One of the most obvious ways of involving children in your wedding is to ask them to do a reading during the wedding ceremony.
Remember…
- The younger the children are, the shorter your chosen reading should be.
- Make sure they have had a rehearsal in the room or church so they are comfortable with where they are going to read.
- Print the words clearly onto card (not paper — it will crumple). Use a serif font such as Times New Roman as this is easier for children to read, rather than fonts like Comic Sans or a scripted font.
- Choose a reading they understand the meaning of.
Here are some ideas for the readings themselves…
Non-Religious Wedding Readings for Children
Oh, The Places You’ll Go! — Dr Seus (make sure you edit it to an appropriate length!)
Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places
You’re up and away!
The Velveteen Rabbit — Margery Williams
“What is REAL?” said the Rabbit one day…”
Your Personal Penguin — Sandra Boynton
I like you a lot.
You’re funny and kind.
Let me explain
What I have in mind.
I want to be your personal penguin.
I want to walk right by your side…
A.A. Milne offers the most opportunities. All his stories and poems fit perfectly into a wedding and sound beautiful when read by a child.
Us Two — A.A. Milne
Wherever I am, there’s always Pooh.
There’s always Pooh and me…
The House at Pooh Corner — A.A. Milne
“Pooh, promise me you won’t forget about me. Not even when I am a hundred…”
Religious Wedding Readings for Children
Avoid anything from the Song of Solomon (far too racy!), as well as the traditional Corinthians piece regarding “Love is patient, love is kind…”, because it includes the lines “when I was a child, I spoke like a child…” which will seem strange if read by a young child.
Ask them to write their own prayer asking God for things that they think will be important in your life together; you’re sure to love with the results.
All Things Bright and Beautiful — Cecil F Alexander
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful
The Lord God made them all.
Matthew 5 v 1-10 — The Beatitudes
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…”
An Irish Blessing — Author Unknown
May God be with you and bless you;
May you see your children’s children.
May you be poor in misfortune,
Rich in blessings,
May you know nothing but happiness,
From this day forward…”
Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12 — Two Are Better Than One
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together*, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
* You can replace this with “are together” if you need to.
Guest post by Lucy Pask
Image from Clare West Photography
