WEDDING READINGS
The Key to Love
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 fortune
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 the hope of just a simple smile
and by giving in but never giving up.
The key to love is respect...
realising that you are two separate people,
with different ideas.
That you don’t belong to each other,
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.
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!
On Your Wedding Day
Today is the day you will always remember
- the greatest in anyone’s life
You start off the day just two people in love
And end it as husband and wife.
It’s a brand new beginning, the start of a journey
With moments to cherish and treasure
And although there’ll be times when you both disagree
These will surely be outweighed by pleasure.
You’ll have heard many words of advice in the past
When the secrets of marriage were spoken,
But you know that the answers lie hidden inside
Where the bond of true love lies unbroken.
So live happy forever- as lovers and friends
It’s the dawn of a new life for you
As you stand there together with love in your eyes
From the moment you whisper ‘I do’.
And with luck, all your hopes, and your dreams can be real
May success find its way to your hearts
Tomorrow can bring you the greatest of joys
But today is the day it all starts.
Reflection of Marriage
Real love in marriage is something beyond the warmth and glow,
the excitement and romance, of being deeply in love.
It is the caring as much about the welfare and happiness
of your marriage partner as about your own.
But real love is not being totally absorbed in each other.
It means looking outward in the same direction, together.
Love makes burdens lighter because you divide them,
It makes joys more intense because you share them.
It makes you stronger so you can reach out
and become involved with life in ways
you would never dare risk alone.
The beautiful thing about love
is that it is an experience we share
with all people throughout the world.
Yet to everyone who falls in love
it is the most unique and precious thing in the world.
Marriage Message
May your marriage bring you all the exquisite excitement marriage should bring,
And may life grant you also patience, tolerance, and understanding.
May you always need one another - not so much to fill your emptiness
As to help you know your fullness.
A mountain needs a valley to be complete; the valley does not make the mountain less, but more;
And the valley is more a valley because it has a mountain towering over it.
May you need one another, but not out of weakness. May you want one another, but not out of lack.
May you entice one another, but not compel one another. May you embrace one another, but not encircle one another. May you succeed in all important ways with one another, And not fail in the little graces.
May you look for things to praise, often say, “I love you!” And take no notice of small faults.
If you have quarrels that push you apart, may both of you hope to have
good sense enough to take the first step back.
May you enter into the mystery which is the awareness of one another’s presence - no more physical than spiritual, warm and near when you are
side by side, and warm and near when you are in separate rooms
Or even distant cities.
May you have happiness,
And may you find it making one another happy.
May you have love, and may you find it loving one another.
James Dillet Freeman
He’s Not Perfect
He’s not perfect. You aren’t either,
And the two of you will never be perfect.
But if he can make you laugh at least once,
Causes you to think twice,
And if he admits to being human and making mistakes,
Hold onto him and give him the most you can.
He isn’t going to quote poetry,
He’s not thinking about you every moment,
But he will give you a part of him that he knows you could break.
Don’t hurt him, don’t change him,
And don’t expect for more than he can give.
Don’t analyze.
Smile when he makes you happy,
Yell when he makes you mad,
And miss him when he’s not there.
Love hard when there is love to be had.
Because perfect guys don’t exist,
But here stands the one guy that is perfect for you.
Bob Marley
The Best things in Life are Free
When we count our many blessings,
It isn't hard to see
That life's most valued treasures
Are the treasures that are free,
For it isn't what we own or buy
That signifies our wealth.
It's the special gifts
That have no price-
our family, friends and health.
We Have Come Here Today
We have come here today,
as family and friends,
to be with you as you promise
yourselves to each other
in marriage.
We are here because we love you,
we support you and we wish you
every happiness in your future
together.
By being here today,
we affirm our involvement
in your lives.
We acknowledge our duty to help,
if asked, and accept your right
to call us in times of trouble.
This is the greatest gift
we can give to you.
We ask only that you accept it
with love and sincerity
with which it is offered.
