​​​A short, religious reading
John 4: 7-12
"Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love... No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us."

 

A reading for couples that have been together for a long time
"The Beauty of Love" – Anonymous
"The question is asked: 'Is there anything more beautiful in life than a young couple clasping hands and pure hearts in the path of marriage?' And the answer is given: 'Yes, there is a more beautiful thing. It is the spectacle of an old man and an old woman finishing their journey together on that path... Their hands are gnarled but still clasped; their faces are seamed but still radiant; their hearts are physically bowed and tired but still strong with love and devotion. Yes, there is a more beautiful thing than young love. Old love.'"

 

A reading for couples that met at just the right time
"Maybe" – Author Unknown
"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."

 

A reading for couples who experienced love at first sight
From Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
"I have for the first time found what I can truly love – I have found you. You are my sympathy – my better self – my good angel... I am bound to you with a strong attachment. I think you good, gifted, lovely: a fervent, a solemn passion is conceived in my heart; it leans to you, draws you to my centre and spring of life."

 

A reading that speaks to what a couple wants for their future
"Instructions for Life in the New Millennium" – The Dalai Lama
"Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk. And that a loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life. Be gentle with the earth, be gentle with one another... Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other."

 

A reading that appreciates the uniqueness in their partner
"A Lovely Love Story" – Edward Monkton
"I like this Lovely Other Dinosaur, thought the Dinosaur. She is beautiful and she is different and she smells so nice. She is also a free spirit, which is a quality I much admire in a dinosaur... I will forgive her skipping mind and her fondness for Shopping, thought the Dinosaur. For she fills our life with beautiful thoughts and wonderful surprises."

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A reading that speaks to the balance created in a couple's relationship

"Blessing for a Marriage" – James Dillet Freeman

"May you always need one another – not so much to fill your emptiness as to help you to know your fullness. A mountain needs a valley to be complete; the valley does not make the mountain less, but more; and the valley is more a valley because it has a mountain towering over it. So let it be with you and you. May you need one another, but not out of weakness. May you want one another, but not out of lack. May you entice one another, but not compel one another. May you embrace one another, but not out encircle one another."

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A reading that highlights the importance of teamwork in a marriage is:

"The Art of a Good Marriage" – Wilfred Arlan Peterson

"A good marriage must be created. In your marriage, the little things are the big 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 value 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."