Non-Scripture ceremony readings

I will have scripture read, but I am also going to have a passage from one of my favorite books...Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. You can get a list off the internet of readings from classic books.

There are our readings...sorry for the caps. It was like that on the Internet.

1. The key to love

by Anon, 1st century China

"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 fortunes 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 ...

realizing that you are two separate people, with different ideas;

that you don't belong to each other,

that 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

that will take you to its threshold;

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."

2. Love is...

Susan polis Schutz

Love is . . . Being happy for the other person when they are happy, Being sad for the person when they are sad, Being together in good times, And being together in bad times.

LOVE IS THE SOURCE OF STRENGTH.

Love is . . . Being honest with yourself at all times, Being honest with the other person at all times, Telling, listening, respecting the truth, And never pretending.

LOVE IS THE SOURCE OF REALITY.

Love is . . . An understanding so complete that you feel as if you are a part of the other person, Accepting the other person just the way they are, And not trying to change them to be something else.

LOVE IS THE SOURCE OF UNITY.

Love is . . . The freedom to pursue your own desires while sharing your experiences with the other person, The growth of one individual alongside of and together with the growth of another individual.

LOVE IS THE SOURCE OF SUCCESS.

Love is . . . The excitement of planning things together, The excitement of doing things together.

LOVE IS THE SOURCE OF THE FUTURE.

Love is . . . The fury of the storm, The calm in the rainbow.

LOVE IS THE SOURCE OF PASSION.

Love is . . . Giving and taking in a daily situation, Being patient with each other's needs and desires.

LOVE IS THE SOURCE OF SHARING.

Love is . . . Knowing that the other person will always be with you regardless of what happens, Missing the other person when they are away but remaining near in heart at all times.

LOVE IS THE SOURCE OF SECURITY.

LOVE IS . . . THE SOURCE OF LIFE!

Here are some of mine.

The Art of a Good Marriage

Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens.

A good marriage must be created in the art of marriage; the little things are big things…

It is never being too old to hold hands.

It is remembering to say “I love you” at least once a day.

It is never going to sleep angry.

It is never taking the other for granted; the courtship should not end with the honeymoon,

it should continue through all the years.

It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.

It is standing together facing the world.

It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.

It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy.

It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.

It is not expecting the husband to wear a halo or the wife to have wings of an Angel.

It is not looking for perfection in each other.

It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding, and a sense of humour.

It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.

It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.

It is finding room for the things of the spirit.

It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.

It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal.

It is not only marrying the right partner,

It is being the right partner.

"Union" by Robert Fulghum

You have known each other for years, through the first glance of acquaintance to this moment of commitment. At some moment, you decided to marry.

From that moment of yes to this moment of yes, indeed, you have been making promises and agreements in an informal way. All those conversations that were held riding in a car or over a meal or during long walks - all those sentences that began with “When we’re married” and continued with “I will" and "you will" and "we will” - those late night talks that included “someday” and “somehow” and “maybe” - and all those promises that are unspoken matters of the heart. Just two people working out what they want, what they believe, what they hope for each other.

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 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, and even teacher, for you have learned much from one another in these last few years. You have learned that good company and friendship count for more than wealth, good looks or position. And you’ve learned that marriage is a maze into which we wander – a maze that is best got through with a great companion.

Now you shall say a few words that take you across a threshold of life, and things will never quite be the same between you. For after these vows, you shall say to the world, this is my husband, this is my wife.

Also this one. It's great to use instead of a prayer.

BLESSING FOR A MARRIAGE ~ James Dillet Freeman ~

May your marriage bring you all the exquisite excitements a 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 to know your fullness.

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 out 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.

@kahlcara I think we are using that one! I love it!! And I also liked "I Belong in your arms" by Deborah Bridea, could be done as a reading or you could read it to FH or vice versa.

Union by Robert Fulgham. I also pieced together passages from Love and Living by Thomas Merton. The "Love is our destiny" section.

