Short non-religious wedding readings for all couples
Choosing your wedding readings can catch you off guard a little. You're deep in venue decisions and seating charts and then suddenly you're sitting with a poem in your hands and your eyes are filling up, because the words say something you didn't quite know you felt.
Short readings do that particularly well. There's no build-up, no room to brace yourself. Just a few lines that land quietly and stay with you.
If you're planning a civil ceremony or simply want something that feels like you rather than a tradition you've inherited, short non-religious readings are worth exploring. They can hold just as much meaning as anything longer. Sometimes more.
Below are some of our favourites. Heartfelt, modern and written for all couples.
You can save and pin the ones that speak to you on your wedding readings Pinterest board.
Short Non-Religious Wedding Readings
Winnie the Pooh quote — A.A. Milne
"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.”
Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind.
“Pooh?” he whispered. “Yes, Piglet?”
“Nothing,” said Piglet, taking Pooh’s hand.
“I just wanted to be sure of you.”
“We’ll be Friends Forever, won’t we, Pooh?” asked Piglet.
“Even longer,” Pooh answered. “If ever there is tomorrow when we’re not together… there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we’re apart… I’ll always be with you.”
I fell in love with her courage — F. Scott Fitzgerald
I fell in love with her courage, her sincerity, and her flaming self respect.
And it's these things I'd believe in, even if the whole world indulged in wild suspicions that she wasn't all she should be.
I love her and it is the beginning of everything.
A Vow — Wendy Cope
I cannot promise never to be angry;
I cannot promise always to be kind.
You know what you are taking on, my darling –
It’s only at the start that love is blind.
And yet I’m still the one you want to be with
And you’re the one for me – of that I’m sure.
You are my closest friend, my favourite person,
The lover and the home I’ve waited for.
I cannot promise that I will deserve you
From this day on. I hope to pass that test.
I love you and I want to make you happy.
I promise I will do my very best.
Always — 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.
There Will Be Time — Baaba Maal ft. Mumford & Sons
In the cold light, I live to love and adore you
It's all that I am, it's all that I have
In the cold light, I live, I only live for you
It's all that I am, it's all that I have
The One — Author Unknown
When the one whose hand you’re holding
Is the one who holds your heart
When the one whose eyes you gaze into
Gives your hopes and dreams their start,
When the one you think of first and last
Is the one who holds you tight,
And the things you plan together
Make the whole world seem just right,
When the one whom you believe in
puts their faith and trust in you,
You’ve found the one and only love
You’ll share your whole life through.
Never Above You — Walter Winchell
Never above you.
Never below you.
Always beside you.
Excerpt from Wild Awake — Hilary T. Smith
People are like cities:
We all have alleys and gardens and secret rooftops and places where daisies sprout between the sidewalk cracks,
but most of the time all we let each other see is is a postcard glimpse of a skyline or a polished square.
Love lets you find those hidden places in another person,
even the ones they didn't know were there,
even the ones they wouldn't have thought to call beautiful themselves.
Buried Light — Beau Taplin
Home is not where you are from.
It is where you belong.
Some of us travel the whole world to find it.
Others, find it in a person.
The Art of Marriage — Wilferd A. Peterson
A good marriage must be created.
In 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.
Touched by an Angel (extract) — Maya Angelou
We, unaccustomed to courage
exiles from delight
live coiled in shells of loneliness
until love leaves its high holy temple
and comes into our sight
to liberate us into life.
Why Short Readings Work in a Ceremony
Short readings are incredibly effective in modern ceremonies for several reasons:
They keep the energy flowing.
There's something about a short reading that a longer one can't always do. It arrives, it lands and it's over before the room has time to drift. Everyone stays with it.
They compliment personal vows.
If your ceremony has personal vows, a shorter reading gives those vows room to breathe. It doesn't compete. It sets something up quietly and then steps aside.
They feel modern.
Many couples today prefer simplicity. A short reading reflects that, being elegant, yet meaningful, honest but brief.
For civil ceremonies in the UK, where registrars work to a schedule, a shorter reading simply makes everything flow more gently on the day.
If this style isn’t quite the right fit, explore more ideas in our individual guides to modern writing, humorous favourites and romantic readings. You can also return to our main guide, the best non-religious wedding readings: Your complete guide, for a broader overview.
