Offbeat/quirky wedding readings

I have nothing to contribute but am going to stay tuned since I too am looking for similar things

"Mawage...is what bwings us togetha, today..."

I'm hoping my officiant (my BFF) starts us off that way. With enough drinks, I think she will.

I just went to a wedding where they read the excerpt from the velveteen rabbit, and it got boring. I lost track of where they were going with it. So if you do it, I suggest having your officiant practice it...it was clear that the officiant (a friend of the bride) had not practiced it much. The only thing I'll add is that we are doing the hands ceremony thing. It's too long to post, but it comes up if you Google it. Good luck!

I did a little looking a came across this: http://www.buzzfeed.com/jennaguillaume/beautiful-and-unique-wedding-readings-from-books

Who doesn't love a good buzzfeed

The dinosaur love story:

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

Milwaukee Bride, I read that and the one you posted too, Barbara. I told you I've been all over the internet lol. I think I agree about the velveteen rabbit thing. I think I'm going to go with the other 2 I mentioned. They've been my favorite so far

I'd Rather Rise in Love With You - By Jana Lynne Umipig

The poem "On Your Wedding Day"

Have you checked out the website www.offbeatbride.com?

When you have it all put together, run it by your officiant to make sure it meets legal requirements for the state where you'll get married.

We're going with a passage from Jonathan Safron Foer - short, simple, and very sweet.

""I love you" means that I accept you for the person that you are, and that I do not wish to change you into someone else. It means that I will love you and stand by you even through the worst of times. It means loving you when you're in a bad mood, or too tired to do what I want to do. It means loving you when you're down, not just when you're fun to be with. "I love you" means that I know your deepest secrets and do not judge you for them, asking in return that you do not judge me for mine. It means that I care enough to fight for what we have and that I love you enough not to let go. It means thinking of you, dreaming of you, wanting and needing you constantly, and hoping you feel the same about me."

We are doing 4 shorter readings/quotes by 4 friends (poem from Sex and the City, excerpt from We Have Lived and Loved Together by Charles Jefferys, Bob Marley and Dr. Seuss quotes). I think shorter stuff seems to keep people's attention. We also wrote our entire ceremony. The officiant said it is one of the best he has ever read so we were pretty proud of ourselves.

I went to a wedding that had a reading from The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and it was beautiful and unique.

Our reader said he couldn't talk about a "skin horse" with a straight face, but then we found A Lovely Love Story (the dinosaur one) and went with that. It was a hit! We also used e.e. cummings' "i carry you in my heart"

I also read this quote in an interview with Chuck Ragan that really resonated with me:

"When love beckons we either run like the wind, go with the flow, settle to make do or work to make better. Sometimes we connect and sometimes disintegrate. In any case or any relationship, whether typical or not, the ol' 'this is as good as it gets' attitude simply settles for less. Just because we’re smitten, recovering or bonded for life doesn't mean there isn't any more work to do. We make our own choices to stay, go or heal. Work a little harder or love a little stronger...there's always a way to build a better now and a better tomorrow."

We had my brother and sister in law do a "performance" reading from I Like You at our small, intimate wedding ceremony. They are both hams and my SIL is a school teacher and they were pros! We took passages from the book, changed them up a little in a few places, and they took turns saying the phrases to each other. It made my husband and I tear up (especially the part about being mad because it is SOOO true and the parts about bad luck and being sick because we have dealt with a lot in our relationship together) and it made everyone, including our officiant, laugh. We had so many people say they loved it and asked where we found the reading! Here is what we had them read:

person 1:

I like you and I know why. I like you because you are a good person to like. I like you because when I tell you something special, you know it's special, and you remember it a long, long time. You say, “remember when you told me something special?” And both of us remember.

person 2:

When I think something is important, you think it's important too, that’s why I like you. We have good ideas. When I say something funny, you laugh. I think I'm funny and you think I'm funny too.

person 1:

You know how to be silly, that's why I like you. I never met anybody sillier than me till I met you. You also know when it's time to stop being silly. Maybe day after tomorrow, maybe never. Too late, it's a quarter past silly!

person 2:

I like you because when I am feeling sad you don't always cheer me up right away. Sometimes it is better to be sad. You want to think about things, it takes time.

person 1:

I like you because if I am mad at you, then you are mad at me too. It's awful when the other person is so nice and hoo-hoo you could just punch them in the nose!

person 2:

I like you because if I think I am going to throw up then you are really sorry. You say, maybe it was something you ate. You say, the same thing happened to me one time and the same thing did.

person 1:

If you find two four-leaf clovers, you give me one. That’s why I like you. If I find four, I give you two. If we only find three, we keep on looking. Sometimes we have good luck, and sometimes we don't.

person 2:

I like you because I don't know why but everything that happens is nicer with you. I can't remember when I didn't like you, it must have been lonesome then.

person 1:

I like you because because because. I forget why I like you but I do. So many reasons! On the 4th of July I like you because it's the 4th of July. On the fifth of July, I like you too.

person 2:

Even if it was the 999th of July

person 1:

Even if it was August

person 2:

Even if it was way down at the bottom of November

person 1:

Even if it was no place particular in January

person 2:

I would go on choosing you and you would go on choosing me.

Over and over again. That's how it would happen every time.

We are just getting started figuring out what we want in the ceremony. So I've got nothing...but I'm stalking this thread for ideas. (Love "I like you.")

That's awesome everyone!!! Great ideas. I heard about a reading from Philip Pullman (the author) from one of his Golden Compass Books, but you might have to google it. We're also writing most of our ceremony, but our officiant had a few readings we liked so we might just end up sticking with those if we can't find others.

This is a genuinely quirky list, depending on how you decide to go: http://www.bennyroff.com/celebrant/planning/ceremony-resources/wedding_readings/