We are using -

"A Lovely Love Story" by Edward Monkton:

http://www.itakeyou.co.uk/wedding-ideas/wedding-readings-poems/a-lovely-story.htm

"Captain Corelli's Mandolin" by Louis De Bernieres:

http://offbeatbride.com/2012/10/your-favorite-readings

And at the suggestion of Cecilia our Officiant is starting our ceremony with this game of thrones reading:

Thanks ladies! some great suggestions already!

keep 'em coming

Some of our favorites have already been mentioned: The Art of a Good Marriage; and Blessing for a Marriage. We also like "Marriage Joins Two People in the Circle of Its Love"

By Edmund O’Neil and "These Are the Hands," which we may do just before exchanging rings.

MARRIAGE JOINS TWO PEOPLE IN THE CIRCLE OF ITS LOVE

~ By Edmund O'Neill ~

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.

Blessing of the Hands

These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day, 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 passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch, will comfort you like no other.

These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief fills your mind.

These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow, and tears of joy.

These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children.

These are the hands that will help you to hold your family as one.

These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it.

And lastly, 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.

Some ideas of short quotes from classic literature:

“To love or have loved, that is enough. Ask nothing further. There is no other pearl to be found in the dark folds of life.” -- Victor Hugo, Les Miserables

"Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” -- Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights

“I have for the first time found what I can truly love - I have found you. You are my sympathy - my better self - my good angel; I am bound to you with a strong attachment. I think you good, gifted, lovely: a fervent, a solemn passion is conceived in my heart; it leans to you, draws you to my center and spring of life, wraps my existence about you - and, kindling in pure, powerful flame, fuses you and me in one.” -- Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre

We are doing 2 of the ones already mentioned above. I wanted to do this but FH wasn't a fan.

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

“I fell in love with him. But I don’t just stay with him by default as if there’s no one else available to me. I stay with him because I choose to, every day that I wake up, every day that we fight or lie to each other or disappoint each other. I choose him over and over again, and he chooses me.”

Your wedding is in the summer; please don't pick something long, tedious and boring.

Ten different officiants post to this pinterest page; there are about 600 ideas there. I do love the game of thrones reading, lol!

https://www.pinterest.com/Celiamilton/wedding-vows-and-readings/

I find 'the hands' thing to be too long, too repetitive in format. Half of it will be fine.

Some of how great these readings are depends on how great your officiant or guest reader is at delivering them, so take that into consideration too.

If you've got someone who's really good at delivering poetry, e.e. cummings' "i carry your heart with me" is gorgeous.

We are using Union by Robert Fulgham, I love it!

READING-19 Cherish Every Moment Leslie A. Neilson

Today is the beginning of a dream.

A day where two souls are woven together.

Cherish every moment that life offers.

And celebrate every small pleasure.

Express your love at every chance.

And allow it to unfold gracefully.

Show your devotion and dedicate your lives to the enrichment of each other.

Strive always for honesty and integrity.

Build upon your marriage daily.

And seek to understand each other.

But above all this…

Draw upon the love you feel today

And forever etch it in your hearts

READING-14 On Marriage Kahlil Gibran

Then Almitra spoke again and said, ‘And what of Marriage, master?’ And he answered saying: You were

born together, and together you shall be forevermore. You shall be together when white wings of death

scatter your days. Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God. But let there be spaces in

your togetherness, And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.

Love one another but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your

souls. Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup. Give one another your bread but eat not from the

same loaf. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone, Even as the strings

of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping. For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts. And

stand together, yet not too near together : For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and

the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.

READING-7 Marriage Advise Jane Wells (1886)

Let your love be stronger than your hate or anger.

Learn the wisdom of compromise, for it is better to bend a little than to break.

Believe the best rather than the worst.

People have a way of living up or down to your opinion of them.

Remember that true friendship is the basis for any lasting relationship.

The person you choose to marry is deserving of the courtesies and kindness you bestow on your friends.

Please hand this down to your children and your children’s children.