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Readings really only have one rule – if
your service is to be held in a
non religious setting such as a licensed ceremony venue, the reading
cannot
have a religious element, therefore a nice poem or maybe a short story
would be
more suitable.
HERE ARE SOME IDEAS TO GET YOU
THINKING
(There is a mix of religious and non religious
readings or blessings):
APACHE
BLESSING
Now
you
will feel no rain,
for
each
of you will be the shelter to the other
Now
you
will feel no cold,
for
each
of you will be the warmth to the other,
Now
there
is no loneliness for you,
now
there
is no more loneliness.
Now
you
are two persons, but there is one life before you.
Go
now to
your dwelling place
to
enter
into the days of your togetherness.
And
may
your days be good and long upon this earth…
CONTINUED
APACHE BLESSING (FROM ABOVE)
….Treat
yourself and each other with
respect, and remind yourselves often
what brought you together, give the highest priority to tenderness,
gentleness
and kindness that your connection deserves. When frustration,
difficulty and
fear assail your relationship - as they threaten all relationships at
one time
or another – remember to focus on what is right between you,
not just the part
that seems wrong. This way you can ride out the storms when the clouds
hide the
face of the sun in your lives – remembering that even if you
lose sight of it
for a moment, the sun is still there. And if each of you takes
responsibility
for the quality of your life together, it will be marked by abundance
and
delight.
HAWAIIAN
BLESSING
The peace and serenity of the heavens be with you
all
Hawaiian
wedding song from an
ancient marriage prayer
Here all seeking is over
The lost has been found
A mate has been found
To share the chills of winter -
Now love asks
That you be united
Here is a place to rest
A place to sleep, a place in heaven.
Now two are becoming one, the black night is scattered
The Eastern sky grows bright, at last the great day has come
Commitment
poem of the Pueblo Indian,
author unknown
Before we met, you and I were halves unjoined except in the wide rivers
of our
minds. We were each other's distant shore, the opposite wings of a
bird, the
other half of a seashell. We did not know the other then, did not know
our determination
to keep alive the cry of one riverbank to the other. We were apart, yet
connected in our ignorance of each other, like two apples sharing a
common
tree. Remember?
I knew you existed long before you understood my desire to join my
freedom to
yours. Our paths collided long enough for our indecision to be
swallowed up by
the greater need of love. When you came to me, the sun surged towards
the earth
and moon escaped from darkness to bless the union of two spirits, so
alike that
the creator had designed them for life's endless circle. Beloved
partner,
keeper of my heart's odd secrets, clothed in summer blossoms so the icy
hand of
winter never touches us. I thank your patience. Our joining is like a
tree to
earth, a cloud to sky and even more. We are the reason the world can
laugh on
its battlefields and rise from the ashes of its selfishness to hear me
say, in
this time, this place, this way - I loved you best of all.
Taken
from the Hindu ceremony of
Saptapadi (The Seven Steps)
Together we will remain faithful and lifelong partners...
Together we will cherish each other and our families in sorrow and
happiness
From
the Hindu marriage ceremony
We have taken the seven steps
You have become mine forever.
Yes, we have become partners.
I have become yours.
Hereafter I cannot live without you.
Do not live without me.
Let us share the joys.
we are the word and meaning, united.
You are thoughts and I am sound.
May the nights be honey-sweet for us;
may the mornings be honey sweet for us;
may the earth be honey sweet for us;
may the heavens be honeysweet for us.
May the plants be honey sweet for us;
May the sun be all honey for us;
May the cows yield us honey sweet milk!
As the heavens are stable,
as the earth is stable,
as the mountains are stable,
as the whole universe is stable,
so may our union be permanently settled.
Adapted
from ancient Sanskritt
For yesterday is already a dream, and tomorrow is
only a vision,
But today, well lived, makes every yesterday a dream of vision
and every tomorrow a vision of hope
Adapted
from a traditional
Baha'i ceremony
Be like two sweet-singing birds perched upon the
highest branches of the tree of life
Filling the air with songs of love and rapture.
Keres
Indian
I (groom), take you (bride) to be my wife,
Knowing in my heart that you will be my constant friend,
My faithful partner in life and my one true love.
I add my breath to your breath
That our days may be long on the earth,
That the days of our people may be long
That we may be one person,
That we may finish our roads together
Blessing
of the Apaches
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 to the other.
Now you will feel no loneliness for each of you will be companion to
the other.
Now you are two persons but there is only one life before you.
May beauty surround you both in the journey ahead and through all the
years.
May happiness be your companion and your days together be good
and long upon the earth.
Traditional
Cherokee Prayer
We honour mother earth -
And ask for our marriage to be abundant and grow stronger through the
seasons.
We honour fire -
And ask that our union be warm and glowing with love in our hearts
We honour wind -
And ask that we sail through life safe and calm in our father's arms
We honour water -
To clean and soothe our relationship that it may never thirst for love
Apache
Blessing
May you each be like the air that inhabits the other
Blessing
of the Great Plains
Indians
May our trails lie straight and level before us, let us live to be old
From
a Native American blessing
Above you are the stars, below you are the stones
As time does pass, remember;
Like a star should your love be constant
Like a stone should your love be firm
Traditional
African blessing
The good spirits will be their cushions
so that not a hair of their heads shall be harmed
Ancient
Gaelic blessing
O God give the joy and God the love
To those who are lovers true
Shed down benedictions from above
As in one are joined the two
Celtic
blessing
You are the star of
each night.
You are the brightness of each morning
You are the story of each quest
You are the report of every land
GOOD LUCK!
Information
courtesy of Isabella
Weddings – Wedding and Event Planners
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