WEDDING READINGS (1)

"“Love is tricky. It is never mundane or daily. You can never
get used to it. You have to walk with it, then let it walk with
you. You can never balk. It moves you like the tide. It takes
you out to sea, then lays you on the beach again. Today’s
struggling pain is the foundation for a certain stride through
the heavens. You can run from it but you can never say no.”

The Hundred Secret Senses - Amy Tan

“If there is no love in the world, we will make a new world,
and we will give it walls, and we will furnish it with soft, red
interiors, from the inside out, and give it a knocker that
resonates like a diamond falling to a jeweller’s felt so that we
should never hear it. Love me, because love doesn’t exist, and
I have tried everything that does.”

Everything is Illuminated - Jonathan Safran Foer

““Love is by definition an unmerited gift; being loved without
meriting it is the very proof of real love. If a woman tells me:
I love you because you’re intelligent, because you’re decent,
because you buy me gifts, because you don’t chase women,
because you do the dishes, then I’m disappointed; such love
seems a rather self-interested business. How much finer it is
to hear: I’m crazy about you even though you’re neither
intelligent nor decent, even though you’re a liar, an egotist, a
bastard.”

Slowness - Milan Kundera

readings from
songs

How many times must I tell you babe,
How many bridges I’ve got to cross?
How many times must I explain myself
Before I can talk to the boss,‘Fore I can talk to the boss?
How many times must I say I love you
Before you finally understand?
Won’t you be my forever woman?
I’ll try to be your forever man,
Try to be your forever man.

Forever Man - Eric Clapton

So close no matter how far
Couldn’t be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
And nothing else matters
Never opened myself this way
Life is ours, we live it our way
All these words I don’t just say
And nothing else matters
Trust I seek and I find in you
Every day for us something new
Open mind for a different view
And nothing else matters

Nothing Else Matters - Metallica

Sometimes you get so lonely
Sometimes you get nowhere
I've lived all over the world
I've left every place
Please be mine
Share my life
Stay with me
Be my wife

Be my Wife - David Bowie

If a picture paints a thousand words,
Then why can’t I paint you?
The words will never show the you
I’ve come to know.
If a face could launch a thousand ships,
Then where am I to go?
There’s no one home but you
,You’re all that’s left me too.
And when my love for life is running dry,
You come and pour yourself on me.
If a man could be two places at one time,
I’d be with you.
Tomorrow and today, beside you all the way.
If the world should stop revolving spinning slowly down to die,
I’d spend the end with you.
And when the world was through,
Then one by one the stars would all go out,
Then you and I would simply fly away

If - Bread

You do something to me
Something deep inside
I’m hanging on the wire
For a love I’ll never find
You do something wonderful
Then chase it all away
Mixing my emotions
That throws me back again
Hanging on the wire, yeahI’m waiting for the change
I’m dancing through the fire
Just to catch a flame
An’ feel real again

You do Something to me - Paul Weller

You are the sun
You are the only one
My heart is blue
My heart is blue for you
Be my, be my, be my little rock and roll queen
Be my, be my, be my little rock and roll queen
You are the sun
You are the only one
You are so cool
You are so rock and roll

Rock and Roll Queen - The Subways

I’m not a perfect person
There’s many things I wish I didn’t do
But I continue learning
I never meant to do those things to you
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know
I’ve found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is you

The Reason - Hoobastank

Thought I’d been in love before,
But in my heart I wanted more
Seems like all I really was doing
Was waiting for you
Don’t need to be alone
No need to be alone
It’s real love
Yes it’s real, yes it’s real love
It’s real, yes it’s real love

Its Real Love - John Lennon

YI may not always love you
But long as there are stars above you
You never need to doubt it
I'll make you so sure about it
God only knows what I'd be without you
If you should ever leave me
Though life would still go on believe me
The world could show nothing to me
So what good would living do me
God only knows what I'd be without you

