The Best Wedding Readings and Poems

Choosing the perfect wedding reading or poem is one of the most meaningful ways to personalise your ceremony. Whether you’re after a heart-melting love poem, a literary classic, or something with a dash of humour, the right words can elevate your ceremony and leave your guests reaching for the tissues (or at least snapping a pic). To save you from endless Googling, we’ve asked celebrants to dish on their all-time favourite readings. From tear-jerkers to laugh-out-loud gems. Get ready to find the one… for your ceremony.

The Best Wedding Readings And Poems As Chosen By Wedding Celebrants

For Now 

By Tracey Emin

Hurry
But do not hurry me,
Push
But do not push me,
Hold
But do not crush me’
Love
But do not change me
Let us stay the way we are

Devour
But do not consume me,
Thrill
But do not frighten me,
Excite
But do not scare me.
Teach
But do not change me
Let us learn from the way we are

Kiss
But do not smother me,
Embrace
But do not break me,
Adore
But do not suffocate me,
Love
Let me love you
Just the way you are

Better Together 

By Jack Johnson

There is no combination of words I could put on the back of a postcard

No song that I could sing, but I can try for your heart

Our dreams, and they are made out of real things

Like a, shoe box of photographs

With sepia-toned loving

Love is the answer, at least for most of the questions in my heart

Like why are we here? And where do we go?

And how come it's so hard?

It's not always easy and

Sometimes life can be deceiving

I'll tell you one thing, it's always better when we're together

Excerpt from “Paradise” 

By Toni Morrison

Love is divine only and difficult always.

If you think it is easy you are a fool.

If you think it is natural you are blind.

It is a learned application

without reason or motive

except that it is God.

You do not deserve love

regardless of the suffering

you have endured.

You do not deserve love

because somebody did you wrong.

You do not deserve love

just because you want it.

You can only earn — by practice

and careful contemplations —

the right to express it

and you have to learn how to accept it.

Which is to say

you have to earn God.

You have to practice God.

You have to think God-carefully.

And if you are a good and diligent student

you may secure the right to show love.

Love is not a gift.

It is a diploma.

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 bark, 

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.

Union 

By Robert Fulgham

You have known each other from the first glance of acquaintance to this point of commitment. At some point, you decided to marry. From that moment of yes, to this moment of yes, indeed, you have been making commitments in an informal way.

All of those conversations that were held in a car, or over a meal, or during long walks – all those conversations that began with, “When we’re married”, and continued with “I will” and “you will” and “we will” – all those late-night talks that included “someday” and “somehow” and “maybe” – and all those promises that are unspoken matters of the heart.

All these common things, and more, are the real process of a wedding. The symbolic vows that you are about to make are a way of saying to one another, “You know all those things that we’ve promised, and hoped, and dreamed – well, I meant it all, every word.”

Look at one another and remember this moment in time. Before this moment you have been many things to one another – acquaintance, friend, companion, lover, dancing partner, even teacher, for you have learned much from one another these past few years. Shortly you shall say a few words that will take you across a threshold of life, and things between you will never quite be the same.

For after today you shall say to the world –

This is my husband. This is my wife.

The Wedding Poem 

By Whitney Hanson

They say that sometimes
love starts with a spark.

And that might be true,
but if I were to wish you a love,
I wouldn't wish fire for you.

You see, fire is powerful.
It burns bright and then it's gone.
It's beautiful and warm,
but it doesn't last long.

So instead of wishing you a love that burns,
I wish you a love like a river twists and turns.
It changes and it flows,
It is powerful and free.
But it consistently finds its way back to the sea.

And so like the water,
I hope your love is ever growing, ever changing.
I hope your love is powerful and free,
And may you always find each other,

Like a river finds the sea.

Dust 

By Harry Baker

It’s not the flowers, it’s the weeding in the mud with you.

It’s not the champagne, it’s the cuppa in the favourite mug you use.

It’s not the chocolate,  ok yes it is but not one or two

It is becoming Bruce Bogtrotter or Augustus Gloop.

It’s voting frozen pizza over fancy grub with you

because some nights nothing can beat a slice of comfort food.

It’s knowing anything I eat will include some for you

because you’re not hungry but you might just have a couple of spoons.

It’s not the dreaming, it’s the waking up with you;

I want to be here long enough to gather dust with you.

'One Day’ 

By David Nicholls

What are days for?

Days are where we live

They come, they wake us

Time and time over

They are to be happy in

Where can we live but days?

It's one of the great cosmic mysteries.

How it is that someone can go from being a total stranger to being the most important person in your life

Imagine one selected day struck out of your life and think how different its course would have been.

Think for a moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link… on that memorable day.

Scaffolding 

By Seamus Heaney

Masons, when they start upon a building,
Are careful to test out the scaffolding;

Make sure that planks won’t slip at busy points,
Secure all ladders, tighten bolted joints.

And yet all this comes down when the job’s done
Showing off walls of sure and solid stone.

So if, my dear, there sometimes seem to be
Old bridges breaking between you and me

Never fear. We may let the scaffolds fall
Confident that we have built our wall.

J.R.R. Tolkien For His Wife

Lo! Young we are and yet have stood
like planted hearts in the great Sun
of Love so long (as two fair trees
in woodland or in open dale
stand utterly entwined and breathe
the airs and suck the very light
together) that we have become
as one, deep rooted in the soil
of Life and tangled in the sweet growth.

The Hobbit 

By J.R.R. Tolkien

The greatest adventure is what lies ahead
Today and Tomorrow are yet to be said
The chances, the changes are all yours to make
The mould of your life, is in your hands to break.

Quote 

By Bruce Lee

Love is like a friendship caught on fire. In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep-burning and unquenchable.

Wedding Bells 

By Nikunj Sharma

The stars shall shine little longer

tonight, little brighter as well, for they

need to match the spark of her eyes. The

flowers ' fragrance shall have to live

Longer, for the night is still young.

The Music shall have to fill the air, reach

farther, for the hearts have just begun

to move their feet. The nuptial

dance of destiny waits for the curtain

to be raised. The eyes shall have to

remain awake, for they need to witness

the genesis of a journey, that shall begin

tonight. The wedding ring finds a new

home, It shall enjoy a new freedom out

of the velvet box. The road

needs to convert itself into a runway

for the wishes shall take off and kiss

the clouds with their wings, aiming

for the horizon and nothing less. The

night sky has to create some space

for the eyes are full of stars tonight

The echo of music, shall resonate

till the doors of the dreams open

and welcome the couple in their home.

It Happens All The Time In Heaven 

By Hafiz

It happens all the time in heaven,

And some day

It will begin to happen

Again on earth –

That men and women who are married,

And men and men who are

Lovers,

And women and women

Who give each other

Light,

Often will get down on their knees

And while so tenderly

Holding their lover’s hand,

With tears in their eyes,

Will sincerely speak, saying,

“My dear,

How can I be more loving to you;

How can I be more

Kind?”

We hope these celebrant-approved wedding readings and poems have sparked inspiration for your big day. If you're still searching for that perfect piece, be sure to check out our Pinterest board, where we've curated 200+ wedding reading ideas for every style and theme. For book lovers, don’t miss some of our personal favourites featured in our Wedding Readings from Books article. Whichever words you choose, let them speak from the heart and make your ceremony uniquely yours.