My granddaughter has asked me to do a reading at her wedding ceromony in her local church. It does not have to be a religious reading but one of my choice.
Does anyone have any brilliant ideas for me to investigate please. So far, I have only come up with an Edward Lear Poem, the Owl and the Pussycat as it sprang to mind straight away. She works in a children’s nursery and thinks the world of her cat, so I thought it was fairly apt but if anyone can come up with another suggestion, I would be grateful. It must not be too long but worth my while getting up from my seat and standing in front of a full church. I have only spoken to a crowd at two funerals so this is going to be a whole lot happier I hope.
I typed "reading for a wedding non-religious) into Google and millions (literally) of results came up. This one has some lovely suggestions. I liked the quote from Les Miserables because of the French connection.
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 time 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 tru 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 its way to your hearts
Tomorrow can bring you the greatest of joys
But today is the day it all starts.
I like the handfasting ceremonies… probably the origin of “tieing the knot”…
“May you know nothing but happiness from this day forward.
May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home
And may the hand of a friend always be near.
May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you.”
You’re right there Stella, as the last time I was in this particular church, it was for my son’s funeral. This is why we want to make the day as happy and light hearted as possible. It’s going to be a day to remember for all of us. It will be the first time my husband has been back to UK in 15 years.
Whatever you read… make sure you have it printed in extra-large type… also, I always mark where I intend to “breathe” and that stops me gabbling.
General rule is that “slower is better than faster” and gives folk time to take in what is being said. Oh, and take a moment to look up, now and again…rather than staring at the paper…
You will be just fine… anything that comes from the heart will bring tears to someone, but that is part and parcel… just make sure there are tears of joy as well !!
Oh my goodness Elizabeth…how I empathise…I did a reading at my dad’s funeral…it was a poem I had written years before for my mom and dad…I had printed it out for everyone in case I couldn’t do it on the day…my voice was shaking on every word…the tears stuck in my throat but I got to the end and people started a round of applause…Yep whatever you decide…print it out…practice it…know where you need to breathe…and know in advance that your decision will be perfect and appreciated…xxx
Thank you Helen and Stella for your words of support.
I know this will be a much happier occasion and I can draw on strengths I found on my two previous readings. The first was for my mother which I got through easier than the second one as it was made up of contributions from my brothers and sisters and it was like reading a text that did not touch me much as it wasn’t my sentiments. The second was for my sister in law which I wrote completely myself and it came from the heart and apart from a little stumble I got through it but with real feeling.
I am looking forward to this really happy occasion especially as my granddaughter really appreciates us coming from France to be there. She has promised us 5 star treatment. Not sure what to make of that!
A few years ago an English friend in Perigueux went out for a stroll to pick up the paper and bread and never came back. His body was found a few days later about 10 kms downstream in the Dordogne river ( he livd near the river in the town). My mate was a frequent pilgrim to Compostella .His wife asked if I would read the hymn “To be a Pilgrim” at the ceremony. That hymn just happened to be my old school song so I offered to sing it, much to the amazement of the 100 or so people present !
(The verdict was that he had a heart attack and fell in the river)
