Non-Biblical Readings

NON-BIBLICAL READINGS FOR A WEDDING CEREMONY: GENERAL EXAMPLES

(SECULAR TRADITIONAL - BY A GUEST)

1. This reading is called "Marriage Advice" as given by Jane Wells in 1886.

Let your love be stronger than your hate or anger. Learn the wisdom of compromise, for it is better to bend a little than to break. Believe the best rather than the worst. People have a way of living up or down to your opinion of them. Remember that true friendship is the basis for any lasting relationship. The person you choose to marry is deserving of the courtesies and kindnesses you bestow on your friends. Please hand this down to your children and your children's children.

(SECULAR MODERN - BY A GUEST)

2. This is called "Lasting Marriage" by Simone Signoret

Chains do not hold a marriage together. It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads which sew people together through the years. That is what makes a marriage last.

(SECULAR MODERN - BY A GUEST)

3. This is a reading from POETRY AND MARRIAGE by Wendell Berry

The meaning of marriage begins in the giving of words. We cannot join ourselves to one another without giving our word. And this must be an unconditional giving, for in joining ourselves to one another we join ourselves to the unknown. We can join one another only by joining the unknown. We must not be mislead by the procedures of experimental thought: in life, in the world, we are never given two known results to choose between, but only the result that we choose without knowing what it is.

Marriage rests upon the immutable givens that compose it: words, bodies, characters, histories, places. Some wishes cannot succeed; some victories cannot be won; some loneliness is incorrigible. But there is relief and freedom in knowing what is real; these givens come to us out of the perennial reality of the world, like the terrain we live on. One does not care for this ground to make it a different place, or to make it perfect, but to make it inhabitable and to make it better. To flee from its realities is only to arrive at them unprepared.

Because the condition of marriage is worldly and its meaning communal, no one party to it can be solely in charge. What you alone think it ought to be, it is not going to be. Where you alone think you want it to go, it is not going to go. It is going where the two of you - and marriage, time, life, history, and the world - will take it. You do not know the road; you have committed your life to a way.

(SECULAR ROMANTIC - BY A GUEST)

4. A reading taken from the works of Victor Hugo

You can give without loving, but you can never love without giving. The great acts of love are done by those who are habitually performing small acts of kindness. We pardon to the extent that we love. Love is knowing that even when you are alone, you will never be lonely again. And the great happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved. Loved for ourselves. And even loved in spite of ourselves.

(SECULAR ROMANTIC - BY A GUEST)

5. This reading is taken from the works of Rainer Marie Rilke

For one human being to love another human being; this is perhaps the most difficult task that has been entrusted to us - the ultimate task, the final test and proof, the work for which all other work is merely preparation. Loving does not at first mean merger, surrender, and uniting with another person - it is a high inducement for the individual to ripen, to become something in himself, to become a world in himself for the sake of another person. Love is a great, demanding claim on us, something that chooses us and calls us to vast distances.

(SECULAR ROMANTIC - BY A GUEST)

6. This reading is taken from William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind.

And therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blind.

Nor hath love's mind of any judgment taste.

Wings and no eyes figure unheedy haste.

And therefore is love said to be a child.

Because, in choice, he is so oft beguiled.

(SECULAR ROMANTIC - BY THE BRIDE OR GROOM)

7. This reading is taken from William Shakespeare's "Hamlet"

Doubt thou the stars are on fire;

Doubt that the sun doth move;

Doubt truth to be a liar;

But never doubt I love.

(SECULAR ROMANTIC - BY A GUEST)

8. This is "Sonnet 116" by William Shakespeare

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove.

O no, it is an ever fixed mark

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wand'ring barque,

Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.

Love's not time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle's compass come;

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

- If this be error and upon me proved,

- I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

(SECULAR ROMANTIC - BY A GUEST)

9. The title of this reading is "Marriage Means Being In Love for the Rest of Your Life" by Chris Ardis.

Marriage is love walking hand in hand together. It's laughing with each other about silly little things, and learning to discuss big things with care and tenderness. In marriage, love is trusting each other when you're apart. It's getting over disappointments and hurts, knowing that these are present in all relationships. It's the realization that there is no one else in this world that you'd rather be with than the one you're married to. It's thinking of new things to do together... It's growing old together. Marriage is being in love for the rest of your life.

