As we all know, the wedding ceremony readings are a huge part of your big day and give a sense of who you are as a couple, as well as the things that are important to you. This is something that will set the tone for the day and communicate the more gushing sentiments that you might feel shy about putting into your vows! Whether you're someone who adores classics like Shakespeare and Beethoven, a fan of sweet and sentimental poetry, or a modern romantic who loves books and music, we have cherry-picked our favourite readings that will suit every kind of wedding ceremony. We've even compiled them in one easy list for you to peruse. Handy right?
Of course many of these wedding ceremony readings cross multiple categories, many of the child-friendly readings for example are also short, some of the most romantic poems are also Irish, and of course, any of these could be read at at a same-sex wedding. But hopefully breaking them down into categories, will help navigate your way through the selection but do check out the other categories too - you might be surprised! Oh and if you're writing your own ceremony, this step-by-step guide is very helpful!
Popular Alternative Wedding Readings
- Excerpt from The Great Gatsby
- Thoughts in a Garden by R. Gerhardt
- Maya Angelou on Love and Liberation
- Us Two by AA Milne
- Excerpt from The Velveteen Rabbit
- Excerpt from Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
- I Carry Your Heart With Me by E.E. Cummings
- Love by Roy Croft
- Blessing of the Hands by Rev. Daniel L. Harris
- Union by Robert Fulghum
- Love and Death by Lord Byron
- An Excerpt from The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
- A Lovely Love Story by Edward Monkton
- Have You Got a Biro I Can Borrow? by Clive James
- My Golden Shield Of Brightness by Shilow
- Albert Einstein on Relativity
- All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulgham
- The Good Morrow by John Donne
- Paths and Journeys (from Far from the Madding Crowd) by Thomas Hardy
- To My Dear and Loving Husband
- A Red, Red Rose by Robert Burns
- Invitation to Love by Paul Laurence Dunbar
- He's Not Perfect by Bob Marley
- Excerpt from Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey
- Variation on the Word Sleep by Margaret Atwood
- The Beauty of Love
- Having a Coke with You by Frank O'Hara
Wedding Readings by Irish Writers
- Scaffolding by Seamus Heaney
- Twice Shy by Seamus Heaney
- He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven by W. B. Yeats
- A Poet to his Beloved by W.B. Yeats
- Her Praise by W.B Yeats
- The Indian to His Love by W.B. Yeats
- Lines Written for a Thirtieth Wedding Anniversary by Eavan Boland
- Oh, Call it By Some Better Name by Thomas Moore
- We Are Made One with What We Touch and See by Oscar Wilde
- Scaffolding by Seamus Heaney
- I Love You, Woman by Emmett Kirwan
- Begin by Brendan Kennelly
- The Planter's Daughter by Austin Clarke
- Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms by Thomas Moore
- We Are Made One with What We Touch and See by Oscar Wilde
- Just to Be Beside You... by Gabriel Fitzmaurice
- Bluebells for Love by Patrick Kavanagh
- Chance by Kerrie O'Brien
- For Marriage by John O’Donohue
- An Grá by Colm Breathnach
Wedding Readings for LGBTQ+ Weddings
- Dear One by Mary Lambert
- Excerpt from the SCOTUS Same Sex Marriage Ruling
- All About Love by bell hooks
- I Belong In Your Arms by Deborah Brideau
- You Are The Bubbles by Rachel Bright
Funny Wedding Readings
- How Falling in Love is Like Owning a Dog
- Let Me Put It This Way by Simon Armitage
- A Vow by Wendy Cope
- Greg's Love Island Declaration of Love
- Love Me When I’m Old by Bee Rawlinson
- When You Marry
- Sweet Misery
- To My Valentine by Ogden Nash
- Yes, I'll Marry You by Pam Ayres
- To My Valentine by Ogden Nash
- The Giraffe and the Monkey by Daniel Thompson
- I'll Be There For You by Louise Cuddon
- The Day the Saucers Came by Neil Gaiman
- Forever by Ms Moem
- The Future By Emma Salmon
- Marriage is Not Beautiful by Anonymous
Wedding Readings from Books, TV and Films
- Game of Thrones Wedding Vows
- Quote from The Apartment
- I Do speech from The Good Witch
- Carrie's Poem from Sex And The City
- Romantic excerpts from The Notebook
- Excerpt from Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
- Origins of Love from Plato's Symposium
- Harry's Speech from When Harry Met Sally
- Excerpt from The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
- Excerpt from The Humans by Matt Haig
- Excerpts from The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
- I Want To Grow Old With You from The Wedding Singer
- Excerpt from Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer Ceremony Reading
