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Wedding Readings

Wedding readings are not a religious or legal requirement, but they can be a wonderful way to involve family and friends in your wedding day.  You don’t need to know the Bible backwards or be able to quote Shakespeare at length to choose the right readings for your wedding.  Simply find poems, lyrics, quotations or scriptures that resonate with you.

If you are having a religious wedding ceremony, consult with the minister or celebrant.  Depending on your religion or denomination, you may be restricted to religious readings.  Some religions will permit only readings from the Bible, for instance, while others may consider a wide range of secular texts.  On the other hand, if you’ve chosen a civil ceremony, then anything goes. 

When you’re choosing your readings, ask yourself, is the reading…

• sanctioned by your minister or marriage officiant?
• appropriate content for a wedding?
• a stand-alone piece that makes sense out of context?
• the right length and easy to read?

If you do decide to honour friends or relatives by asking them to read at your wedding, give them enough time to learn and practice the passage.  It’s always a good idea to ask your readers to perform a practice-run at your rehearsal. 

For ideas and inspiration, see our collection of readings:

• Biblical readings
• Prose readings
• Classic poetry readings
• Contemporary poetry readings
• Multicultural readings

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