Choosing Wedding Ceremony Readings

Choosing Wedding Ceremony Readings is a responsible task. If you are looking forward to having a wedding ceremony that is personalized from the wedding dress, adding personalized readings is another great way to do it. Readings for the wedding ceremony allows you to give your loved ones, especially those not in your wedding party, a unique role when it comes to your big day.

So, where do you begin when it comes to wedding readings? The following are some of the tips that should help you in coming up with the right readings for your wedding ceremony.

• Talk to your officiant

If you have already settled on your wedding officiant, you have to talk to them about having readings in your wedding ceremony. There are religious ceremonies that might not be conducive to have other readings included, so it is essential to ensure that your officiant knows about your idea.

If that is the case, they can be a great source,to provide suggestions for the reading that might make your wedding ceremony unique, one that is going to match with your personality as well as style.

Your officiant can determine the right time during the wedding ceremony when to include the readings so that they feel seamless and natural.

• How many readings do you need in your ceremony?

It is recommended that you limit the number of readings at your wedding ceremony to a maximum of two. If you have too many readings, they might cause your wedding ceremony to drag, making the guests bored, which is not ideal.

If there are several loved ones whom you want to assign to be readers, you have to remember that, several loved ones can be able to perform a single reading with each of them reading a small portion.

• Are your readings, religious or secular?

The both of you plus your officiant will need to sit down and discuss if the readings will be secular or religious.  Choose which one will be best for your ceremony. If your readings will be religious, it means that you will select a verse or a passage from a sacred text or a religious blessing or poem.  For a secular reading, it can be a book excerpt, poetry, song lyrics, or lines of a television or a movie show.

• Think about those who will be reading

If you have trouble choosing the readings for your wedding ceremony, it might be right for you to think about those who are going to read them. If it is a young child who will be doing the reading, getting a passage from a child book will be appropriate.

Your friend who loves Shakespeare readings, then they might just enjoy reading something from the Bard. It is essential that reading reflects you as well as the taste of the reader. It should also go well with your partner. When the reading is tailored to your reader, it helps in sorting various options that you have as well as help the readers to be more comfortable to speak in front of the guests.

• How long is a reading supposed to be

During your wedding ceremony, the readings should not take more than five minutes. What to do before you select a reading? Try to time yourself while reading it very slowly and transparently. This way you can find out how long it will take you to present at your wedding ceremony. In case it takes more than three minutes, then you have to edit down. You might want to change to another passage.

• Read it carefully

You have to ensure that you read the passage or poem carefully. Ask other people to read it also and get their views. You want to ensure that the words make sense and are meaningful to the occasion.

You should not include reading that has unsavory language, or for no reason, you will make your guests uncomfortable. Your readings need to be uplifting, and while they might be sentimental and emotional, they should have a positive message.

• Pick something that is a classic

Several secular and religious readings are frequently read during wedding ceremonies. For example, 1 Corinthians 13 that starts with words about love being patient and kind. From Elizabeth Browning – how do I love you. And from Shakespeare’s 116 Sonnet about marriage and much more.  Use what has been tried and worked perfectly well.

• Choose your favorites

The best and easy way you can choose readings for weddings, which reflects your personality is to get an excerpt from a book, poem, or song lyrics, that you and your partner love. You should think in terms of your favorite passages and writers that might be great for your wedding ceremony. In most instances, readings at weddings tend to focus on love, but they are several things that can be appropriate. Readings can be sweet, emotional, romantic, or even funny. Just pick something that will make you feel true and is seamless to your wedding style.

• Think out of the box

You should never be afraid of choosing readings for your wedding ceremony that are non-traditional. Even, if your wedding ceremony is casual. Check out a variety of celebratory readings from novels, love poems, and lyrics of favorite songs. This will help you to come up with unique readings that have never been used before. You can decide to have several guests to recite dialogue lines.

• Get personal

In case you and your partner have a writing history, you can decide to have your love notes read at your wedding ceremony. Though it might seem to be over-sharing, it can be personal and super sweet. Of course you will have to ensure that the letters are appropriate to the wedding. For example, they are not too intimate, and they are of a reasonable length.

• Include the entire crew

You don’t have to choose only two readers or less. Have all your wedding guests to read the wedding ceremony readings all at once. You can include the reading text in your wedding program. Your officiant will ask your guests to stand up and read it together at a certain point in the ceremony.

Choosing a wedding ceremony reading can be hectic. However, with the above ideas, you might find that it works well for you. For other ways to spice up your wedding readings, check The Ultimate Bride’s Survival Guide.

 

Header Image Credit: @gabbydarlingphotography