“You have known each other from the first glance of acquaintance to this point of commitment. At some point, 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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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].”<\/p>\n

$\"\"$ photo by Alisha Siegel Photography<\/a><\/p>\n

“Two Fragments” by Sappho<\/h2>\n
\n
Love holds me captive again
\nand I tremble with bittersweet longing<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
As a gale on the mountainside bends the oak tree
\nI am rocked by my love<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Evelina<\/em> by Frances Burney<\/h2>\n“I revere you. I esteem and admire you above all human beings. You are the friend to whom my soul is attached as to its better half. You are the most amiable, the most perfect of women. And you are dearer to me than language has the power of telling… You are now all my own… How will my soul find room for its happiness? It seems already bursting!”<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
$\"\"$ photo by Heather Shane Photo<\/a><\/div>\n
\n
“Marriage Joins Two People In the Circle of Its Love” by Edmund O’Neill<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n
Marriage is a commitment to life,
\nthe best that two people can find and bring out in each other.
\nIt offers opportunities for sharing and growth
\nthat no other relationship can equal.
\nIt is a physical and an emotional joining that is promised for a lifetime.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Within the circle of its love,
\nmarriage encompasses all of life’s most important relationships.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
A wife and a husband are each other’s best friend,
\nconfidant, lover, teacher, listener, and critic.
\nAnd there may come times when one partner is heartbroken or ailing,
\nand the love of the other may resemble
\nthe tender caring of a parent or child.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Marriage deepens and enriches every facet of life.
\nHappiness is fuller, memories are fresher,
\ncommitment is stronger, even anger is felt more strongly,
\nand passes away more quickly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Marriage understands and forgives the mistakes life
\nis unable to avoid. It encourages and nurtures new life,
\nnew experiences, new ways of expressing
\na love that is deeper than life.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
When two people pledge their love and care for each other in marriage,
\nthey create a spirit unique unto themselves which binds them closer
\nthan any spoken or written words.
\nMarriage is a promise, a potential made in the hearts of two people
\nwho love each other and takes a lifetime to fulfill.<\/p>\n
$\"\"$ photo by A Little Long Distance<\/a><\/p>\n
Wild Awake<\/em> by Hilary T. Smith<\/h2>\n
“People are like cities: We all have alleys and gardens and secret rooftops and places where daisies sprout between the sidewalk cracks, but most of the time all we let each other see is is a postcard glimpse of a skyline or a polished square. Love lets you find those hidden places in another person, even the ones they didn’t know were there, even the ones they wouldn’t have thought to call beautiful themselves.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Looking for more wedding reading ideas? We’ve got you covered!<\/p>\n
15 Beautiful Nonreligious Readings for Your Wedding Ceremony<\/a><\/p>\n
12 Romantic Love Poems to Read at Your Wedding Ceremony<\/a><\/p>\n
13 Unexpected Wedding Ceremony Readings<\/a><\/p>\n
$\"\"$ <\/p>\n
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photo by Gloria Goode Photography Adding a reading to your ceremony is one of the most romantic ways to personalize your day. But we totally understand that it can feel overwhelming to find a reading (or readings) that actually reflect your love. So, we’ve done the hard work for you and found the most perfect, most unique wedding readings to incorporate into your celebration! photo by Eliza Jane Photography “How Falling in Love is Like Owning a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"kia_subtitle":"","footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[1512,1059,1008],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-724009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-wedding-ceremony","category-wedding-planning-101","category-wedding-planning-tips"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/724009","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=724009"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/724009\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=724009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=724009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=724009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

“Two Fragments” by Sappho<\/h2>\n\nLove holds me captive again\nand I tremble with bittersweet longing<\/p>\n<\/div>\n