God only Knows - The Beach Boys

And I wonder
If everything could ever feel this real forever
If anything could ever be this good again
The only thing I’ll ever ask of you
You’ve got to promise not to stop when I say when

Everlong - Foofighters

Can’t explain all the feelings that you’re making me feel
My heart’s in overdrive and you’re behind the steering wheel
Touching you, touching me
touching you, god you’re touching me
I believe in a thing called love
Just listen to the rhythm of my heart
There’s a chance we could make it now
We’ll be rocking ’til the sun goes down
I believe in a thing called love
Ooh!
I wanna kiss you every minute, every hour, every day
You got me in a spin but everythin’ is
A.OK!

I believe in a thing called Love - The Darkness

“Way down the mountain I chased a moonbeam
On the beach I built sandcastles too
My moonbeams faded my castle tumbled
All of this was meaningless ‘cause happiness is you 
No more chasing moonbeams or catching falling stars
I know now my pot of gold is anywhere you are
My heart won’t miss you my heart goes with you
Loneliness is emptiness but happiness is you”

Happiness is You - Jonny Cash

At last my love has come along
My lonely days are over and life is like a song, oh yeah
At last the skies above are blue
My heart was wrapped up clover the night I looked at you
I found a dream that I could speak to
A dream that I can call my own
I found a thrill to press my cheek to
A thrill I’ve never known, oh yeah
You smiled, you smiled oh and then the spell was cast
And here we are in Heaven
For you are mine at last

At Last - Etta James

For you there’ll be no crying
For you the sun will be shining‘
Cause I feel that when I’m with you
It’s all right, I know it’s right
And the songbirds keep singing
Like they know the score
And I love you, I love you, I love you
Like never before
To you I would give the world
To you I’d never be cold
‘Cause I feel that when I’m with you
It’s all right, I know it’s right
And the songbirds keep singing
Like they know the score
And I love you, I love you, I love you
Like never before, like never before
Like never before

Song bird - Eva Cassidy

More than the greatest love the world has known,
This is the love I give to you alone,
More than the simple words I try to say,
I only live to love you more each day.
More than you'll ever know, my arms long to hold you so,
My life will be in your keeping, waking, sleeping, laughing,
weeping,
Longer than always is a long long time, but far beyond forever
you're gonna be mine.
I know I've never lived before and my heart is very sure,
No one else could love you more."

More - Frank Sinatra

I'll be your mirror
Reflect what you are, in case you don't know
I'll be the wind, the rain, and the sunset
The light on your door to show that you're home
When you think the night has seen your mind
That inside you're twisted and unkind
Let me stand to show that you are blind
Please put down your hands
'Cause I see you
I find it hard to believe you don't know
The beauty that you are
But if you don't let me be your eyes
A hand in your darkness, so you won't be afraid
When you think the night has seen your mind
That inside you're twisted and unkind
Let me stand to show that you are blind
Please put down your hands
'Cause I see you
I'll be your mirror"

I'll be your Mirror - Velvet Underground

Heart beats fast
Colors and promises
How to be brave
How can I love when I’m afraid to fall
But watching you stand alone
All of my doubt, suddenly goes away somehow
One step closer I have died everyday, waiting for you
Darling, don’t be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years
I’ll love you for a thousand more 
Time stands still
Beauty in all she is
I will be brave
I will not let anything, take away
What’s standing in front of me
Every breath, every hour has come to this
One step closer I have died everyday, waiting for you
Darling, don’t be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years
I’ll love you for a thousand more
And all along I believed, I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me,
I have loved you for a thousand years
I’ll love you for a thousand more…………..

A Thousand Years - Christina Perri

"If the sun refused to shine, I would still be loving you.
When mountains crumble to the sea, there will still be you and
me.
Kind woman, I give you my all
Kind woman, nothing more.
Little drops of rain whisper of the pain, tears of loves lost in the
days gone by.
My love is strong, with you, there is no wrong,together we shall go
until we die. My, my, my.
An inspiration is what you are to me, inspiration, look...see.
And so today, my world it smiles, your hand in mine, we walk the
miles,
Thanks to you it will be done, for you to me are the only one.
Happiness, no more be sad, happiness...I'm glad.
If the sun refused to shine, I would still be loving you.
When mountains crumble to the sea, there will still be you and
me."

