Why You Should Quote Literature in Your Ceremony

If you are having a secular ceremony, you may have noticed that the majority of traditional wedding readings are from scripture and may not make sense for your own nuptials. Literary passages can be utilized to customize your ceremony in a way that manages to sound classic and be unique at the same time.

The world is so full of famous written works that discuss love and romance that it would be impossible to list everything applicable for a wedding. We have selected five of our favorites as inspiration, but if they don't speak to you and your beloved, rest assured that there is a quote out there that will. 

From A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
“We could feel alone when we were together, alone against the others. We were never lonely and never afraid when we were together."

From Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
“Every atom of your flesh is as dear to me as my own: in pain and sickness it would still be dear.”

From Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
"The future belongs to hearts even more than it does to minds. Love, that is the only thing that can occupy and fill eternity.”

From Adam Bede by George Eliot
"What greater thing is there for two human souls, than to feel that they are joined for life – to strengthen each other in all labour, to rest on each other in all sorrow, to minister to each other in all pain, to be one with each other in silent unspeakable memories at the moment of the last parting?"

From Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons) by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
"Now, I’m not going to deny that I was aware of your beauty. But the point is, this has nothing to do with your beauty. As I got to know you, I began to realise that beauty was the least of your qualities. I became fascinated by your goodness. I was drawn in by it. I didn’t understand what was happening to me. And it was only when I began to feel actual, physical pain every time you left the room that it finally dawned on me: I was in love, for the first time in my life."

For more wedding ceremony reading ideas, discover these potential sources and take a look at seven unique reading options. Looking for ceremony décor inspiration? Visit our photo galleries to browse hundreds of images from real weddings!

Opening photo by Christine Bentley Photography