Find our top ten Biblical readings for wedding ceremonies to choose from and bless your special day.
With peak wedding season well underway, you might be looking for the perfect Bible reading for your wedding. Whether you’re the happy couple or part of the wedding party tasked with reading a Bible verse during the wedding ceremony, you’ll find some special verses here.
How do I know which Bible reading to choose for my wedding?
If you’re not sure which Bible reading to choose for your wedding, think about your personal values and what resonates with you as a couple. You might decide to focus on a theme such as love, commitment or forgiveness. If you’re a Christian, you might want to include a verse about God’s love for you both, too. If you’re still unsure, why not speak to your local church leader to help you?
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Read our helpful blog, How to plan a wedding on a budget.
Ten Bible readings for weddings
The verses below are from the New International Version of the Bible. If you’re drawn to a particular verse but aren’t sure if you like how it’s written, you could look at different translations of the verse to suit the style of your wedding, such as the New Living Translation, which uses more modern English.
1 Corinthians 13:4–7
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
What does this wedding scripture reading represent?
This is a popular Bible verse used in wedding readings, as each quality and attribute such as patience, kindness and humility shows what it truly means to love someone else. If you decide to use this Bible verse in your wedding ceremony, why not include a section in your personal vows about how your partner lives out those values?
1 Peter 5:6–7
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
What does this wedding scripture reading represent?
As newlyweds, you’ll undoubtedly go through tough times, but you’ll also go through them together. Incorporating this Bible verse into your wedding ceremony shows that God’s love will be an anchor in your marriage through all the storms you encounter.
Song of Songs 8:6–7
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. 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.
What does this wedding scripture reading represent?
This passage represents love that is resilient, like a flame that can’t be burnt out. It shows the commitment you’re making to each other on your wedding day, a commitment as steadfast as the love described here, and the kind of love that God has for you both.
1 Corinthians 16:13–14
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.
What does this wedding scripture reading represent?
There’s a lovely balance in this verse. First, it says, ‘Be courageous; be strong’ – you know that life will throw things your way, and you’ll need that strength as a couple to get through those times. But then it reminds us what really matters: ‘Do everything in love.’ That simple instruction shows that to fully support and look after each other, love has to be at the centre of everything.
Colossians 3:13–14
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
What does this wedding scripture reading represent?
What’s great about including this Bible passage in your wedding is that it paints an honest and real picture of what a successful marriage looks like, even in today’s modern world. Forgiveness is a key part of overcoming challenges together, and to ‘put on love’ means to choose to actively love one another, keeping love as the foundation at all times.
1 John 4:18–19
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us.
What does this wedding scripture reading represent?
It shows us that in God’s perfect love, there is no fear, because we’re fully loved and accepted for who we are. As marriage is a reflection of that same love, we should aim to each love one another wholly and unconditionally, just as God loves us.
Romans 8:38–39
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
What does this wedding scripture reading represent?
This Bible verse reminds us that even in the face of life’s challenges, God’s love remains steadfast. Using this Bible verse in your wedding ceremony can help you remember to persevere through difficulties, and know that you’re held securely by God in your marriage.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
What does this wedding scripture reading represent?
Marriage isn’t just about going through tough times together, but it’s also about growing together, helping each other become the best versions of yourself and celebrating your partner’s strengths. This verse can remind you to lift each other up and reflect on the positive journey your relationship has been on.
Song of Songs 2:10–13
My beloved spoke and said to me, ‘Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, come with me. See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me.
What does this wedding scripture reading represent?
This Bible passage for weddings is a more tender one that might spark some vivid imagery for your wedding guests too. Just as the seasons change and spring flowers blossom, your marriage will flourish and you’ll be able to experience the beauty of living the rest of your lives together.
Galatians 5:22–23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
What does this wedding scripture reading represent?
Using this Bible verse as a wedding reading fits perfectly, as it includes some of the building blocks of a strong and healthy marriage: strive for love in all you do, experience joy in your shared moments, have a peaceful home, be generously kind and patient, act with goodness towards each other, be faithful, treat each other with gentleness and practice self-control in your words and actions.
