Readings for a civil ceremony?

TangledMemories_2

Hi All!!

Sorry not been on here for a while...been a busy little bee with the wedding and looking after OH...oh and trying to do my job as well LOL:rotfl:

Anyhoo...we've got the venue sorted, the suits, who's doing what, the rings etc...but now I want to find some nice readings for the ceremony to break it up a bit.
Our registrar is the coolest guy on the block and anything goes.:T

The plan is to have my bridesmaid (and best mate) to do one, my Mum to do one and my 12 year old twin brothers to do a final reading as we've just been pronounced "ball and chain" lol.:D

I was thinking something sentimental for the first 2 but then quite humourous for the last one....

Any ideas?

collingwood21

We ticked the "no readings" box on our ceremony choices form - we had enough trouble choosing the music!

I like the idea you have of finishing on a humourous note, though. I have only been to one civil ceremony and the choices of the readings were all very sentimental. The overall effect was a bit much...something funny at the end would have been a nice touch, and would have lightened the mood a bit.

karen_newcastle

Here are the three reading we had at our civil ceremony. The Registrar read out the middle one just after we'd exchanged rings

Reading 1
On Your Wedding Day
Author Unknown

Today is a day you will always remember
The greatest in anyone's life
You'll start off the day just two people in love
And end it as Husband and Wife

It's a brand new beginning the start of a journey
With moments to cherish and treasure
And although there'll be times when you both disagree
These will surely be outweighed by pleasure

You'll have heard many words of advice in the past
When the secrets of marriage were spoken
But you know that the answers lie hidden inside
Where the bond of true love lies unbroken

So live happy forever as lovers and friends
It's the dawn of a new life for you
As you stand there together with love in your eyes
From the moment you whisper 'I do'

And with luck, all your hopes, and your dreams can be real
May success find it's way to your hearts
Tomorrow can bring you the greatest of joys
But today is the day it all starts.





Reading 2 -
“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 with yours as you chase down your dreams together -- everything you wish for is there to be had.
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 and grandchildren.
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.
These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle 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.
May these hands always be held by one another. May they have strength to hold on through the storms of stress and the darkness of disillusionment. May they be tender and gentle as they nurture each other in love. May these hands build a marriage founded in love, rich in caring, and reaching together to bring forth the very best in both.

Reading 3

He Never Leaves the Toilet Seat up
Anonymous

He never leaves the seat up
Or wet towels upon the floor
The toothpaste has the lid on
And he always shuts the door!

He's very clean and tidy
Though he may sometimes delude
Leave your things out at your peril
In a second they'll have moved!

She romances him and dines him
Home cooked dinners and the like
She even knows his favourite food
And spoils him day and night!

She's thoughtful when he looks at her
A smile upon his face
Will he look that good in 50 years
When his dentures aren't in place?!

He says he loves her figure
And her mental prowess too
But when gravity takes her over
Will she charm with her IQ?

She says she loves his kindness
And his patience is a must
And of course she thinks he's handsome
Which in her eyes is a plus!

They're both not wholly perfect
But who are we to judge
He can be pig headed
Where as she won't even budge!

All that said and done
They love the time they spend together
And I hope as I'm sure you do
That this fine day will last forever.

He'll be more than just her husband
He'll also be her friend
And she'll be more than just his wife
She'll be his soul mate 'till the end.

This poem is for Bride and Groom
A married couple now
It's a token of the love they share
And the thought behind each vow

december

I liked this one but in the end we chose not to have it as we didn't think the vicar would approve!

Yes, I'll Marry You by Pam Ayres.

Yes, I'll marry you, my dear,
And here's the reason why;
So I can push you out of bed
When the baby starts to cry,
And if we hear a knocking
And it's creepy and it's late,
I hand you the torch you see,
And you investigate.

Yes I'll marry you, my dear,
You may not apprehend it,
But when the tumble-drier goes
It's you that has to mend it,
You have to face the neighbour
Should our labrador attack him,
And if a drunkard fondles me
It's you that has to whack him.

Yes, I'll marry you,
You're virile and you're lean,
My house is like a pigsty
You can help to keep it clean.
That sexy little dinner
Which you served by candlelight,
As I do chipolatas,
You can cook it every night!

It's you who has to work the drill
and put up curtain track,
And when I've got PMT it's you who gets the flak,
I do see great advantages,
But none of them for you,
And so before you see the light,
I do, I do, I do!

This is the one we are having:
Fidelity by D.H. Lawrence Fidelity by D.H. Lawrence

Man and woman are like the earth, that brings forth flowers
in summer, and love, but underneath is rock.
Older than flowers, older than ferns, older than foraminiferae,
older than plasm altogether is the soul underneath.
And when, throughout all the wild chaos of love
slowly a gem forms, in the ancient, once-more-molten rocks
of two human hearts, two ancient rocks,
a man's heart and a woman's,
that is the crystal of peace, the slow hard jewel of trust,
the sapphire of fidelity.
The gem of mutual peace emerging from the wild chaos of love.

December

sandra_nz

This is the reading we had at our wedding:

I wanna Be Yours...by John Cooper Clark

I wanna be your vacuum cleaner
breathing in your dust
I wanna be your Ford Cortina
I will never rust
If you like your coffee hot
let me be your coffee pot
You call the shots
I wanna be yours

I wanna be your raincoat
for those frequent rainy days
I wanna be your dreamboat
when you want to sail away
Let me be your teddy bear
take me with you anywhere
I don’t care
I wanna be yours


I wanna be your electric meter
I will not run out
I wanna be the electric heater
you’ll get cold without
I wanna be your setting lotion
hold your hair in deep devotion
Deep as the deep Atlantic ocean
that’s how deep is my devotion

TangledMemories_2

They are really cool readings.
I love the "He Never Leaves the toilet seat up" one.
It describes us to a T lol

Amanda65

For either reading one or two, this is one of my favourites:

The art of marriage


A good marriage must be created, In the marriage the little things are the big things.
It is never being to 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 having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.
It is standing together and facing the world.
It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.
It is speaking words of appreciation and gratitude in thoughtful ways.
It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.
It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.
It is not only marrying the right person,
It is being the right partner.

Alfred Pedersen

schmink

I'm having this one at my wedding. I love it!!

Make You Feel My Love (bob dylan)

When the rain is blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love
When the evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love
I know you haven't made your mind up yet
But I would never do you wrong
I've known it from the moment that we met
No doubt in my mind where you belong
I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue
I'd go crawling down the avenue
There's nothing that I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love
The storms are raging on the rollin' sea
And on the highway of regret
The winds of change are blowing wild and free
You ain't seen nothing like me yet
I could make you happy, make your dreams come true
Nothing that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends of the earth for you
To make you feel my love

*starla*

I'm thinking of having Sandol Stoddard, 'I like you', it's quite long so I won't post it here but we're going to edit it down by cutting out all the bits that are too American and cheesy.

It's really sweet and would probably be a good one for the younger ones to read.

flowerscotland

I love all these readings ! The bob dylan one is beautiful

But if I have any of them I think I might cry lol ! Im such an emotional person, cry at anything, I was thinking about having readings, as I want a kind of personal touch, but Im scared I will be bubbling like a baby :rotfl: