Readings
What is a ceremony reading?
A ceremony reading is a piece of text that is read out loud during the ceremony. Typically, an honoured guest or the wedding officiant will say the reading. The reading is usually chosen by the couple or by the speaker.
Ceremony readings do not have to be religious, but they can be if you want to include religious passages. They also don’t have to be romantic or fit into any specific theme. Your reading can come from anywhere – literature, music, TV shows, poetry, etc.
Ceremony readings are not required, but they can be a nice addition to a wedding ceremony. Couples often choose to include a reading in their ceremony if they want to set the tone with a certain passage, wish to honour a loved one by giving them a role as a reader, or have a meaningful passage that they want shared during their wedding day.
Who should do a reading at a wedding ceremony?
While traditionally it may have been members of the wedding party of family members of the couple who did the readings, it really is the couple’s choice. If you have guests you’d like to honour, asking them to do a reading at your wedding is a great way to do that. This can also be a great role for a family leader, such as a grandparent.
Of course, you can always have your wedding officiant do the reading. This works best if you want to have a more seamless and simple ceremony where the officiant can do most of the talking.
And if you really want to, why not do the reading yourself? While we typically don’t see brides or grooms doing readings during their own wedding ceremony, we’re all for it! After all, we should hear from the couple of the hour during their own wedding! We love the idea of a couple speaking the words that mean the most to them.