- The Beginning of Everything: A Quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald
- One Swaying Being by from The Book of Love by Rumi
- Extract from Blue-eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas
- Extract from Every Day by David Levithan
- Quote from Sleepless In Seattle
- Excerpt from Love in the Time of Cholera
- Extract from the script of Star Trek Voyager
- Love is a Song from Bambi
- The Greatest Adventure from The Hobbit's Tale by JRR Tolkien
- "Monica's Vows" from Friends
- Everything I Know about Love by Dolly Alderton
- Just Kids by Patti Smith
- The Priest's Speech from Fleabag
- Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
- Jim and Pam quote from The Office
- So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish by Douglas Adams
- Love is Awful from Fleabag
- Come What May from Moulin Rouge
- An Excerpt From The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
- One Hand, One Heart from West Side Story
- Excerpt from Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey
- Excerpt from the Movie The Vow
- Fixer Upper from Disney's Frozen
- Extract from Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett
- Excerpt from Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
- Bread for the Journey by Henri Nouwen
- Extract from Still Life With Woodpecker by Tom Robbins
- Erin's Speech from the Derry Girls Finale
- Excerpt from The Alchemist By Paulo Coelho
- The Waves by Virginia Woolf
- Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Wedding Readings from Songs
- Thank You by Led Zeppelin
- You Make Loving Fun by Fleetwood Mac
- The Book of Love by The Magnetic Fields
- That's No Way to Say Goodbye by Leonard Cohen
- How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) by Marvin Gaye
- Happiness Is You by Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash
- Never to Heaven by Lana Del Rey
- Your Song by Elton John
- Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) By Baz Luhrmann
- You Make Loving Fun by Fleetwood Mac
- When The Right One Comes Along by Striking Matches
- Dance Me to the End of Love By Leonard Cohen
- God Only Knows by The Beach Boys
- If I Should Fall Behind by Bruce Springsteen
- I Love You Because by Jim Reeves
- Different Kind of Love Song by Cher
- In My Life by John Lennon
- Apache Marriage Blessing from Blood Brother and Broken Arrow.
- The Way You Look Tonight by Frank Sinatra
- Days Like This by Van Morrison
- Home by Imelda May
- That's How Strong My Love Is by Otis Redding
- What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life? by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman
- Gorecki by Lamb
- L.O.V.E by Frank Sinatra
- How Sweet It Is by James Taylor
- Love Me Tender by Elvis Presley
- I Will Love You Every Time by The Fureys
Modern Romantic Wedding Readings
- You, Therefore By Reginald Shepherd
- Childhood Sweethearts Share An Innocence by Nicholas Gordon
- One Hundred Love Sonnets by Pablo Neruda
- What Is A Soulmate by Emily Matthews
- A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
- Only Once In Your Life
- Rings by Carol Ann Duffy
- Nuptials by John Agard
- I Wanna Be Yours by John Cooper Clarke
- I Like You by Sandol Stoddard Warburg
- Touched by an Angel by Maya Angelou
- Love Is Friendship Caught Fire by Laura Hendricks
- Love is More Thicker Than Forget by E.E. Cummings
- The Quiet World by Jeffrey McDaniel
- You Came, Too by Nikki Giovanni
- Richard Bach on Soulmates
- Heart to Heart by Rita Dove
- Invisible Kisses by Lemn Sissay
- All I Know About Love by Neil Gaiman
- You Deserve a Lover by Frida Kahlo
- The Love of a Friend
- What I Didn't Know Before by Ada Limón
- A Creed To Live By by Nancye Sims
- There Should Be a Word
- Love is an Adventure by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
- Thoughts on Marriage by Kahlil Gibran
- My Symphony by William Ellery Channing
- I Knew That I Had Been Touched By Love
- I Belong in Your Arms by Deborah Bridea
- Chapter One of One Thousand by O. J. Preston
- The Master Speed by Robert Frost
- If You Can Love Each Other
- Maybe
- A Recipe for Marriage
- Rocks and Sand by Stephen R. Covey
- Marry Your Best Friend by N'Tima
- I Promise by Dorothy R. Colgan
- Marriage Joins Two People In The Circle Of Its Love by Edmund O'Neill
- Thank You, My Soul Mate by Marlina Bee Bryant
- This Day I Married My Best Friend
- The Magic of Love by Helen Steiner Rice
- Song of the Open Road by Walt Whitman
- My Undeniable Miracle by John Mark Green
- The One by Cheryl Barclay
- Nothing Short of Love by Chris Jester-Young
- I loved you first: but afterwards your love by Christina Rossetti
- With you in My Heart by Mick Jennings
- Litany by Billy Collins
- You are my Magic in Bloom by Shilow
- I Love You Because by Jim Reeves
