10 Authentically Beautiful Short Wedding Poems
Wedding season is almost here, everybody! When spring rolls around, brides and grooms always look to their bookish friends for advice on wedding readings. Sure, 1 Corinthians is great, but what about reading some short wedding poems instead? These literary selections from Nikki Giovanni, Mary Oliver, Pablo Neruda, and more are sure to add style and sophistication to any wedding ceremony. So whether you’re trying to find a reading for a friend’s wedding or your own, look no further than this list of short wedding poems.
“How Do I Love You” by Mary Oliver
Excerpt:
How do I love you?
“Sonnet XVII” by Pablo Neruda
Excerpt:
I don’t love you as if you were a rose of salt, topaz,
or arrow of carnations that propagate fire:
I love you as one loves certain obscure things,
secretly, between the shadow and the soul.
“You Came too” by Nikki Giovanni
Excerpt:
I came to the crowd seeking friends
I came to the crowd seeking love
I came to the crowd for understanding
I found you
“Pathways” by Rainer Maria Rilke
Excerpt:
Understand, I’ll slip quietly
away from the noisy crowd
when I see the pale stars rising, blooming, over the oaks.
“Beauty That Is Never Old” by James Weldon Johnson
Excerpt:
When buffeted and beaten by life’s storms,
When by the bitter cares of life oppressed,
I want no surer haven than your arms,
I want no sweeter heaven than your breast.
“Touched by an Angel” by Maya Angelou
Excerpt:
We, unaccustomed to courage
exiles from delight
live coiled in shells of loneliness
until love leaves its high holy temple
and comes into our sight
to liberate us into life.
“A Moment of Happiness” by Rumi
Excerpt:
A moment of happiness,
you and I sitting on the verandah,
apparently two, but one in soul, you and I.
We feel the flowing water of life here,
you and I, with the garden’s beauty
and the birds singing.
“Love is a Place” by ee cummings
Excerpt:
love is a place
& through this place of
love move
(with brightness of peace)
all places
“Love Song” by Mary Carolyn Davies
Excerpt:
There is a strong wall about me to protect me:
It is built of the words you have said to me.
There are swords about me to keep me safe:
They are the kisses of your lips.
“Habitation” by Margaret Atwood
Excerpt:
Marriage is not
a house or even a tent
it is before that, and colder:
What are your favorite short wedding poems? Looking for more poetry recommendations? Read on at:
