Readings

It creates for us the world that we want to live in.
From the beginning of our lives, we know that love is the power that comforts and protects us;
It is the one feeling that we can depend upon to help us through life’s ups and downs.

Love is the understanding and security that never changes;
It allows us to be ourselves and feel self-confident.
Today, as the two of you join together and commit your love to each other, remember the
lessons of love that you have always known.

Let your love comfort, support and encourage you.
Let your love be the best part of your lives; always know that it will make everything better and it
will make your world a place of happiness.

anon

It’s a journey of promise that two make together
To find the happiness they’ll share forever
It’s a smile, a word, a gentle touch, that can’t be explained
– and yet means so much.

It’s making plans and seeing them through
And finding new things that two can do
It’s knowing the sky isn’t always blue
But smiling until the sun breaks through

It’s trust, and confidence – no hidden fears
That add to the happiness – through the years
It’s dreaming dreams, just made for two
And sharing the joy when they come true.

It’s closeness shared in a crowded street
And that special thrill as true lovers meet
It’s making a world where happiness holds
A special magic as each day unfolds

It’s when little thoughts give the heart a lift
An occasion remembered – a simple gift
It’s the faith and the hope, the pride and the care
And the wonderful world that you both share.

anon

May the sun bring you new energy by day
May the moon softly restore you by night
May the rain wash away your worries
May the breeze blow new strength into your being,
May you walk gently through the world and know it’s beauty all the days of your life.

Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be the shelter for each other.
Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be the warmth for the other.
Now there is no more loneliness; you are two persons, but there is only one life before you.

Go now to your dwelling place to enter into the days of your life
together; and may your days be good and long upon the earth.

an Apache blessing

Marriage is a commitment to life,
the best that two people can find and bring out of each other.
It offers opportunities for sharing and growth that no other relationship can equal.
It is a physical and an emotional joining that is promised for a lifetime.
Within the circle of its love,
marriage encompasses all of life’s most important relationships.

A wife and husband are each other’s best friend, confidante, lover, teacher, listener and
critic and there may come times when one partner is heartbroken or ailing, and the love
of the other may resemble the tender caring of a parent for a child.

Marriage deepens and enriches every facet of life.
Happiness is fuller, memories are fresher, commitment is stronger, even anger is felt
more strongly and passes away more quickly.
Marriage understands and forgives the mistakes life is unable to avoid.
It encourages and nurtures new life, new experiences and new ways of expressing a love
that is deeper than life.

When two people pledge their love and care for each other in marriage, they create a
spirit unique unto themselves, which binds them closer together than any spoken or
written words.

Marriage is a promise, a potential made in the hearts of two people who love each other
and takes a lifetime to fulfil.

Edmund O’Neill

If you can always be as close
And as happy as today
Yet be secure enough to grow
And change along the way

If you can keep alone
Your love as man and wife
Yet find the time to share your joy
With others in your life

If you can be as one and walk
Through marriage hand in hand
Yet still support the goals and dreams
That each of you had planned

If you can dare to always go
Your separate ways together
Then all the wonder of today
Will stay with you forever

Larry S Chengges

Now comes the knitting, the tying, entwining into one,
Mysterious involvement of two, whole, separate people
Into something altogether strange and changing, new and lovely.
Nothing can be, will never be, the same again:
Not merged into each other irrevocably, but rather
From now on we go the same way, in the same direction,
Agreeing not to leave each other lonely, or discouraged, or behind.
I will do my best to keep my promises to treasure you and keep you warm;
And we will make our wide bed beneath the bright
And ragged quilt of all the yesterdays that make us who we are,
The strengths and frailties we each bring to this marriage,
And we will be rich indeed.

Rowena Edlin-White

Love is a temporary madness
It erupts like volcanoes and then subsides
And when it subsides you have to make a decision
You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together
That it is inconceivable that you should ever part
Because this is what love is

Love is not breathlessness
It is not excitement
It is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion
That is just being “in love” which any fool can do
Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away
And this is both an art and a fortunate accident

Those that truly love have roots that grow towards each other underground
And when all the pretty blossom has fallen from their branches
They find that they are one tree and not two

Louis de Bernieres

he day of your wedding, is a time to reflect
On the things you can hope for and the things to expect

You could hope for great riches, huge bundles of cash
But then lose it all, in a Stock Market crash

Or you could hope for, a life of great ease
With the time and the money, to do as you please

But it’s better to hope for, the good things in life
Like a long happy life, as husband and wife

Like the smile and the kiss, as you walk through the door
And the baby that wakes you, at a quarter to four

And a life of variety, with sunshine and rain
And Frosties for breakfast, instead of champagne

Expect times of anger, the occasional huff
Because no-one annoys you, like the one that you love

But don’t look for problems, that the future may bring
Just to love and be loved, is a wonderful thing

Life’s not all plain sailing, not always a ball
But I know you’ll be happy, because love conquers all.

Robert Palmer

When you marry her, love her.
After you marry her, study her.
When she is blue, cheer her.
When she is talkative, by all means listen to her.
If she dresses well, compliment her.
When she is cross, humour her.
If she is jealous, cure her.
If she is lonely, comfort her.
When she looks pretty, tell her so.
Let her feel you understand her.
But never let her know she isn’t boss.

When you marry him, love him.
After you marry him, study him.
If he is secretive, trust him.
If he is sad, cheer him.
When he is talkative, listen to him.
When he is quarrelsome, ignore him.
If he is jealous, cure him.
If he cares not for pleasure, coax him.
If he favours society, accompany him.
When he deserves it, kiss him.
Let him think you understand him.
But never let him know you manage him.

Susan Branch

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 you’ll 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 will be times when you both disagree
These will surely be outweighed by pleasure

You will 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 that bond of true love lies unbroken

So be happy forever as lovers and friends
It’s the dream 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 its way to your hearts
Tomorrow can bring you the greatest of joys
But today is the day it all starts

Unknown

A good marriage must be created.
It is a relationship based on love, respect and determination
on the part of both husband and wife.

In marriage the little things are the important things…

It is never being too old to hold hands.
It is remembering to say “I love you” at least once each 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 demonstrating 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.

Wildred A. Peterson

This day I marry my best friend
…the one I laugh with as we share life’s wondrous zest,
as we find new enjoyments and experiences all that’s best

…the one I live for because the world seems brighter
as our happy times are better and our burdens feel much lighter,

…the one I love with every fibre of my soul,
We used to feel vaguely incomplete, now
Together we are whole

anon