Short Readings of Love and Marriage
There are lots of different types of readings. Some are funny, some wax poetic and some are deeply deep. These have been selected to be shorter than most, and would be good in the vow section when the couple are a little shy and don’t really want to say a lot.
A nice reading in this spot before the legal vows can work really nicely.
Love is Giving
Love is giving, not taking,
mending, not breaking,
trusting, believing,
never deceiving,
patiently bearing
and faithfully sharing
each joy, each sorrow,
today and tomorrow.
Love is kind, understanding,
but never demanding.
Love is constant, prevailing,
its strength never failing.
A promise once spoken
For all time unbroken,
Love’s time is forever.
I Promise
I promise to give you the best of myself
and to ask of you no more than you can give.
I promise to respect you as your own person
and to realise that your interest, desires and needs
are no less important than my own.
I promise to share with you my time and my attention
and to bring joy, strength and imagination to our relationship.
I promise to keep myself open to you,
to let you see through the windows of my world
into my innermost fears and feelings, secrets and dreams.
I promise to grow along with you,
to be willing to face changes in order to keep
our relationship alive and exciting.
I promise to love you in good times and in bad,
with all I have to give and all I feel inside
in the only way I know how – completely and forever.
Dorothy R Colgan

The One
When the one whose hand you’re holding
is the one who holds your heart,
When the one whose eyes you gaze into
gives your hopes and dreams their start,
When the one you think of first and last
is the one who holds you tight,
And the things you plan together
make the world seem just right,
When the one whom you believe in
puts their faith and trust in you,
You’ve found the one and only love
People are Like Cities
“People are like cities:
We all have alleys and gardens and secret rooftops and places where daisies sprout between the sidewalk cracks,
but most of the time all we let each other see is a postcard glimpse of a skyline or a polished square.
Love lets you find those hidden places in another person,
even the ones they didn’t know were there,
even the ones they wouldn’t have thought to call beautiful themselves.”
ON OUR WEDDING DAY
By Mand
Be with me whenever you can.
Love me for what I am.
Convince me when I am in doubt.
Give me hope when I seem without.
Respect me, show me you care.
Stand by me, always be there.
Forgive me if I should do wrong.
Caress me when nights seem so long.
Assure me, allay my fears.
Be faithful throughout the years.
Trust me as I will trust you.
Encourage my dreams my life through.
Be with me whenever you can.
Love me for what I am.
THE SECRETS OF A GOOD MARRIAGE
© Ellie Kelsch
Growing up I’ve learnt about love,
I’ve been surrounded by it everyday.
I’m so glad you’ve both found it,
And it’s why we’re here today.
They say there’s secrets to a good marriage,
That there are rules to obey,
But the most important rules of love,
Are what you two do everyday.
It’s the ‘hey babes’ in the morning, It’s how she makes his tea,
It’s the way he smiles at her, Such a sweet thing to see.
It’s never being to old to hold hands,
Or to watch movies on the couch,
It’s accepting all the flaws,
Even when the other’s a grouch.
It’s telling him he’s not going grey,
It’s the ‘You look fine in those jeans’
It’s ignoring the mid-life crisis,
and all her little ‘scenes’.
It’s facing the world as one,
And it’s more than love at first sight,
It’s together being a family,
Each and every day and night.
It’s the way he looks into her eyes,