As much as I loved finding my dress and dreaming up reception details, and all those other fun to dos that come with wedding planning, the one thing that really fired me up every time I sat down with my wedding planner was thinking about our ceremony. When this thing went wrong and that thing was too expensive, or whatever other mishaps arose, picturing walking down the aisle to Dave, saying our vows, and hearing the songs and readings we had selected brought my heart so much peace.
Your ceremony is, without a doubt, the most important part of your wedding day (it’s the only part of the day that actually gets you married!), and it’s a unique opportunity to show your guests why you’re all gathered together. Through the ceremony you plan, you can tell people your love story, share what you value most, honor the people who are most important to you, and so much more.
One way to do that is through readings, whether you opt for some traditional, oldie-but-oh-so-goodie Scripture readings you want to base your marriage on, you choose a poem or excerpt from a book that’s meaningful to you, or you go a creative route with an old love letter or favorite song. Once a month, we’ll be sharing a few ceremony readings we love, with the help of many friends and a few brides we’ve featured–be sure to pin your favorites to reference when the time comes!
“The first one, the one that was easy, was an excerpt from Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. MC is one of both my and John’s favorite books, and this passage in particular has always been meaningful to us. When I first read this passage, soon after John and I started dating, I pretty much hated it. I thought it was unromantic, and untrue. Seven years on, I find it both terribly romantic, and very true.” – Emily Thomas, Southern Weddings (See Emily’s wedding here!)
“My husband Matt and I chose Song of Solomon 8:6 as our ceremony reading. We asked his sister to read these two verses right before we exchanged our vows. When we were planning our ceremony, I asked Matt to select our reading and ceremony music; it was a fun and intentional way for him to get involved in the wedding planning process! When he told me he chose these verses, I couldn’t have agreed more. They give such a beautiful representation of true love and the covenant of marriage. The rings we exchanged are a symbol of the line ‘Set me as a seal upon my heart, a seal upon your arm’ and the line ‘Love is as strong as death’ reminds me of our commitment ’til death do us part. It will forever be one of my favorite Scripture references!” – Kat Schmoyer, Dear Sweetheart Events (See Kat’s wedding here!)
“We chose this reading because it celebrated the here and now, while also sharing a vision that we had for our future together. Standing in front of our family and friends, we wanted to share how we planned to build a legacy with our hands and pledge our hearts to impacting the world for the better.” – Natalie Franke, Natalie Franke Photography (See Natalie’s newlywed home tour here!)
“Before the homily, my sorority sister read Revelation 21:1-6. I know Revelation isn’t at the top of the ‘read at a wedding’ list! Wes and I clung to creating a wedding ceremony that pointed to our belief that marriage is a picture of Jesus Christ’s crazy love for His bride, the church–we loved the reminder that God is making all things new.” – Ashlyn Carter, Ashlyn Writes (See Ashlyn’s wedding here!)
What did you choose for your ceremony readings? Chime in in the comments below to add to this list!
Wow- I love these and this new series! Thanks for providing such amazing insight into the most important part of a wedding day!