Wedding Readings

Brides and Grooms To-Be can be overwhelmed with thoughts on dresses, cakes, flowers, stag and hen parties etc, but don’t forget to consider if you are going to have readings at your ceremony, and if so, who you would like to give them.

Readings can be a very important part of the service. They are a great way to punctuate the ceremony, to break it up and add interest. They can be sentimental or light-hearted. Asking someone to do a reading is also a good way to involve friends and family members who are important to you, particularly if they don’t have any other duties, such as making a speech, to carry out.

But choose wisely…you may want to think about the following things…

Can you see him/her getting very anxious beforehand? It should be an honour and enjoyable for the reader. If it stresses them out, maybe you should consider giving them another duty in order to involve them in the wedding day. Have they got a good strong voice that can easily project to the back of the room? (Microphones can help, but the reader still needs a clear voice).

Do not underestimate the amount of time it can take to choose/devise a reading that feels right for both of you – especially if you’re not keen on the more traditional, heartfelt types of passages that often pop up as suggestions, or if you don’t want anything religious.

Regarding selecting a reading….

A good place to start is your celebrant, who can normally supply you with a selection of readings to consider. Alternatively, you can always ask the person/people doing the reading to choose something they like or think is relevant to you and your partner.

Others, scour the internet for readings or provide them with inspiration. This can be helpful to narrow down your thoughts, especially if you are looking for specific subjects, such as readings for friendship or love.

Or perhaps there’s a writer whose work you both love and you might wish to start looking through extracts from his/her texts?

Films can also be a great source – who can forget Cameron Diaz reading “I Carry Your Heart With Me” by EE Cummings in the film “In Her Shoes”.

Or how about lyrics from a favourite song?

Tone….

Another consideration, is to choose something that fits the tone of the ceremony. For example, if it is a very formal service then a jokey reading may seem out of place. On the other hand, you may decide a light-hearted passage is exactly what’s needed to break the tension.

Other ideas….

Once you are happy with your reading and reader, consider printing the words out for your guests as this can be easier to follow than just listening to a voice. It could be included it the order of service, and if you have lots of different nationalities at the wedding, you may want to consider having some copies translated, in order that all guests understand the reading and feel involved.

Whatever you choose in the end, bear in mind that a reading is also a good opportunity to express something from the heart that you, for whatever reason, just wouldn’t feel comfortable standing up and saying yourself. Remember you can always edit your reading, shorten it or take out parts of a poem etc, if you don’t like the whole thing or some words aren’t relevant.

Another lovely idea is for you and your partner to write a passage to one another. You don’t need to necessarily read it yourselves, a friend could do this for you, if you think you will be too nervous on the big day.

A final consideration, and a top tip, is to ensure your celebrant looks over any readings well before the actual wedding, just to make sure they agree that it’s appropriate for the service. This is particularly important if you’re having a civil wedding as you’re not allowed to include anything with religious connotations. If in doubt, check – some celebrants are stricter than others!

Browse our wedding reading suggestions....