6 Unique Ceremony Readings by Queer Writers for Every Wedding
LGBTQ+ Readings Add a Heartfelt Touch to Your Special Day
When it comes to personalizing your wedding ceremony, choosing meaningful readings is a beautiful way to reflect the details of your love story and capture what matters to you as a couple. Since the origin of the written word, countless works have been inspired by the timeless topic of love. And luckily for us, talented LGBTQ+ writers have been writing about the depth and beauty of relationships since, well, forever.
I take pride in bringing you the most unique and heartfelt readings on the internet, I love introducing you to something new and special. And as a queer person myself, I'm grateful for the opportunity to introduce you to more of the LGBTQ+ writers you deserve to have in your life.
In this post I’m thrilled to share six readings by queer writers that are truly perfect for any wedding. These readings aren't just for queer marriers—anyone planning a personalized wedding can benefit from the timeless wisdom and profound emotions depicted in these words. So whether you're planning an intimate gathering or a grand celebration, any of these readings will add a touch of originality and authenticity to your ceremony.
"Mouthful of Forevers"
I am not the first person you loved.
You are not the first person I looked at
with a mouthful of forevers. We
have both known loss like the sharp edges
of a knife. We have both lived with lips
more scar tissue than skin. Our love came
unannounced in the middle of the night.
Our love came when we’d given up
on asking love to come. I think
that has to be part
of its miracle.
This is how we heal.
I will kiss you like forgiveness. You
will hold me like I’m hope. Our arms
will bandage and we will press promises
between us like flowers in a book.
I will write sonnets to the salt of sweat
on your skin. I will write novels to the scar
of your nose. I will write a dictionary
of all the words I have used trying
to describe the way it feels to have finally,
finally found you.
And I will not be afraid
of your scars.
I know sometimes
it’s still hard to let me see you
in all your cracked perfection,
but please know:
whether it’s the days you burn
more brilliant than the sun
or the nights you collapse into my lap
your body broken into a thousand questions,
you are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
I will love you when you are a still day.
I will love you when you are a hurricane.
"The Facts of Life"
That you were born
and you will die.
That you will sometimes love enough
and sometimes not.
That you will lie
if only to yourself.
That you will get tired.
That you will learn most from the situations
you did not choose.
That there will be some things that move you
more than you can say.
That you will live
that you must be loved.
That you will avoid questions most urgently in need of
your attention.
That you began as the fusion of a sperm and an egg
of two people who once were strangers
and may well still be.
That life isn’t fair.
That life is sometimes good
and sometimes better than good.
That life is often not so good.
That life is real
and if you can survive it, well,
survive it well
with love
and art
and meaning given
where meaning’s scarce.
That you will learn to live with regret.
That you will learn to live with respect.
That the structures that constrict you
may not be permanently constraining.
That you will probably be okay.
That you must accept change
before you die
but you will die anyway.
So you might as well live
and you might as well love.
You might as well love.
You might as well love.
"Royal Heart"
You will never be let down by anyone
more than you will be let down
by the one you love most in the world
it’s how gravity works
it’s why they call it “falling”
it’s why the truth is harder to tell
every year you have more to lose
but you can choose to bury your past
in the garden by the tulips
water it until it’s so alive
it lets go
and you belong to yourself
again
When you belong to yourself again
Remember forgiveness
is not a tidy grave
It is a ready loyal knight kneeling before your royal heart
Call in your royal heart
Tell it bravery cannot be measured by a lack of fear
It takes guts to tremble
It takes so much tremble to love
Every first date is a fucking earthquake...
it’s hard to watch
the game we make of love,
like everyone’s playing checkers
with their scars,
saying checkmate
whenever they get out
without a broken heart.
Just to be clear
I don’t want to get out
without a broken heart.
I intend to leave this life
so shattered
there better be a thousand separate heavens
for all of my separate parts...
Baby, throw me
Throw me as far as I can go
I don’t want to leave this life without ever having come home
And I want to come home to you
I can figure out the rain
"spell for reclaiming the moment"
even now
we could be happy
even now
breathing in
filling our bodies with right now
from the dirt below us
from our toes to our knees
hips up our spines
shoulders to earlobes
the tip top of our heads to beyond
to the stars
breathing wide
across our wingspan
into that sacred and constant silk web
where we belong
breathing deep
inhale back to great grandmother’s bosom
exhale seven generations of blessings
that will come through our
next choices
even now
we can be present
even now
life is right here, still
an erotic pulse kissing your jaw line
a restlessness of mind: too much, too little
there’s still someone you are longing to see
someone who startles you with simple pleasure
just because they exist
even now
we can anticipate harvest
be shocked by the thunderclap, the storm
laugh at the abundance of our grief
and our earnest attempt to avoid the inevitable
we are a delight
we could be another’s blessing
with our brief and epic lives
where every day
we are given the option
of love
Excerpt from the 2003 Massachusetts Supreme Court Ruling on Marriage Equality
Goodridge v. Dep't of Public Health
Marriage is a vital social institution. The exclusive commitment of two individuals to each other nurtures love and mutual support; it brings stability to our society. For those who choose to marry, and for their children, marriage provides an abundance of legal, financial, and social benefits. In return it imposes weighty legal, financial, and social obligations….Without question, civil marriage enhances the “welfare of the community.” It is a “social institution of the highest importance.”
Marriage also bestows enormous private and social advantages on those who choose to marry. Civil marriage is at once a deeply personal commitment to another human being and a highly public celebration of the ideals of mutuality, companionship, intimacy, fidelity, and family…. Because it fulfils yearnings for security, safe haven, and connection that express our common humanity, civil marriage is an esteemed institution, and the decision whether and whom to marry is among life’s momentous acts of self-definition.
"Blessing for the cosmic whole"
May you, in some altered state
of sleeplessness or psychedelics
or come-to-the-edge coming apart,
access a cosmic view of the whole: span of
sapiens, a sweep of your broom
on the back stoop. Empires rising and falling
like breath and your life: a flash of sunlight
reflected in a hummingbird’s ruby throat.
A cicada grows for seventeen years
underground so it can sing for two days.
The Appalachians were as tall as the Alps
before they softened into bosoms.
This singular morning, raspberries melt magenta
in your oatmeal, honeysuckle hooks
to the chain link fence, and you, stubbornly
refuse to add to your suffering.
When you sit waiting for your beloved
who is making you late for dinner,
may you have the fortitude to break the quiet
by cueing up their favorite song. May we drink
the jolt of pleasure that comes
from remembering we are alive,
soft sheets of moss
supping from the same rock.
Feeling inspired by these moving readings? I’m here to help you craft a ceremony that truly reflects your love story, from finding the perfect readings to weaving every meaningful detail together. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me today—we can make your wedding day as special and unique as your relationship! And sign up for my newsletter to be the first to hear about new resources, special offers, and more unique ways to personalize your wedding ceremony.
Photos on this page by Mikhail Nilov, Brian Kyed, Aiden Craver, Art Almighty, Alexander Grey, Vitória Santos, and Ronê Ferreira.