Thank You -Led Zeppelin

"I hear the drizzle of the rain
Like a memory it falls
Soft and warm continuing
Tapping on my roof and walls.
And from the shelter of my mind
Through the window of my eyes
I gaze beyond the rain-drenched streets
To England where my heart lies.
My mind's distracted and diffused
My thoughts are many miles away
They lie with you when you're asleep
And kiss you when you start your day.
And a song I was writing is left undone
I don't know why I spend my time
Writing songs I can't believe
With words that tear and strain to rhyme.
And so you see I have come to doubt
All that I once held as true
I stand alone without beliefs
The only truth I know is you.
And as I watch the drops of rain
Weave their weary paths and die
I know that I am like the rain
There but for the grace of you go I

Kathy's Song - Paul Simon

When the rain is blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love
When the evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears
Oh, I hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love
I know you haven’t made your mind up yet
But I will never do you wrong
I’ve known it from the moment that we met
No doubt in my mind where you belong
I’d go hungry; I’d go black and blue
And I’d go crawling down the avenue
No, there’s nothing that I wouldn’t do
To make you feel my love
The storms are raging on the rolling sea
And on the highway of regret
The winds of change are blowing wild and free
You ain’t seen nothing like me yet
I could make you happy, make your dreams come true
There’s nothing that I wouldn’t do
Go to the ends of this Earth for you
To make you feel my love, oh yes
To make you feel my love

Make you feel my love - Adele

BIBLE READINGS

Let the morning bring me
word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I entrust my life.

Psalm 143:8

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear,
because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is

not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us.

1 John 4: 18-19

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries
and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move
mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:2

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around
your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.

Proverbs 3:3

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one
who loves another has fulfilled the law.

Romans 13:8

I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.Song of Solomon
2:16Therefore what God has joined together, let no one
separate

Mark 10:9

Two are better than one,
because they have a good
return for their labor: If either
of them falls down, one can
help the other up. But pity
anyone who falls and has no
one to help them up. Also, if
two lie down together, they
will keep warm. But how can

one keep warm alone?
Ecclesiastes 4:9

“So God created man in his
own image, in the image of
God he created him; male and
female he created them. And
God blessed them. And God
said to them, 'Be fruitful and
multiply and fill the earth and
subdue it and have dominion
over the fish of the sea and
over the birds of the heavens
and over every living thing
that moves on the earth.'

Genesis 1:27-28:

“You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride; you have
captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one

jewel of your necklace."

Song of Solomon 4:9:

“No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God
lives in us and his love is made complete in us."

1 John 4:12:

“Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following
after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you
lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your
God, my God. Where you die, I will die, And there will I be
buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, If anything but

death parts you and me."

Ruth 1:16-17:

If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not
have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I
have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all
knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains,

but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my
possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast,
but do not have love, I gain nothing.Love is patient; love is
kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It
does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;
it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures
all things.Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will

come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for
knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know only in part,
and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete comes,
the partial will come to an end. When I was a child, I spoke

like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child;
when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. For
now we see in a mirror, dimly,* but then we will see face to
face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I
have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide,

these three; and the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians Chapter 13

My beloved speaks and says to me:
‘Arise, my love, my fair one,and
come away;for now the winter is
past,the rain is over and gone.The
flowers appear on the earth;the
time of singing has come,and the
voice of the turtle-doveis heard in

our land.The fig tree puts forth its
figs,and the vines are in

blossom;they give forth fragrance.
Arise, my love, my fair one,and
come away.’