(SECULAR ROMANTIC - BY A GUEST)

10. This reading is called "When a Man and a Woman Are in Love" by Stephen T.Fader

His life lies within hers and her life lies within his. Each lives as an individual, yet they also live for one another. Each strives for independent goals, but they also work together to achieve their dreams. They will give to one another what they need to survive and help fulfill each other's wants. They will turn one another's disappointment into satisfaction. They will turn one another's frustration into contentment. They will work as a mirror, reflecting to each other their strengths and weaknesses. They will work together to alleviate the emotional walls that may separate them. They will work together to build a better under standing of one another. They will learn to lean on each other, but not so much as to be a burden on the other. They will learn to reach out to one another, but not so much as to suffocate the other. They will learn when it is time to speak and when it is time to listen. They will be there to comfort each other in times of sorrow. They will be there to celebrate together in times of happiness. They will be one another's friend, guiding each other to the happiness that life holds. They will be one another's companion, facing together the challenges that life may present. When a man and a woman are in love, his life lies within hers and her life lies within his. Together they will love one another for the rest of their lives and forever.

(SECULAR ROMANTIC - BY A GUEST)

11. This reading comes from the book "A Natural History Of Love" by Diane Ackerman

Love. What a small word we use for an idea so immense and powerful. It has altered the flow of history, calmed monsters, kindled works of art, cheered the forlorn, turned tough guys to mush, consoled the enslaved, driven strong women mad, glorified the humble, fueled national scandals, bankrupted robber barons, and made mincemeat of kings. How can love's spaciousness be conveyed in the narrow confines of one syllable? Love is an ancient delirium, a desire older than civilization, with taproots spreading into deep and mysterious days. The heart is a living museum. In each of its galleries, no matter how narrow or dimly lit, preserved forever like wondrous diatoms, are our moments of loving, and being loved.

(SECULAR ROMANTIC - BY A GUEST)

12. This is a reading called "Sooner or Later". The author is unknown.

Sooner or later we begin to understand that love is more than verses on valentines, and romance in the movies. We begin to know that love is here and now, real and true, the most important thing in our lives. For love is the creator of our favorite memories, and the foundation of our fondest dreams. Love is a promise that is always kept, a fortune that can never be spent, a seed that can flourish in even the most unlikely of places. And this radiance that never fades, this mysterious and magical joy, is the greatest treasure of all -- one known only by those who love.

(SECULAR ROMANTIC - BY A GUEST)

13. This is a reading called "The Key to Love" by Robert M. Millay

The key to love is understanding... The ability to comprehend not only the spoken word. but those unspoken gestures, the little things that say so much by themselves.

The key to love is forgiveness... To accept each others faults and pardon mistakes, without forgetting, but with remembering what you learn from them.

The key to love is sharing... Facing your good fortunes as well as the bad, together; both conquering problems, forever searching for ways to intensify your happiness.

The key to love is giving... Without thought of return, but with hope of just a simple smile, and by giving in but never giving up.

The key to love is respect... Realizing that you are two separate people, with different ideas; that you don't belong to each other, that you belong with each other, and share a mutual bond.

The key to love is inside us all... It takes time and patience to unlock all the ingredients that will take you to its threshold; it is the continual learning process that demands a lot of work... but the rewards are more than worth the effort... and that is the key to love.

(SPIRITUAL TRADITIONAL - BY A GUEST)

14. APACHE WEDDING PRAYER

Now you will feel no rain...

For each of you will be shelter to the other.

Now you will feel no cold...

For each of you will be warmth to the other.

Now there is no more loneliness...

For each of you will be companion to the other.

Now you are two bodies...

But there is only one life before you.

Go now to your dwelling place to enter into the days of your togetherness...

And may your days be good and long upon the earth!

(SPIRITUAL MODERN - BY A GUEST)

15. This reading is from "The Prophet" by Kalil Gilbran

Then Almitra spoke again and said, "And what of marriage master?" And he answered saying:

"You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore. You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days. Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God. But 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 that love. Let it rather be like a moving sea between the shores of your souls. And stand together, and yet not too near together. For even the pillars of the temple must stand apart; and the oak tree and the cypress will not grow in each other's shadow.

Remember that love gives nothing but from itself. Love possesses not, nor would it be possessed, for love is sufficient unto love. And think not that you can direct the course of love. For love, if it finds you worthy, will direct your course."

(SPIRITUAL MODERN - BY A GUEST)

16. Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens. A good marriage must be created.

In the Art of Marriage:

The little things are the big things.

It is never being too old to hold hands.

It is remembering to say "I love you" at least once a day.

