Readings for a gay wedding

Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard, Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices: A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon. Now, may the love that has brought you together continue to grow and enrich your lives.

So I ask you:

Do you, [Partner 1], take [Partner 2] to be your lawfully wedded spouse? That’s why it’s important to have a trusted team of vendors by your side every step of the way. His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires. Featuring passages written by LGBTQ+ authors and love letters with gender neutral language, check out our 10 wonderful LGBTQ+ wedding ceremony readings below to include in your special day with pride and joy.

LGBTQ+ Wedding Ceremony Readings

Dear One by Mary Lambert

Where did you come from, bright star?
What heaven did you leap from, dear love?
How can I spell your name
Without the sound of Autumn
Underneath my tongue,
Without acknowledging the lovers who bent me in half
Bless them for bringing me to you
How can I say your name
Without also breathing the words
My god, I found you.
How can I ever speak again with this mouth
When it has found where it belongs
When you touch me, I am a bed of calla lilies
I will build a house and fill it with evergreens
I will paint sunsets on every wall
So you can only see beautiful things
How can I say love
Without wanting to fold myself into you
Like a thousand paper cranes?
Dear one,
I was halved the moment I was born
Either piece of me is inside of your mouth
And I was found whole the moment you spoke.

I Belong In Your Arms by Deborah Brideau

Finally I have found a place
Into which I fit perfectly, safely and securely
With no doubts, no fears, no sadness, no tears.
This place is filled with happiness and laughter,
Yet it is spacious enough to allow me the freedom to move around, To live my life and be myself.
This wonderful place, which I never believed really existed,
I have found, finally,
Inside your arms, Inside your heart, Inside your love

You are the Bubbles by Rachel Bright

Together, you are the bubbles in one another’s champagne
The morning sun through a window
The breaking of a smile.

Together, you are the one doughnut in the bag with more jam than all the others.
That photo where everybody looks great.
The know-all-the-words, sing-out-of-tune chorus of your favourite song.

Together, you are the beginnings of a big idea.
The twinkly bits that hang in the sky after the firework goes bang.
The cold, thin air at the top of a mountain.
The only two people in a crowded room.

Together, you are that unforgettable day of the holiday.
An accidental adventure.
Chocolate chip.
The last two pages of your favourite book.
A BBQ with friends.
The spray of the sea.
The nose of the cheese.
A kiss.
A hug.
A hold-my-hand.
A decision which, looking back, will seem to be the most excellent one you’ve ever made.

Together you are bubbles.
The unburstable bubbles of the very best things in life.
The only things any of us ever really need.

We Are Made One with What We Touch and See by Oscar Wilde

We are resolved into the supreme air,
We are made one with what we touch and see,
With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,
With our young lives each spring-impassioned tree
Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range
The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.

And we two lovers shall not sit afar,
Critics of nature, but the joyous sea
Shall be our raiment, and the bearded star
Shoot arrows at our pleasure!

No matter what style of ceremony appeals to you or who you trust to officiate, these gender-neutral, LGBTQ+ wedding ceremony script and reading ideas are the inspiration you need for creating your dream ceremony. 

The Formatting Of A Wedding Ceremony

The words said during your wedding ceremony will be some of the most important on your big day.

Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions' dens, from the mountains of the leopards. Our soulmate is someone who shares our deepest longings, our sense of direction. Today, we gather to witness their commitment to each other and to support them as they embark on this journey together.

If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? This is everything I’ve learned about marriage: nothing.

Only that the world out there is complicated, and there are beasts in the night, and delight and pain, and the only thing that makes it okay, sometimes, is to reach out a hand in the darkness and find another hand to squeeze, and not to be alone.

It’s not the kisses, or never just the kisses: it’s what they mean.

To honor and to cherish them from this day forward, sharing your life through good times and bad, offering kindness, patience, and comfort each day, for as long as love shall last? [Partner 1] and [Partner 2] met [insert personal story or anecdote about how they met, their relationship, etc.]. Their love for each other has grown stronger with each passing day, and today they are ready to take the next step together.

No words of mine or any other person can truly marry each of you to the other.

Welcome Message 

When everyone is officially in place, the wedding officiant will then express a warm welcome to you and your guests (if you’ve chosen to have guests). When we’re two balloons, and together, our direction is up, chances are we’ve found the right person. Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies.

God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven.