In our recent Friday Five, Top Five Wedding Readings We Love, we promised to share some of our favorite wedding scriptures, as well as why first Corinthians 13 might not be the most appropriate passage for a wedding. This week we want to share some of our favorite readings from the Bible. These passages will allow your ceremony to reflect your faith and your love for each other.
#5 Ephesians 5: 25-31
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.
This passage is for the couple who want their faith to be an important part of their wedding ceremony. It focuses on a sacrificial love that considers your partner’s needs above your own.
#4 Matthew 19: 5b-6
5b For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.
This scripture about leaving your families behind and starting a journey as a new family is a lovely reading to begin this next chapter of your lives, together.
#3 Ruth 1: 16-17
16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.
Although the original passage actually reflects a widowed woman’s words to her mother-in-law, the sentiment is still a beautiful one for a wedding ceremony.
#2 Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12
9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
We love the symbolism of the cord of three strands in this wedding reading from the Bible. The idea that you, your partner, and your faith create an unbreakable bond is a lovely one for a wedding reading.
#1 Song of Songs 8: 6-7
6 Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm;
for love is as strong as death,
its jealousy unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
like a mighty flame.
7 Many waters cannot quench love;
rivers cannot sweep it away.
If one were to give
all the wealth of one’s house for love,
it would be utterly scorned.
This one is for the romantics. We love the poetic nature of this passage, originally written as a song.
Having a wedding reading from the Bible is a great way to bring an element of your faith to your wedding ceremony. We would love to be a part of making your special day a reality. Please fill out our Contact Form for more information.
Photo: AJR Photo Studio
Check out some of our recent Friday Fives:
Top Five Things to Avoid when Planning a Beach Wedding
Top Five Beach Wedding Locations in Puerto Rico
Five Things We’re Doing Differently for Weddings During COVID