly joined in permanent commitment
To another--and to one''s inner self.
Love only endures when it moves like waves,
Receding and returning gently or passionately,
Or moving lovingly like the tide
In the moon''s own predictable harmony,
Because finally, despite a child''s scars
Or an adult''s deepest wounds,
They are openly free to be
Who they really are--and always secretly were,
In the very core of their being
Where true and lasting love can alone abide.

This was our reading at our ceremony--I think it''s lovely.

 

[ladyciel]

We used this one:

"Union" by Robert Fulghum

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 commitments in an informal way. All of those conversations that were held in a car, or over a meal, or during long walks – all those conversations that began with, "When we''re married", and continued with "I will" and "you will" and "we will" – all 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 that 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, dancing partner, even teacher, for you have learned much from one another these past few years. Shortly you shall say a few words that will take you across a threshold of life, and things between you will never quite be the same.

For after today you shall say to the world –
This is my husband. This is my wife.

 

[Morgie44]

I really like these readings:

From the Velveteen Rabbit:

What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn''t how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It''s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but Really loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don''t mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn''t happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That''s why it doesn''t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get all loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don''t matter at all, because once you are Real you can''t be ugly, except to people who don''t understand."

 

[Morgie44]

I am not sure of the source but I love this poem/ reading.

Bride and Groom, Please face each other and take each other’s hands, so that you may see the gift that they are to you.

These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow and forever.

These are the hands that will work along side yours as together you build your future.

These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch will comfort you like no other.

These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief temporarily comes your way.

These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes, tears of sorrow and tears of joy.

These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children.

These are the hands that will give you support and encouragement to chase down your dreams.

These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times.

These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it.

These are the hands that will lift your chin and brush your cheek as they raise your face to look into eyes that are filled with overwhelming love for you.

And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.

 

[MishB]

Date: 2/12/2009 7:39:06 PM
Author: marchswallowbird
And this!


The Promise

Eileen Rafter

The sun danced on the snow with a sparkling smile,

As two lovers sat quietly, alone for a while.

Then he turned and said, with a casual air

(Though he blushed from his chin to the tips of his hair),

''I think I might like to get married to you''

''Well then, she said, ''Well there''s a thought,

But what if we can''t promise to be all that we ought,

If I''m late yet again, when we plan to go out.

For I know I can''t promise, I''ll learn to ignore

Dirty socks and damp towels strewn all over the floor.

So if we can''t vow to be all that we should

I''m not sure what to do, though the idea''s quite good''.

But he gently smiled and tilted his head

Till his lips met her ear and softly he said

''I promise, to weave my dreams into your own,

That wherever you breathe will be my hearts home.

I promise, that whether with rags or with gold I am blessed

Your smile is the jewel I will treasure the best.

Do you think then, my love, we should marry - do you?''

''Yes'' she said smiling ''I do''.

That''s gorgeous. If my sister ever marries her partner, I am reading that, it''s so HER!

 

[goldenstar]

Here''s one of our readings. I love it...

(Adapted from Captain Corelli’s Mandolin)

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. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of eternal passion. That is just being in love, which any fool can do. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Those that truly love have roots that grow towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms have fallen from their branches, they find that they are one tree and not two.

 

[honey22]

Date: 2/13/2009 4:19:51 PM
Author: ladyciel
We used this one:

''Union'' by Robert Fulghum

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 commitments in an informal way. All of those conversations that were held in a car, or over a meal, or during long walks – all those conversations that began with, ''When we''re married'', and continued with ''I will'' and ''you will'' and ''we will'' – all 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 that 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, dancing partner, even teacher, for you have learned much from one another these past few years. Shortly you shall say a few words that will take you across a threshold of life, and things between you will never quite be the same.

For after today you shall say to the world –
This is my husband. This is my wife.

ladyciel!!! I love this reading - I found it here on PS months ago (I believe it was before we got engaged and I was still a LIW). It had an effect on me the minute I read it, and I knew I wanted to have it at our wedding. I made a comment in the thread so I would always be able to come back and find it when we finally got down to planning our wedding.

It just sums up so much of our relationship, we both really love it!!!

 

[honey22]

Here is the other reading we are having, it''s just us. Down to the labradors and me making him investigate creepy noises and he is a tradey and fixes things for a living, so it was almost like someone wrote this for us.

Yes, I''ll Marry You, Pam Ayres

Yes, I''ll marry you, my dear,
And here''s the reason why;
So I can push you out of bed
When the baby starts to cry,
And if we hear a knocking
And it''s creepy and it''s late,
I hand you the torch you see,
And you investigate.
Yes I''ll marry you, my dear,
You may not apprehend it,
But when the tumble-drier goes
It''s you that has to mend it,
You have to face the neighbour
Should our labrador attack him,
And if a drunkard fondles me
It''s you that has to whack him.
Yes, I''ll marry you,
You''re virile and you''re lean,
My house is like a pigsty
You can help to keep it clean.
That sexy little dinner
Which you served by candlelight,
As I do chipolatas,
You can cook it every night!
It''s you who has to work the drill
and put up curtain track,
And when I''ve got PMT it''s you who gets the flak,
I do see great advantages,
But none of them for you,
And so before you see the light,
I do, I do, I do!

 

[mayachel]

On Marriage
Kahlil Gibran

...let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.


Love one another, but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other''s cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.


Give your hearts, but not into each other''s keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other''s shadow.

 

[mayachel]

Thoughts on marriage: Erasmus

What could be more sweet than to live with one to whom you are united in body and mind, who talks with you in secret affection, and to whom you have committed all your faith and your fortune? What in all nature is lovelier? You are bound to friends in affection. How much more are you bound to a husband or wife in the highest love, with union of the body, the bond of mutual vows and the sharing of your property!... Nothing is more safe, tranquil, pleasant and loving than marriage.

"What is a marriage? Words. A commitment. We pledge ourselves to someone else. It is probably the most significant commitment any of us can make, and it depends on our moral determination to honour it. A declaration of marriage does not mean, ''We are man and wife so long as we find each other attractive or compatible; so long as we feel passion for each other; so long as we don''t meet someone more attractive.'' It means, ''I will be with you whatever faith brings. I will stay loyal to you. When you need me, I''ll be there. When things are tough, I won''t walk away.'' A marriage can begin in sexual attraction, shared interests or a common destiny, but by moralizing the bond it lifts it to an altogether different plane. A personal commitment is stronger than passion, emotion or attraction. It is a pledge to spend a life together, come what may."