- Wedding Day by Rowena Edlin-White
- How to Make a Beautiful Life Together
- My Golden Shield of Brightness by Shilow
- Highs and Lows by Morgan Harper Nichols
- If I Thought by Dana Schwartz
- The Meaning of Love by Krina Shah
- Silence is Golden by Hanna Eardley
- Mila's Song by Kenneth D. Heatley
- Baby When You Hold Me by Shelagh Bullman
- Untitled by Tyler Knott Gregson
- Here's To Right Now by Ms Moem
- A Garden by Tash McGill
Classic Wedding Readings
- Sonnet 116 by William Shakespeare
- A Marriage by Mark Twain
- Ever Mine, Ever Thine, Ever Ours by Beethoven
- How Do I Love Thee? by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
- An Excerpt from The Art Of Marriage by Wilferd Arlan Peterson
- Forever is Composed of Nows by Emily Dickinson
- Love and Friendship by Emily Brontë
- She Walks in Beauty by Lord Byron
- Love's Philosophy by Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Never Doubt Love from Hamlet by William Shakespeare
- Marriage Morning by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
- This Marriage by Rumi
- Look to this Day by Kalidasa
- Two Hearts As One by Unkown Author
- The Confirmation by Edwin Muir
- Desiderata by Max Ehrmann
- Marriage is One Long Conversation by Robert Louis Stevenson
Catholic Wedding Readings
- Love is Always Patient and Kind: A reading from the first letter of St Paul to the Corinthians
- Where You Go, I Will Go from the Book of Ruth (1:16-17)
- Our Love is Not to be Just Words
Short Wedding Readings
- An Excerpt from Wild Awake by Hilary T. Smith
- An Excerpt From Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
- Always by Lang Leav
- These I Can Promise by Mark Twain
- A Glimpse by Walt Whitman
- I Do Not Want to Have You by Rupi Kaur
- Close Close All Night by Elizabeth Bishop
- Why Not Us Too by Rob Ryan
- She Tells Her Love While Half Asleep by Robert Graves
- Not Anyone Who Says by Mary Oliver
- When I Love by Warsan Shire
- A Game of Tennis by Elizabeth Jennings
- J.R.R. Tolkien's Poem for his Wife
- You Will Be the Clouds by R.M. Drake
- This Marriage by Rumi
- A Love Song for Lucinda by Langston Hughes
- Life is Unpredictable by Erin Hanson
- Pathways by Rainer Maria Rilke
- Wedding Day by Adrian Lamos
- A History of Love by Diane Ackerman
- Irish Blessing
- We Have Not Long to Love by Tennessee Williams
- Typewriter Series #356 Sea Quote by Tyler Knott Gregson
- Wedding Day by Adrian Lomas
- It Is Here by Harold Pinter
- "Forget the Map" Quote by Jim Henson
- You by Carol Ann Duffy
Feminist Wedding Readings
- An Excerpt from Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
- To Love Is Not To Possess by James Kavanaugh
- I'd Rather Rise in Love With You by By Jana Lynne Umipig
- All About Love by bell hooks
Wedding Readings for Children
- Some Things Go Together by Charlotte Zolotow
- An excerpt from Your Personal Penguin by Sandra Boynton
- Getting Married Means You'll Have by Nicholas Gordon
- How Children See Your Day by Sandra Cook
- All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum
- From Disney's Sleeping Beauty
- The Owl and The Pussycat by Edward Lear
- A Story from Humans of New York
- An Excerpt from Disney's UP
- The Little Yellow Leaf by Carin Berger
- Oh, The Places You'll Go! by Dr Seuss
- Extract from The Nightmare Before Christmas by Tim Burton
- Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne
Wedding Readings for Couples With Children
Wedding Readings for an Elopement
Tributes to the Couple from Family Members
Wedding Readings for Spring Weddings
Wedding Readings for Summer Weddings
Wedding Readings for Winter Weddings
- Invitation to Love by Paul Laurence Dunbar
- She Tells her Love while Half Asleep by Robert Graves
- Life is Unpredictable by Erin Hanson
- What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life? by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman
- Monna Innominatai (Wish I Could Remember) by Christina Rossetti
- Love and Friendship by Emily Brontë
- Rings by Carol Ann Duffy
- A Glimpse by Walt Whitman
- You, Therefore by Reginald Shepherd
- Oh, The Places You'll Go! by Dr Seuss
Wedding Readings for Christmas Weddings
- Quote from The Nightmare Before Christmas by Tim Burton
- Quote from Sleepless In Seattle by Nora Ephron
- Extract from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
- Quote from The Holiday
- Quote from Love Actually
Wedding Readings for New Year's Eve Weddings
- You are the Bubbles by Rachel Bright
- Quote from The Apartment by Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond
- Quote from When Harry Met Sally by Nora Ephron
Looking for church readings or tips on planning your ceremony readings?
Click here to see more tips on wedding readings for your big day!