Song of Solomon
Chapter 2 Verses 10-13

Set me as a seal upon your heart,as
a seal upon your arm;for love is
strong as death,passion fierce as

the grave.Its flashes are flashes of
fire,a raging flame.Many waters
cannot quench love,neither can
floods drown it.If one offered for
loveall the wealth of one’s house,it

would be utterly scorned.

Song of Solomon
Chapter 8 Verses 10-13

My beloved spoke and said to me
“arise, my darling, my beautiful one, come

with me.
See! The winter is past; the rains are over

and gone.
Flowers  appear on the earth; the season of

singing has come, the cooing of doves is
heard in our land.

The fig tree forms its early fruit; the
blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one,

come with me.”

SONG OF SONGS 2:10-13

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say,
Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to
everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry
about anything, but in everything by prayer
and supplication with thanksgiving let your
requests be made known to God. And the

peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus.Finally, beloved,
whatever is true, whatever is honourable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever
is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if

there is any excellence and if there is
anything worthy of praise, think about these

things. Keep on doing the things that you
have learned and received and heard and
seen in me, and the God of peace will be with

you.

Philippians Chapter 4, verses 4 - 9

Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to
show hospitality to strangers, for by doing
that some have entertained angels without
knowing it. Remember those who are in
prison, as though you were in prison with

them; those who are being tortured, as
though you yourselves were being tortured.
Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let
the marriage bed be kept undefiled; Keep
your lives free from the love of money, and
be content with what you have; for he has
said, “I will never leave you or forsake you."
So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is

my helper; I will not be afraid.

Hebrews 13:1-16

Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that
the man should be alone; I will make him a

helper fit for him.’
… So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall
upon the man, and while he slept took one of

his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.
And the rib that the Lord God had taken
from the man he made into a woman and

brought her to the man.

Genesis 2:18

Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit,
sympathy, love for one another, a tender
heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil

for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the
contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this
that you were called--that you might inherit

a blessing. For "Those who desire life and
desire to see good days, let them keep their

tongues from evil and their lips from
speaking deceit; let them turn away from evil
and do good; let them seek peace and pursue

it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the
righteous, and his ears are open to their

prayer."

Peter 3:8-12a

Little children, let us love, not in word or
speech, but in truth and action. And by this
we will know that we are from the truth and

will reassure our hearts before him
whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is

greater than our hearts, and he knows
everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not
condemn us, we have boldness before God;

and we receive from him whatever we
ask, because we obey his commandments
and do what pleases him. And this is his
commandment, that we should believe in
the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love
one another, just as he has commanded us.

All who obey his commandments
abide in him, and he abides in them. And
by this we know that he abides in us, by the

Spirit that he has given us.

John 3:18-24

non religious wedding
readings

Marriage is a commitment to life, the best that two
people can find and bring out in each other. It offers
opportunities for sharing and growth that no other
relationship can equal. It is a physical and an emotional
joining that is promised for a lifetime. Within the circle
of its love, marriage encompasses all of life’s most
important relationships. A wife and a husband are each
other’s best friend, confidant, lover, teacher, listener, and
critic. And there may come times when one partner is
heartbroken or ailing, and the love of the other may

resemble the tender caring of a parent for a
child. Marriage deepens and enriches every facet of

life. Happiness is fuller, memories are
fresher, commitment is stronger, even anger is felt more

strongly, and passes away more quickly. Marriage
understands and forgives the mistakes life is unable to

avoid. It encourages and nurtures new life, new
experiences, and new ways of expressing a love that is
deeper than life.  When two people pledge their love and

care for each other in marriage, they create a
spirit unique unto themselves which binds them
closer than any spoken or written words. Marriage is a
promise, a potential made in the hearts of two people
who love each other and takes a lifetime to fulfill

Marriage Joins Two People in the Circle of Its
Love By Edmund O’Neil

These are the hands of your partner, young and strong
and full of love, holding your hands as you promise to
love each other today, tomorrow, and forever. These are
the hands that will work alongside yours as together
you build your future. These are the hands that will hold
you and comfort you in grief and uncertainty. These are
the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from
your eyes, tears of sorrow and joy. These are the hands
that will hold your family as one. These are the hands
that will give you strength. And these are the hands that
even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for
yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness

with just a touch.