It is never going to sleep angry.

It is at no time taking the other for granted; the courtship should not end with the honeymoon, it should continue through all the years.

It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.

It is standing together facing the world.

It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.

It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy.

It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.

It is not expecting the husband to wear a halo or the wife to have wings of an angel.

It is not looking for perfection in each other.

It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding, and a sense of humor.

It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.

It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.

It is finding room for the things of the spirit.

It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.

It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual, and the obligation is reciprocal.

It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.

(SPIRITUAL ROMANTIC - BY A GUEST)

17. To Be One With Each Other by George Eliot

What greater thing is there for two human souls than to feel that they are to join for life - to strengthen each other in all labor, to rest on each other in all sorrow, to minister to each other in all pain, to be one with each other in silent, unspeakable memories at the moment of the last parting.

(RELIGIOUS/SPIRITUAL TRADITIONAL - BY A GUEST)

18. This reading is from "The Divine Comedy" by Dante

The love of God, unutterable and perfect, flows into a pure soul the way light rushes into a transparent object. The more love we receive, the more love we shine forth; so that as we grow clear and open, the more complete the joy of loving is. And the more souls who resonate together, the greater the intensity of their love for, mirror-like, each soul reflects the other.

(RELIGIOUS/SPIRITUAL TRADITIONAL - BY A GUEST)

19. CHEROKEE PRAYER

God in heaven above please protect the ones we love.

We honour all you created as we pledge our hearts and lives together.

We honour mother earth, and ask for our marriage to be abundant and grow stronger through the seasons;

We honour fire, and ask that our union be warm and glowing with love in our hearts;

We honour wind, and ask that we sail through life safe and calm as in our father's arms;

We honour water, to clean and sooth our relationship, that it may never thirst for love;

With all the forces of the universe you created, we pray for harmony and true happiness as we forever grow young together. Amen.

(RELIGIOUS/SPIRITUAL MODERN - BY A GUEST)

20. Remember, anything beautiful that you have, came from God. In the beginning, God gave us our free will and our identity to walk this earth. Don't ever try to change each other, because if you do, you will lose exactly what you fell in love with. So, each day try to find one more thing that is beautiful in your mate and each day know that the next day will be more beautiful than the one before. As long as you are doing this, you are seeking beauty, joy, and love in each other.

(RELIGIOUS/SPIRITUAL ROMANTIC - BY A GUEST)

21. This reading is taken from the works of L. Brownlow

We all need love. With all our complexities, we are not easy creatures to satisfy. We cannot meet the conditions of a satisfied life by gorging ourselves, or lying on the grass and staring at the clouds.

We have deeper needs and the deepest need of all is love.

Too often we think in terms of receiving love instead of giving it. It is gratifying to receive. But there is much more fulfillment in having a heart so filled with love that it is more a joy in giving love than in receiving.

The need for love is born within us, and is as universal as the human race itself. Wherever we walk, on every shore and in every land, the need for love walks by our side. This implanted knowledge is proof that we are akin to God, for "God is Love".

It is not trite, therefore, to say that love is necessary for life, no more than to say that food sustains life. Without food, we will die. Without love, we die a death worse than physical death. Do not depreciate love's value. Preserve the value of love and live as exhaulted creatures on the high summit of tender affections that many will never obtain. Never forget the true value and the true need for love.

(RELIGIOUS TRADITIONAL - BY THE BRIDE, GROOM, OR ANOTHER FAMILY MEMBER)

22. This is A Prayer by Robert Louis Stevenson

Lord, behold our family here assembled.

We thank you for this place in which we dwell,

for the love that unites us,

for the peace accorded us this day,

for the hope with which we expect the morrow,

for the health, the work, the food,

and the bright skies that make our lives delightful;

for our friends in all parts of the earth.

Amen.

(RELIGIOUS MODERN - BY A GUEST)

23. When God created man and placed him in the Garden of Eden he saw that it was not good for man to live alone, so God made a companion for man. In this act of creation, God didn't take the woman from man's head, lest she should rule over him; nor from his feet, lest he should trample upon her - but from his side, that she should be equal with him, and close to his heart, that he should love, cherish, and honor her. God presented woman to man for their mutual joy and that they may give to each other companionship, help, and comfort. Marriage is God's gift to deliver us from our isolation and loneliness. It is our opportunity to give each other the gifts of God and to receive the gifts of God from each other.

