To Love Is Not To Possess is a wedding reading celebrating equality and the freedom found in love, and we have to say, this is one of our faves! It's a short but perfectly sweet poem and makes a great reading for any ceremony. We have a free printable copy, and a jpeg down below to add to your Pinterest board. (Yes, we do think of everything). So without further ado have a scroll, and get ready to feel the love...

To Love Is Not To Possess

by James Kavanaugh

To love is not to possess,
To own or imprison,
Nor to lose one’s self in another.
Love is to join and separate,
To walk alone and together,
To find a laughing freedom
That lonely isolation does not permit.
It is finally to be able
To be who we really are
No longer clinging in childish dependency
Nor docilely living separate lives in silence,
It is to be perfectly one’s self
And perfectly joined in permanent commitment
To another--and to one’s inner self.
Love only endures when it moves like waves,
Receding and returning gently or passionately,
Or moving lovingly like the tide
In the moon’s own predictable harmony,
Because finally, despite a child’s scars
Or an adult’s deepest wounds,
They are openly free to be
Who they really are--and always secretly were,In the very core of their being
Where true and lasting love can alone abide.

Well, this To Love Is Not To Possess reading has our vote. But if you're looking for something a little different you're sure to find it in our ultimate roundup of civil ceremony readings. Or if you're not sure where to begin with your readings, we have a readings podcast episode where we delve into all the dos, don'ts and hot tips for choosing the perfect one! Having a religious ceremony? We've got that covered too. Don't say we never give you anything...