I was at a wedding recently and the bride's uncle theatrically recited this excerpt from Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernières, and let's just say, there wasn't a dry eye in the room. A gorgeous choice for a ceremony reading, it's both eloquent and accessible, and it's also insanely romantic yet entirely realistic. And if you ask me, isn't that what wedding readings are all about?

An Excerpt from Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernières

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 blossom have fallen from their branches,

They find that they are one tree and not two.

Feature image: Louise Scott Photography via One Fab Day