Here are some resources to help you choose the perfect words to set you up for your vows:
Popular Wedding Readings:
These timeless passages will add a touch of romance and sentimentality to your ceremony.
Romantic
A Love for All Seasons
“Sonnet 18” by William Shakespeare
“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate. Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, and summer’s lease hath all too short a date; Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, and often is his gold…
“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate. Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, and summer’s lease hath all too short a date; Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, and often is his gold complexion dimmed; And every fair from fair sometime declines, by chance or nature’s changing course untrimmed; But thy eternal summer shall not fade nor lose possession of that fair thou owest; Nor shall Death brag thou wanderest in his shade, when in eternal lines to time thou growest.”
Classic
The Classic Tale
“Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
“You have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love, I love, I love you. I never wish to be parted from you from this day on. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you. In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My…
“You have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love, I love, I love you. I never wish to be parted from you from this day on. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you. In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how much I admire and love you. It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
Poetic
Whispers of the Heart
“The Prophet” by Khalil Gibran
“When love beckons to you, follow him, though his ways are hard and steep. Love one another, but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each…
“When love beckons to you, follow him, though his ways are hard and steep. Love one another, but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone, even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music. And stand together, yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, and the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.”
Modern
Modern Love
“The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green
“As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once. I am in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we’re all doomed and that there will…
“As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once. I am in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we’re all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we’ll ever have, and I am in love with you. Some infinities are bigger than other infinities.”
Sentimental
The Sentimental Journey
“Winnie the Pooh” by A.A. Milne
“If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you. How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard. If ever there is tomorrow when we’re not together, there is…
“If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you. How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard. If ever there is tomorrow when we’re not together, there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we’re apart… I’ll always be with you.”
Classic
Timeless Promises
“Les Misérables” by Victor Hugo
“To love or have loved, that is enough. Ask nothing further. There is no other pearl to be found in the dark folds of life. Life’s greatest happiness is to be convinced we are loved. The supreme happiness of life consists in the conviction…
“To love or have loved, that is enough. Ask nothing further. There is no other pearl to be found in the dark folds of life. Life’s greatest happiness is to be convinced we are loved. The supreme happiness of life consists in the conviction that one is loved; loved for one’s own sake, let us say rather, loved in spite of one’s self. Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise, and remember, whatever happens, the world is always full of beautiful things.”
Romantic
Eternal Embrace
“Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Brontë
“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will, which I now exert to leave you. I have little left in myself-I must have you. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the…
“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will, which I now exert to leave you. I have little left in myself-I must have you. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself. I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself. I am a free human being with an independent will.”
Poetic
A Poetic Union
“How Do I Love Thee?” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
“I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach, when feeling out of sight for the ends of being and ideal grace. I love thee to the level of every day’s most quiet need, by sun and candlelight. I love thee freely, as…
“I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach, when feeling out of sight for the ends of being and ideal grace. I love thee to the level of every day’s most quiet need, by sun and candlelight. I love thee freely, as men strive for right; I love thee purely, as they turn from praise. I love thee with the passion put to use in my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.”
Modern
New Beginnings
“The Notebook” by Nicholas Sparks
“The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds. That’s what I hope to give you forever. I am nothing special, of this I am sure. I am a common…
“The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds. That’s what I hope to give you forever. I am nothing special, of this I am sure. I am a common man with common thoughts and I’ve led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but I’ve loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough.”
Sentimental
The Heart’s Compass
“The Velveteen Rabbit” by Margery Williams
“Real isn’t how you are made. It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has…
“Real isn’t how you are made. It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”
Profound
Participation in Love
Mindy Kaling
From The Irrational Season By Madeleine L’Engle: “But ultimately there comes a moment when a decision must be made. Ultimately two people who love each other must ask themselves how much they hope for as their love grows and deepens, and…
From The Irrational Season By Madeleine L’Engle: “But ultimately there comes a moment when a decision must be made. Ultimately two people who love each other must ask themselves how much they hope for as their love grows and deepens, and how much risk they are willing to take. It is indeed a fearful gamble. Because it is the nature of love to create, a marriage itself is something which has to be created, so that, together we become a new creature.
To marry is the biggest risk in human relations that a person can take. If we commit ourselves to one person for life this is not, as many people think, a rejection of freedom; rather it demands the courage to move into all the risks of freedom, and the risk of love which is permanent; into that love which is not possession, but participation. It takes a lifetime to learn another person. When love is not possession, but participation, then it is part of that co-creation which is our human calling…”
Profound
Friendship on Fire
Love Is Friendship Caught Fire by Laura Hendricks
“Love is friendship caught fire; it is quiet, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection, and makes allowances for human weaknesses. Love is content with the…
“Love is friendship caught fire; it is quiet, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection, and makes allowances for human weaknesses. Love is content with the present, hopes for the future, and does not brood over the past. It is the day-in and day-out chronicles of irritations, problems, compromises, small disappointments, big victories, and working toward common goals. If you have love in your life, it can make up for a great many things you lack. If you do not have it, no matter what else there is, it is not enough.”
classy
More Shakespeare
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. Oh no, it is an ever-fixed mark, That looks on tempests and is never shaken; It is…
“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.
