What are some nice readings that friends could deliver at a garden reception?

Question

I am not having a traditional wedding, so doesn't need to necessarily be traditional.

I am looking for something non denominational that deals with issues of love / soul mates / friendships - poetry or prose or quotes, etc. Need 3 pieces to be read by friends at the reception rather than the ceremony

Thanks so much for all your ideas in advance

Answer 1

Find a copy of a book named " The Prophet" by auhor Kahlil Gibran, and you will find a wealth of readings for your garden reception.

Answer 2

When I got married we had non traditional vows, and our minister gave us a bunch of material to go through to customize our vows. I don't know who the authors of the following poems are, but these were all incorporated into our vows.

1.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 of me.

I love you for the part of me that you bring out,
I love you for putting your hands into my heaped up heart
And passing over all the foolish, weak things
That you can’t help dimly seeing there,
And for drawing into the light
All the beautiful belongings
That no one else looked quite far enough to find.

I love you because you are helping me to make not a tavern
But a temple out of the works of my everyday
Not a reproach, but a song.

I love you because you have done more than any creed
Could have done to make me good,
And more than any fate could have done to make me happy.

You have done it without a touch,
Without a word, without a sign.
You have done it by being yourself.

This is why I am marrying you,
For in you I am complete.

2. This is an American Indian vow by Kyle D. Long, which symbolizes the unwavering commitment of a man and a woman:

I will stand behind you, when you go to meet your triumphs.
I will stand beside you, when together we walk in joy.
I will stand before you, to shield you when the storms come.
I will stand with you forever, for better or for worse.


3. Marriage is like weaving a delicate cloth. The wedding ceremony has been the gathering of brightly colored threads and setting the loom into place. Then comes the challenging, yet joyful daily task of weaving your mutual dreams and aspirations into a design, a thread of compassion, a thread of commitment, and many threads of compromise will not only make the fabric of your lives more beautiful, but also strong and enduring. Marriage is a weaving together of two lives, a creation of passion, artistry and soul. Never imagine that the tapestry of marriage is complete. For as long as you live and breathe, it will continue to evolve into patterns more intricate and more marvelous that either of you could render by yourself. And so this work, this weaving, this marriage should never be taken for granted but should be honored, nurtured, and embraced. May your marriage be an ever-growing, ever-changing work of art that weaves together, and apart, that which is true and alive and beautiful in both of you.


4. Now you will feel no rain
For each of you will be shelter for the other.
Now you will feel no cold
For each of you will be warmth for the other.
Now there is no loneliness for you;
For you are two bodies,
But there is only one life before you.
Go now to your dwelling place
And enter your days together.
And may your day together
Be good and long upon this earth.


I hope these help. Good luck and congratulations!

Answer 3

i found a site i hope its something that would like please check the link and congrats!