We welcome you to each other’s
family.
Union
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.
Robert Fulghum
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
Love is a temporary madness,
It erupts like volcanoes and then subsides.
And when it subsides you have to make a decision.
You have to work out whether your roots
have so entwined together
that it is inconceivable that you should ever part.
Because that is what love is.
Love is not breathlessness,
it is not excitement,
it is not the promulgation of eternal passion.
That is just 'being in love' which any fool can do.
Love itself is what is left over when
being in love has burned away,
and this is both an art and a fortunate accident.
Those that truly love, have roots that grow
towards each other underground,
and when all the pretty blossom have fallen from their branches,
they find that they are one tree and not two.
Apache Blessing
Now you will feel no rain,
for each of you will be shelter for the other,
Now you will feel no cold,
for each of you will be warmth to the other,
Now there will be no loneliness,
for each of you will be the companion to the other.
Now you are two persons,
but there is only one life before you.
May beauty surround you both
in the journey ahead
and through all the years.
May happiness be your companion
and your days together be good
and long upon this earth.
Friendship
It is often said that it is love that makes the world go round. However, without doubt, it is friendship which keeps our spinning existence on an even keel.
True friendship provides so many of the essentials for a happy life - it is the foundation on which to build an enduring relationship, it is the mortar which bonds us together in harmony, and it is the calm, warm protection we sometimes need when the world outside seems cold and chaotic.
True friendship holds a mirror to our foibles and failings, without destroying our sense of worthiness.
True friendship nurtures our hopes, supports us in our disappointments, and encourages us to grow to our best potential.
XXX and XXX came together as friends. Today, they pledge to each other not only their love, but also the strength, warmth and, most importantly, the fun of true friendship.
by Judy Bielicki
‘The Invitation’ - Oriah Mountain Dreamer
It doesn't interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for,
& if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.
It doesn't interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love,
for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon...
I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow,
if you have been opened by life's betrayals
or have become shrivelled & closed from fear of further pain.
I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own
without moving to hide it, or fade it, or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness & let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers & toes, without cautioning us, to be careful
to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true.
I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal & not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless & therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see Beauty even when it is not pretty every day.
And if you can source your own life from its presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure, mine or your own
& still stand at the edge of the lake & shout to the silver of the full moon,
"Yes!"
It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up after a night of grief & despair
weary & bruised to the bone
& do what needs to be done to feed the children.
It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand in the centre of the fire with me
& not shrink back.
It doesn't interest me where, or what, or with whom you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself
& if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.
Falling in Love is Like Owning a Dog
On cold winter nights, love is warm.
It lies between you and lives and breathes
and makes funny noises.
Love wakes you up all hours of the night with its needs.
It needs to be fed so it will grow and stay healthy.
Love doesn't like being left alone for long.
But come home and love is always happy to see you.
It may break a few things accidentally in its passion for life,
but you can never be mad at love for long.
Is love good all the time? No! No!
Love can be bad. Bad, love, bad! Very bad love.
Love makes messes.
Love leaves you little surprises here and there.
Love needs lots of cleaning up after.
Sometimes you just want to get love fixed.
Sometimes you want to roll up a piece of newspaper
and swat love on the nose,
not so much to cause pain,
just to let love know Don't you ever do that again!
Sometimes love just wants to go for a nice long walk.
Because love loves exercise.
It runs you around the block and leaves you panting.
It pulls you in several different directions at once,
or winds around and around you
until you're all wound up and can't move.
But love makes you meet people wherever you go.
People who have nothing in common but love
stop and talk to each other on the street.
Throw things away and love will bring them back,
again, and again, and again.
But most of all, love needs love, lots of it.
And in return, love loves you and never stops.
May Your Mornings Bring Joy
May your mornings bring joy and your evenings bring peace.
May your troubles grow few as your blessings increase.
May the saddest day of your future, be no worse than the happiest day of your past.
May your hands be forever clasped in friendship, and your hearts joined forever in love.