If you're writing your wedding vows or personalizing your wedding ceremony with meaningful readings, delve into the world of literature, poetry, quotes and lyrics for inspiration. Spend some time at the library reading works by your favorite authors; listen to lyrics from songs that moved you—even consult Hollywood for some lines that strike an emotional chord.
Browse through some of our favorite passages for inspiration and incorporate them into your wedding vows for a truly customized wedding ceremony.
P O E T R Y
William Shakespeare – "Romeo and Juliet"
    My bounty is as boundless as the sea,
    My love as deep; the more I give to thee,
    The more I have, for both are infinite.
William Shakespeare – "Sonnet 116"
    Let me not to the marriage of true minds
    Admit impediments. Love is not love
    Which alters when it alteration finds,
    Or bends with the remover to remove:
    O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
    That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
    It is the star to every wandering bark,
    Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
    Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
    Within his bending sickle's compass come:
    Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
    But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
    If this be error and upon me proved,
    I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
Wilferd Peterson – The Art of 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 a day.

    It is never going to sleep angry.
    It is at no time taking the other for granted;
    the courtship should not end with the honeymoon,
    it should continue through all the years.

    It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.
    It is standing together facing the world.
    It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.
    It is doing things for each other,
    not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice,
    but in the spirit of joy.

    It is speaking words of appreciation,
    and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.
    It is not expecting the husband to wear a halo
    or the wife to have the wings of an angel.
    It is not looking for perfection in each other.

    It is cultivating flexibility, patience,
    understanding and a sense of humor.
    It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
    It is giving each other an atmosphere
    in which each can grow.

    It is finding room for the things of the Spirit.
    It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.
    It is establishing a relationship in which
    the independence is equal, dependence is mutual,
    and the obligation is reciprocal.

    It is not only marrying the right partner,
    it is BEING the right partner.
    This is "The Art of Marriage"
C U L T U R A L   H E R I T A G E
Irish Wedding Blessing
    May God be with you and bless you
    May you see your children's children
    May you be poor in misfortunes,
    Rich in blessings
    May you know nothing but happiness
    From this day forward
Apache Wedding Blessing
    Now you will feel no rain,
    For each of you will be shelter to the other.
    Now you will feel no cold,
    For each of you will be warmth to each other.
    Now there is no more loneliness for you,
    For each of you will be comfort to the other.
    Though you are two bodies,
    There is but one life before you.
    Go now to your dwelling place,
    To enter into the days of your togetherness.
    And, may the days of your life
    Be good and long upon the earth.
H O L L Y W O O D
When Harry Met Sally
    I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.
To Love and Be Loved
    We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly.
Moulin Rouge
    The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.
The Notebook
    The best love is the kind that weakens the soul, that makes us reach for more, that plants fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds. And that's what you've given me. That's what I hope to give to you forever.
The Notebook
    Poets often describe love as an emotion that we can't control, one that overwhelms logic and common sense. That's what it's like for me. I didn't plan on falling in love with you, and I doubt that you planned on falling in love with me. But once we met, it was clear that neither of us could control what was happening to us. We fell in love, despite our differences, and once we did, something rare and beautiful was created. For me love like that has happened only once, and that's why every minute we spent together has been seared in my memory. I'll never forget a single moment of it.
 
S O N G S
Etta James – At Last
    At last
    my love has come along
    my lonely days over
    and life is like a song

    At last
    the skies above are blue
    well my heart was wrapped up in clover
    the night I looked at you

    I found a dream
    that I could speak to
    a dream that I could call my own
    I found a thrill
    to press my cheek to
    a thrill that I have never known

    At last
    You are mine
    At last
Rascal Flatts – Bless the Broken Road
    I set out on a narrow way many years ago
    Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
    But I got lost a time or two
    Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
    I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you
    Every long lost dream led me to where you are
    Others who broke my heart, they were like northern stars
    Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
    This much I know is true
    That God blessed the broken road
    That led me straight to you

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