How to Choose Your Wedding Readings
A lot of brides think that the most fun part of planning a wedding is putting together the reception. After all, that's when your wedding turns into a huge party! With such a celebration on the horizon, it's easy to forget about the wedding readings. Many couples opt to have readings at their weddings. These serve as artistic representations of love, loyalty, family, and whatever other values the couple strives to abide by. So, how does one go about choosing her readings, exactly? You just have to ask yourself a few simple questions.
1. Is your wedding religious or secular?
Whether you've chosen to incorporate religion into your wedding ceremony can actually give you a good clue for some great wedding readings. In a Christian wedding, you might choose a passage from the Bible. In a Jewish wedding, you can choose your favorite prayer from the Torah. If your wedding is secular, you might want to stay away from religious texts.
2. What does the officiant say that you'd like to expand upon, or punctuate?
Even if he or she won't give you an exact word-for-word script of what he or she will say during the ceremony, the officiant can at least clue you in on the main points of the ceremony. Realistically, you and your husband-to-be should have quite a bit of control over what the officiant will be saying, so this shouldn't be an issue. Is there anything he or she says, or glosses over, that you would like to expand upon? Try finding a poem or song that encapsulates those values.
3. What does the officiant not say that you'd like to include?
You may purposefully ask the officiant to leave a certain value or aspect of marriage out of the ceremony so you can find a reading that captures it. Alternatively, perhaps the officiant missed something important to you - such as compromise, comfort, or dedication - that you find is important to include. The readings you choose are your chances to fill empty spaces.
4. Are there any famous poets or authors who touch you?
Especially if your reading isn't coming from a religious text, you're going to want to look to the written word for a reading. For something truly unique and special to the two of you as a couple, why not choose a poet or author who speaks to you? Maybe there's a certain book you bonded over, or a favorite poem you share. If you could curl up and read just a few paragraphs of text right now, which would you read? Those might be your wedding ceremony readings.
5. Is someone close to you a writer?
Do you know someone who dabbles in the art of poetry or prose his or herself? Especially if this person is family, or a dear friend, you might ask to loot through some of their work to use as your wedding ceremony readings. There are a few unique benefits to this, such as having wedding readings nobody else has had before, and even possibly having the writer him or herself doing the reading.
6. What is it that makes you, as a couple, unique?
Were you high school sweethearts? Did you each find each other after heartbreak? Did you meet somewhere special? Try and find some poetry or prose relating to that little detail that everyone knows about you that truly sets you apart from all other couples. It's your wedding, and you're going to want it to be as enveloping of your inimitable relationship as possible.
What readings did you choose for your wedding, or what readings are you planning on? Tell us in the comments!
