Poems and readings

Wedding Poem by Whitney Hanson

They say sometimes love starts with a spark
and that might be true
but if I were to wish you a love
I wouldn’t wish fire for you.

You see fire is powerful
it burns bright then it’s gone
it’s beautiful and warm
but it doesn’t last long.

So instead of wishing you
a love that burns
I wish you love like a river
that twists and turns.

It changes and flows
it is powerful and free
but it consistently finds its way
back to the sea

And so like the water
I hope your love is ever-growing ever-changing
I hope you love is powerful and free
and may you always find ach other
like the river finds the sea.

"From Beginning to End" by Robert Fulghum

The symbolic vows that you are about to make are a way of saying to one another, "You know all those things we've promised and hoped and dreamed – well, I meant it all, every word."

Look at one another and remember this moment in time. Before this moment you have been many things to one another – acquaintance, friend, companion, lover, dancing partner, and even teacher, for you have learned much from one another in these last few years.

Now you shall say a few words that take you across a threshold of life, and things will never quite be the same between you. For after these vows, you shall say to the world, this – is my husband, this – is my wife.

"The Art of Marriage" by Wilferd A. Peterson

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 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 wings of an angel.
It is not looking for perfection in each other.

It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humour.
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.

I love you – Unknown

I love you not only for what you are,
But for what I am when I am with you
I love you not only for what you have made of yourself
But for what you are making me
I love you for the part of me that you bring out.
I love you, for passing over all my foolish and weak traits,
and for drawing out into the light all the beautiful belongings that no one else had looked quite far enough to find.
I love you.

You have done it without a touch,
Without a word,
Without a sign.
You have done it by being yourself.
Perhaps that is what being a friend means. After all.

A tapestry of love

Just as two very different threads woven in opposite directions can form a beautiful tapestry, so can your two lives merge together to form a beautiful marriage.

To make your marriage work will take love.
Love should be the core of your marriage;
love is the reason you are here.

But it will also take trust – to know in your hearts
you want the best for each other.
It will take dedication to stay open to one another;
to learn and to grow together even when this is not so easy to do.

It will take faith to always be willing to go forward to tomorrow, never really knowing what tomorrow will bring.

And it will take commitment to hold true to a journey you both now will share together.

"Always" by Lang Leav

You were you
and I was I;
we were two
before our time

I was yours,
before I knew
and you have always
been mine too.

Atticus

When I saw you first, it took every ounce of me not to kiss you.

When I saw you laugh, it took every ounce of me not to fall in love.

And when I saw your soul – it took every ounce of me.

Roy Croft

I love you, not for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you.

I love you, not only for what you have made of yourself, but for what you are making of me.

I love you for the part of me that you bring out

Blessing of the Hands by Rev. Daniel L. Harris

These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever.

These are the hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your future.

These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch, will comfort you like no other.

These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief fills your mind.

These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow, and tears of joy.

These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children.

These are the hands that will help you to hold your family as one.

These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it.

And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.

Bible Reading

1 Corinthians 13:4-8
NIV

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails.

Movie Inspired

"The Wedding Singer"

I want to make you smile whenever you're sad. Carry you around when your arthritis is bad. All I want to do is grow old with you. I'll get your medicine when your tummy aches. Build you a fire if the furnace breaks. Oh it could be so nice, growing old with you. I'll miss you, Kiss you, Give you my coat when you are cold. Need you, Feed you, Even let you hold the remote control. So let me do the dishes in our kitchen sink. Put you to bed if you've had too much to drink. I could be the man who grows old with you. I want to grow old with you.

"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 was like for me. I didn't plan on falling in love with you, and I doubt if 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.