Blessing of the hands - Unknown

’ll be there, my darling, through thick and through thin
When your mind’s in a mess and your head’s in a spin
When your plane’s been delayed, and you’ve missed the

last train
When life is just threatening to drive you insane
When your thrilling whodunit has lost its last page
When somebody tells you, you’re looking your age
When your coffee’s too cool, and your wine is too warm
When the forecast said, ‘Fine,’ but you’re out in a storm
When your quick break hotel, turns into a slum
And your holiday photos show only your thumb
When you park for five minutes in a resident’s bay
And return to discover you’ve been towed away
When the jeans that you bought in hope or in haste
Just stick on your hips and don’t reach round your waist
When the food you most like brings you out in red

rashes
When as soon as you boot up the bloody thing crashes

So my darling, my sweetheart, my dear…
When you break a rule, when you act the fool
When you’ve got the flu, when you’re in a stew
When you’re last in the queue, don’t feel blue

’Cause I’m telling you, I’ll be there.

I'll be there for you - Louise Cuddon

"But ultimately there comes a moment when a decision
must be made. Ultimately two people who love each
other must ask themselves how much they hope for as

their love grows and deepens, and how much risk they
are willing to take…It is indeed a fearful gamble…
Because it is the nature of love to create,

a marriage itself is something which has to be created,
so that, together we become a new creature.To marry is

the biggest risk in human relations that a person can
take…If we commit ourselves to one person for life this

is not, as many people think, a rejection of freedom;
rather it demands the courage to move into all the risks

of freedom, and the risk of love which is permanent;
into that love which is not possession, but

participation…It takes a lifetime to learn another
person…When love is not possession, but participation,

then it is part of that co-creation which is our human
calling, and which implies such risk that it is often
rejected."

The Irrational Season - Madeleine L'Engle

If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were loved by wife, then thee;

If ever wife was happy in a man,
Compare with me ye women if you can.
I prize thy love more that whole mines of gold,
Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
My love is such that rivers cannot quench,
Nor ought but love from thee give recompense.

Thy love is such I can no way repay,
The heavens reward thee manifold I pray.
Then while we live, in love let’s so persever,
That when we live no more, we may live ever.

To my Dear and Loving Husband - Anne
Bradstreet

To whom I owe the leaping delight
That quickens my senses in our wakingtime
And the rhythm that governs the repose of our

sleepingtime,The breathing in unison
Of lovers whose bodies smell of each other
Who think the same thoughts without need of speech
And babble the same speech without need of meaning.

No peevish winter wind shall chill
No sullen tropic sun shall wither
The roses in the rose-garden which is ours and ours

only
But this dedication is for others to read:
These are private words addressed to you in public.

A Dedication to my Wife - T.S Eliot

When you love someone, you do not love them all the
time, in exactly the same way, from moment to

moment. It is an impossibility. It is even a lie to pretend
to. And yet this is exactly what most of us demand. We

have so little faith in the ebb and flow of life, of love,
of relationships. We leap at the flow of the tide and
resist in terror its ebb. We are afraid it will never
return. We insist on permanency, on duration, on
continuity; when the only continuity possible, in life as
in love, is in growth, in fluidity—in freedom, in the
sense that the dancers are free, barely touching as they
pass, but partners in the same pattern.The only real

security is not in owning or possessing, not in
demanding or expecting, not in hoping, even. Security

in a relationship lies neither in looking back to what
was in nostalgia, nor forward to what it might be in

dread or anticipation, but living in the present
relationship and accepting it as it is now. Relationships

must be like islands, one must accept them for what
they are here and now, within their limits—islands,
surrounded and interrupted by the sea, and continually

visited and abandoned by the tides."

Gift from the Sea -Anne Morrow Lindbergh