Wedding Reading Ideas for Your Norfolk Wedding Ceremony
So you’ve sorted the venue, the dress, the suits, the food, the photographer, the cake, your Norfolk wedding videographer (obviously)…
And now someone has asked:
“Have you thought about your readings?”
Erm…
Not yet.
Choosing a wedding reading can actually be a bit tricky. There are thousands of poems, extracts, quotes and readings out there and suddenly you’re trying to find something that feels like you without sounding like something you’ve copied from the first Google result or ChatGPT.
So, if you’re planning your wedding in Norfolk and looking for some wedding reading ideas, I’ve put together a few to get you thinking.
And don’t worry, I’m not going to tell you that you have to choose anything cheesy.
First things first… it doesn’t have to be “a wedding reading”
I think this is probably the biggest thing I’d say when choosing your ceremony readings.
It doesn’t have to be something specifically written for a wedding.
It doesn’t even have to mention marriage.
It just needs to mean something to you.
It could be a passage from a book you both love, something from a film (like Lord of the Rings! more on that later…), a poem you’ve always liked, a funny story about your relationship or something you’ve written yourselves.
Basically, if you read it and think “Yep, that’s us”, then go for it.
A funny reading
Not everything at a wedding has to be serious. In fact, I think a bit of humour during a ceremony can be brilliant. You’ve probably spent the morning being told to stand here, look this way, don’t get your dress dirty and try not to cry.
So why not have someone read something that makes everyone laugh?
There are plenty of funny wedding poems and readings out there, including things by Pam Ayres, Adrian Henri and others. It’s also a perfect opportunity a loved one to have their moment on your day and their voice in your wedding film.
Something from a favourite book
Do you have a book that means something to you both? Maybe one of you introduced the other to it.
Maybe you read it together.
Maybe there’s a particular passage that you’ve always loved.
Have a look through it.
You might find something that works beautifully as a wedding reading.
And I actually think this can be much more personal than choosing something simply because it’s listed as one of the “top 10 wedding readings”. In fact, Hannah & Chris created their own reading which was a mix up between Hannah’s favourite book (A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara) and Chris’s favourite film (Lord of the Rings). I used a part the reading for their trailer…
A reading from a film
This could be a really good option if you’re both massive film fans.
There are loads of beautiful quotes and passages from films that could work during a ceremony.
It could be something romantic.
Something funny.
Or something that reminds you of a particular time in your relationship.
Maybe there’s a film you watched together on your first date.
Maybe you’ve watched the same film approximately 47 times.
Maybe there’s a quote that you constantly use with each other.
That’s the sort of thing I’d go for.
It doesn’t have to be obviously romantic.
It just needs to have a story behind it.
“Love Is” by Adrian Henri
If you want something a little different, have a look at Love Is by Adrian Henri.
I like this sort of reading because it talks about love in a much more everyday way.
Because that’s what relationships are actually about, isn’t it?
“Love is feeling cold in the back of vans
Love is a fanclub with only two fans
Love is walking holding paintstained hands
Love is
Love is fish and chips on winter nights
Love is blankets full of strange delights
Love is when you don’t put out the light
Love is
Love is the presents in Christmas shops
Love is when you’re feeling Top of the Pops
Love is what happens when the music stops
Love is
Love is white panties lying all forlorn
Love is a pink nightdress still slightly warm
Love is when you have to leave at dawn
Love is
Love is you and love is me
Love is a prison and love is free
Love’s what’s there when you’re away from me
Love is…”
“A Lovely Love Story” by Edward Monkton
If you’re after something short, sweet and a little bit quirky, A Lovely Love Story by Edward Monkton is another one worth looking at.
It’s simple, it’s fun and it doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Which, let’s be honest, is probably a pretty good description of most relationships.
“The fierce Dinosaur was trapped inside his cage of ice. Although it was cold he was happy in there. It was, after all, HIS cage.
Then along came the Lovely Other Dinosaur.