(RELIGIOUS/CHRISTIAN ROMANTIC - BY A GUEST)

24. This is a reading from "The Strength to Love" by Martin Luther King Jr.

The meaning of love is not to be confused with some sentimental outpouring. Love is something much more than emotional bosh. An overflowing love which seeks nothing in return, is the love of God operating in the human heart. Love is the most durable power in the world... the most potent instrument available in mankind's quest for peace and security. The great military leaders of the past have gone, and their empires have crumbled and burned to ashes. But the empire of Jesus, built solidly and majestically on the foundation of love, is still growing.

NON-BIBLICAL READINGS FOR A WEDDING CEREMONY: CULTURAL EXAMPLES

(SECULAR CELTIC - BY THE CELEBRANT OR A GUEST)

25. On this joyous day, we celebrate the Celtic spirit of Anam Cara. Anam Cara is translated from the Gaelic as "soul friend." By entering into a partnership with you're Anam Cara, you are joined in an ancient and eternal way with this person whom you cherish. In everyone's life there is a soul mate whose love embraces us. We recognize today the soul mate that ________________ and ________________ have found in each other. They will now recite their wedding vows in this spirit.

(SPIRITUAL CELTIC - BY THE CELEBRANT OR A GUEST)

26. On this blessed day, we celebrate the Celtic spirit of Anam Cara. Anam Cara is translated from the Gaelic as "soul friend." By entering into a partnership with you're Anam Cara, you are joined in an ancient and eternal way with this person whom you cherish. In everyone's life there is a soul mate whose love embraces us. We recognize today the soul mate that ________________ and ________________ have found in each other. They will now recite their wedding vows in this spirit.

(SECULAR NATIVE AMERICAN - BY THE CELEBRANT OR A GUEST - CAN BE USED AS GOOD WISHES)

27. The following Native American Reading is a Navajo song combined with an Apache incantation.

May you walk in beauty. Beauty before you. Beauty behind you. Beauty above and below you. May you have the strength of eagle's wings, the faith and courage to fly to new heights, and the wisdom of the universe to carry you there. May the sun bring you energy by day. May the moon softly restore you at night. May the rain wash away your worries, and the breeze blow new strength into your being. And all the days of your life, may you walk gently through the world and know its beauty.

(SPIRITUAL NATIVE AMERICAN - BY THE CELEBRANT OR A GUEST - CAN BE USED AS A BENEDICTION)

28. The following Native American Blessing is a Navajo song combined with an Apache prayer.

NON-BIBLICAL READINGS FOR A WEDDING CEREMONY: RELIGION EXAMPLES

(BUDDHIST TRADITIONAL - BY A GUEST)

29. This reading is taken from the Metta Sutta, also known as the Buddha's Discourse on Loving Kindness.

This is what should be done by the man and woman who are wise, who seek the good, and who know the meaning of the place of peace. Let them be fervent, upright and sincere, without conceit of self, easily contented and joyous, free of cares; let them not be submerged by the things of the world; let them not take upon themselves the burden of worldly goods; let their senses be controlled; let them be wise but not puffed up, and let them not desire great possessions even for their families. Let them do nothing that is mean or that the wise would reprove. May all beings be happy and at their ease. May they be joyous and live in safety. Let none deceive another or despise any being in any state. Let none by anger or ill-will wish harm to another. Even as a mother watches over and protects her only child, so with a boundless mind should one cherish all living beings, radiating friendliness over the entire world, above, below, and all around without limit. So let them cultivate a boundless good will toward the entire world, unlimited, free from ill-will and enmity. Standing or walking, siting or lying down, during all their waking hours, let them establish this mindfulness of good will, which is the highest state.

(MUSLIM-SUFI - BY A GUEST)

30. The following is a reading called "In One Another's Souls" by Sufi mystic and poet Rumi.

The moment I heard my first love story I began seeking you, not realizing the search was useless. Lovers don't meet somewhere along the way. They're in one another's souls from the beginning.

NON-BIBLICAL READINGS FOR A WEDDING CEREMONY: SEASONAL EXAMPLES

(SPIRITUAL SUMMER OR WINTER - BY A GUEST, THE BRIDE, OR THE GROOM)

31. This reading is entitled "Oath of Friendship."

I want to be your friend

For ever and ever without break or decay.

When the hills are all flat

And the rivers are all dry,

When it lightens and thunders in winter

When it rains and snows in summer,

When heaven and earth mingle-

Not till then will I part from you.

(SECULAR WINTER - BY A GUEST, THE BRIDE, OR THE GROOM)