Readings at civil ceremony

We had Union by Robert Fulghum and an excerpt from Captain Corelli's Mandolin.

They were read by husband's dad and sister.

Me and Oh chose one reading each and we have asked friends to read them so that they can be involved in our wedding ;-)

We are having The Owl and the Pussycat and The Apache Wedding Blessing.

There are lots of websites with inspiration for wedding readings or you could use song lyrics that you like, etc.

Rather topically, we had a Seamus Heaney poem, read by my gruff Irish Uncle, just unbelievably perfect.

Then the Dinosaur one, a rather cutesy Edward Monkton effort, just asking for the Jackanory style and read beautifully (in perfect Jackanory style) by my teacher best bridesmaid friend.

We knew who we wanted and we worked it through - what would they feel right with, what would be their forte? But most importantly, what would make people cry?

We also had the cutesy dinosaur one read by my thespian bridesmaid- she read it as a performance and it really worked.

the other was called 'the promise' and was read by our best man.

*thumbs up* It can be rocked or ruined. Nobody would pick someone to ruin it. I am now imagining a 'Poor Yorick' soliloquy......

Alas there was no skulls involved. *sigh*

Alas there was no skulls involved. *sigh*

We weren't going to have one, but Ant found one from the hitchhikers guide that was lovely. It was from so long and thanks for all the fish, when Arthur first meets fenchurch, his soul mate:

Another one who had A Lovely Love Story (the dinosaur one), and it was read by my sister in law who pulled on a dinosaur costume in order to read it!

We were given a booklet of pre-approved readings, romantic i know! But two of them were really appropriate, we have 2 best men so they will read one each either side of the vows. One best man will cry so he is going first!

This is something I have been looking into as well. Is so hard to choose!! Below is something I found which I really like, but might not be everyone's cup of tea!

The Hands Ceremony – Author Unknown

Please face each other and take each other’s hands, so that you may see the gift that they are to you. 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 temporarily comes to you. 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, the hands that will join your family as one. These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it, support and encouragement to pursue your dreams, and comfort through difficult times.

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.

I liked the dinosaur reading. If we were going to have a reading, this is the closest I'd come to picking one. But I would have to remove the lines about shopping. I HATE shopping! ?

We having an extract from Captain Corelli's Madolin too and I love it :-) perfect for us x

That was beautiful!! Had tears in my eyes reading this!! Am feeling slightly sensitive at the moment a I'm feeling massively overwhelmed by the whole wedding thing!!

We had the Apache Prayer too; it was just perfect.

We are having two, one is a definite and the other is a toss up between another two.

Our definite is:

I Love You by Larry S. Chengges

I love you,

Not only for what you are,

But for what I am
When I am with you.

I love you,

Not only for what
You have made of yourself,
But for what
You are making of me.

I love you,

For the part of me
That you bring out;

I love you,

For putting your hand
Into my heaped-up heart
And passing over
All the foolish,

weak things
That you can't help
Dimly seeing there,

And for drawing out
Into the light
All the beautiful belongings
That no one else had looked
Quite far enough to find.

I love you,

Because you have done
More than any creed
Could have done
To make me good.

And more than any fate
Could have done
To make me happy.

You have done it
Without a touch
Without a word,
Without a sign.

You have done it
By being yourself,

Perhaps that is what
Being a friend means,

After All.

And the second one is a toss up between these two:

We had this one... very apt for 2nd marriages I think... and I love the last line.

'Maybe...We are supposed to meet the wrong people before meeting the right one so that, when we finally meet the right person, we will know how to be grateful for that gift

Maybe...it is true that we don't know what we have got until we lose it, but it is also true that we don't know what we have been missing until it arrives.

Maybe...the happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.

Maybe...the best kind of love is the kind you can sit on a sofa together and never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you've ever had

Maybe...you shouldn't go for looks; they can deceive. Don't go for wealth; even that fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile, because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright.

Maybe...you should hope for enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, and enough hope to make you happy.

Maybe... Love is not about finding the perfect person, it's about learning to see an imperfect person perfectly