The Lovely Other Dinosaur melted the Dinosaur’s cage with kind words and loving thoughts.
I like this Dinosaur, thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur. Although he is fierce he is also tender and he is funny. He is also quite clever though I will not tell him this for now.
I like this Lovely Other Dinosaur, thought the Dinosaur. She is beautiful and she is different and she smells so nice. She is also a free spirit, which is a quality I much admire in a dinosaur.
But he can be so distant and so peculiar at times, thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur.
He is also overly fond of Things. Are all Dinosaurs so overly fond of Things?
But her mind skips from here to there so quickly, thought the Dinosaur. She is also uncommonly keen on Shopping. Are all Lovely Other Dinosaurs so uncommonly keen on shopping?
I will forgive his peculiarity and his concern for things, thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur. For they are part of what makes him a richly charactered individual.
I will forgive her skipping mind and her fondness for shopping, thought the Dinosaur. For she fills our life with beautiful thought and wonderful surprises. Besides, I am not unkeen on shopping either.
Now the Dinosaur and the Lovely Other Dinosaur are old. Look at them.
Together they stand on the hill telling each other stories and feeling the warmth of the sun on their backs.
And that, my friends, is how it is with love. Let us all be Dinosaurs and Lovely Other Dinosaurs together.
For the sun is warm. And the world is a beautiful place…”
A poem you already love
You don’t have to find a poem by searching for “best wedding poems”. Think about what you already like.
Maybe there’s a poet whose work you love. Maybe you’ve got a poem you’ve had saved for years. Maybe there’s something you’ve read that just made you stop and think, that’s actually pretty good.
Have another look through it. You might already have your wedding reading without realising it.
Write your own
Now this one probably isn’t for everyone. But if you’re feeling brave, write your own.
It doesn’t need to rhyme. It doesn’t need to be clever. It doesn’t need to be the next great piece of literature.
Just talk about each other, how you met, what you love about them, the stupid things you do together, the things that make you laugh, the reasons you know they’re the person you want to spend your life with.
Honestly, I’d take something slightly messy and completely personal over a perfectly written poem that could have been read at any wedding. Because it’s yours.
Or of course, you could just save this for your personal vows 🙂
Ask someone else to choose it
You could also give the job to someone you trust. Someone who’s known you as a couple for years. Ask them to find something that reminds them of you. Just like Polly & Joe did.
You might get something lovely…. or you might get something completely inappropriate.
So maybe choose your person wisely.
And here’s why I think your reading matters…
As a Norfolk wedding videographer, I’m obviously going to say this but I think the words you choose for your readings, vows and speeches can become a really important part of your wedding film.
And that’s because I’m a bit obsessed with audio. And I don’t mean the music, I mean the actual sounds of the day.
Your vows.
The speeches.
The laughter.
And your wedding readings.
Because photos are brilliant at freezing a moment.
But films can bring those moments back to life.
Imagine watching your wedding film in 20, 30 or 40 years and hearing your mum’s voice reading a poem or hearing your best mate trying not to cry while reading something you chose together.
That stuff is gold.
It’s not just what your wedding looked like. It’s what it sounded like.
And that’s something you’ll never get back.
Looking for a Norfolk wedding videographer?
If you’re getting married in Norfolk, Suffolk (or anywhere really!) and looking for someone to capture the day without turning it into a film set, that’s where I come in.
I’m Michael, a Norfolk wedding videographer based just outside Norwich, and I film weddings across Norfolk, Suffolk and beyond.
My approach is pretty simple.
I’ll stay out of the way, let you get on with having a brilliant day and capture all the good stuff as it happens.
The big moments.
The little moments.
The bits you didn’t even realise were happening.
And, of course, all the sounds that make your wedding day your wedding day.
Because when you watch your film back years from now, I want it to take you straight back there.
Not just to what it looked like but to what it felt like and what it sounded like.
Sounds good?!
Get in touch with Strefford Films to find out more about having your wedding filmed.
