The Art of Marriage wedding reading

Here’s the next in my series of awesome wedding readings you might like to include in your wedding ceremony!

Readings are absolutely not a compulsory part of a marriage ceremony. They’re a way of expressing something in a way that’s different from anything you or I can come up with, and they’re also a way of including additional people in the ceremony if you want to.

We’re not necessarily talking about Bible readings here, although you can include Bible passages if you want. You might like to consider poems, passages from films or books (especially those written for children), or song lyrics. To give an even more personal touch, some couples ask their loved ones to write something specifically for their ceremony. There are plenty of options!

The Art of Marriage, by Wilferd A Peterson

When I started this series my intention was that I would only publish readings that aren’t “the norm” at weddings these days. But I’ve decided to include this one because even though it’s somewhat overused (it’s apparently the most frequently recited English-language wedding poem), there’s a reason for that overuse: it’s a pretty perfect summation of a relationship. So feel free to have it included in your day if you find meaning in it!

Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens.

A good marriage must be created.

In the art of marriage the little things are the big things.

It is never being too old to hold hands.

It is remembering to say I love you at least once each day.

It is never going to sleep angry.

It is at no time taking the other for granted;

The courtship shouldn’t end with the honeymoon,

It should continue through all the years.

It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.

It is standing together facing the world.

It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.

It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice,

But in the spirit of joy and giving.

It is speaking words of appreciation

And demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.

It is not expecting the husband to wear a halo

Or the wife to have the wings of an angel.

It is not looking for perfection in each other.

It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humour.

It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.

It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.

It is finding room for the things of the spirit.

It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.

It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal,

The dependence is mutual, and the obligation is reciprocal.

It is not only marrying the right partner; it is being the right partner.

It is discovering what marriage can be, at its best.