Oh no, it is an ever-fixed mark,
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering 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 prov’d,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.”
sentimental
From Brazil with Love
Paul Coehlo
“Love is not just looking at each other, it’s looking in the same direction. It is the mutual discovery of new dreams and passions, the sharing of laughter and tears, the celebration of each other’s victories and support during challenges.…
“Love is not just looking at each other, it’s looking in the same direction. It is the mutual discovery of new dreams and passions, the sharing of laughter and tears, the celebration of each other’s victories and support during challenges. In this journey called marriage, friendship will be your anchor, keeping your love burning bright.”
Contemporary and Fun Readings
Comedic
The Love Laughed About
Mindy Kaling
“Marriage is like a game of chess, except the board is flowing lava and the pieces are on fire. But hey, you chose each other. You chose to laugh at each other’s jokes, no matter how bad. In a world where nothing makes sense, you found…
“Marriage is like a game of chess, except the board is flowing lava and the pieces are on fire. But hey, you chose each other. You chose to laugh at each other’s jokes, no matter how bad. In a world where nothing makes sense, you found each other, and isn’t that the funniest thing of all?”
Contemporary
The Notebook of Real Life
Mindy Kaling
“In this real-life version of The Notebook, you laugh at the silly things, like when you both forget why you walked into a room. Love is not about finding the perfect person, but about seeing an imperfect person perfectly. May your…
“In this real-life version of The Notebook, you laugh at the silly things, like when you both forget why you walked into a room. Love is not about finding the perfect person, but about seeing an imperfect person perfectly. May your laughter be loud and your hearts even louder.”
Pop Culture
Friends Forever
Mindy Kaling
“As Chandler once wisely said, ‘You make me happy, and that’s not an easy thing to do.’ In the world of ‘we were on a break,’ you two found something worth never taking breaks from-each other. May your love be as timeless as a 90s sitcom…
“As Chandler once wisely said, ‘You make me happy, and that’s not an easy thing to do.’ In the world of ‘we were on a break,’ you two found something worth never taking breaks from-each other. May your love be as timeless as a 90s sitcom and your bond stronger than Ross’s love for dinosaurs.”
Comedic
The One With the Soulmates
Mindy Kaling
“Michael Scott from The Office once declared, ‘Would I rather be feared or loved? Easy. Both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me.’ In a world of paper, you found the one person who makes you feel like the world’s best…
“Michael Scott from The Office once declared, ‘Would I rather be feared or loved? Easy. Both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me.’ In a world of paper, you found the one person who makes you feel like the world’s best boss. Here’s to a partnership that’s as legendary as Michael’s management style.”
Comedic
Life, Love, and All the Punchlines
Mindy Kaling
“Tina Fey once said, ‘You can tell how smart people are by what they laugh at.’ Marriage is a comedy special you write together, and with each punchline, your bond grows stronger. May your life be filled with wit, wisdom, and laughter that…
“Tina Fey once said, ‘You can tell how smart people are by what they laugh at.’ Marriage is a comedy special you write together, and with each punchline, your bond grows stronger. May your life be filled with wit, wisdom, and laughter that never ends.”
Contemporary
The Rom-Com Reality
Mindy Kaling
“From the woman who penned the best rom-coms, Nora Ephron reminds us that when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible. Just remember, it’s okay to…
“From the woman who penned the best rom-coms, Nora Ephron reminds us that when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible. Just remember, it’s okay to laugh at each other’s quirks-they’re what make your love story unique.”
Comedic
The Seinfeld of Love
Mindy Kaling
“Love is like a stand-up routine. Sometimes it’s about nothing at all, but the nothing is everything. In this endless show, you two have found your perfect co-star, the one who laughs at all your punchlines even when they’ve heard them a…
“Love is like a stand-up routine. Sometimes it’s about nothing at all, but the nothing is everything. In this endless show, you two have found your perfect co-star, the one who laughs at all your punchlines even when they’ve heard them a million times.”
Pop Culture
The Lovable Imperfections
Mindy Kaling
“In the world of fairy tales, Shrek taught us that love is layers, like onions. It’s not about the ‘perfect’ happily ever after, but about embracing each other’s layers. May your story be one of laughter, love, and unexpected adventures…
“In the world of fairy tales, Shrek taught us that love is layers, like onions. It’s not about the ‘perfect’ happily ever after, but about embracing each other’s layers. May your story be one of laughter, love, and unexpected adventures through swamps and beyond.”
Comedic
Laughter in a Good Life
Mindy Kaling
“John Cleese once said, ‘He who laughs most, learns best.’ In marriage, the best lessons are learned through laughter. May your life together be filled with joy, learning, and more than a few Cleese-worthy chuckles.”
Contemporary
Reality and Romance
Mindy Kaling
“Mindy Kaling reminds us that life is all about balance. Your love story is a testament that you can have the romance of a fairy tale and the hilarity of a stand-up special. Embrace the quirks, laugh at the chaos, and cherish the love that…
“Mindy Kaling reminds us that life is all about balance. Your love story is a testament that you can have the romance of a fairy tale and the hilarity of a stand-up special. Embrace the quirks, laugh at the chaos, and cherish the love that binds it all.”
