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Bohemian wedding readings
Bohemian ceremonies tend to make their own weather — mismatched chairs, hand-lettered vows, a friend playing something on a guitar somewhere. The reading wants to sit inside that: unhurried, a little wild, unafraid of feeling.
These are the readings we recommend for bohemian weddings and anyone writing their own rulebook on the day.
Bohemian readings we love
- 01
Admonitions to a Special Personby Anne Sexton, 1928 ~ 1974To love another is something like prayer and can't be planned.Read the full poem - 02
For a new beginningby John O'Donohue, 1956 ~ 2008The delight when your courage kindled and out you stepped onto new groundRead the full poem - 03
How do I love theeby Elizabeth Barrett Browning, 1806 ~ 1861if God choose I shall but love thee better after deathRead the full poem - 04
How long we were fool'dby Walt Whitman, 1819 ~ 1892We have voided all but our own freedom, all but our own joyRead the full poem - 05
Ideas of right and wrongby Rumi, 1207 ~ 1273Let the beauty we love be what we doRead the full poem - 06
Love Songby Henry Dumas, 1934 ~ 1968On hands and knees the ocean begs up the beach, then falls at your feet.Read the full poem - 07Love, mere loveby Elizabeth Barrett Browning, 1806 ~ 1861Let temple burn, or flax and an equal light leaps in the flames from cedar plank or weed. And love is fire.Read the full poem
- 08
Mysteries, yesby Mary Oliver, 1935 ~ 2019Let me keep company, always, with those who say 'look' and laugh in astonishment and bow their heads.Read the full poem - 09
Nowby Robert Browning, 1812 ~ 1889When ecstasies uptmost we clutch at the coreRead the full poem - 10
On Loveby Kahlil Gibran, 1883 ~ 1931Let love be a moving sea between the shores of your soulsRead the full poem - 11On marriageby Kahlil Gibran, 1883 ~ 1931Be like a running brook that sings its melody to the nightRead the full poem
- 12Song of the Open Roadby Walt Whitman, 1819 ~ 1892I give you myself before preaching or lawRead the full poem
- 13
Song of Wandering Aengusby W.B. Yeats, 1865 ~ 1939We will pluck til times and times are done, the silver apples of the moon, the golden apples of the sunRead the full poem - 14
Sonnet 116by William Shakespeare, 1564 ~ 1616If this be error and upon me proved, I never writ, nor no man ever lovedRead the full poem - 15The Beauty we loveby Rumi, 1207 ~ 1273The moment I heard my first love story I went looking for youRead the full poem
- 16
Touched by an angelby Maya Angelou, 1928 ~ 2014Love costs all we are and will ever be, but it is only love that will set us free.Read the full poem - 17
We are youngby J.R.R. Tolkien, 1892 ~ 1973We have become as one, deep rooted in the soil of Life and tangled in the sweet growthRead the full poem
Choosing your reading
What makes a reading work at a bohemian wedding?
Bohemian ceremonies give you more permission than almost any other setting — to be surprising, image-rich, even a little strange. What still matters is that the poem is rooted in something real. The best bohemian readings feel free-spirited because the poet is genuinely free-spirited, not because they're trying to be. For more help choosing your reading, check out the Free Resources we have for Resplendants (wedding readers), particularly the video 'Seven Rules You Are Totally Allowed to Break'.
What are the tips to delivering a "bohemian" wedding reading like a pro?
The biggest mistake is to over-rehearse until the spontaneity disappears. These poems want a little breath and wildness in the delivery. That doesn't mean underprepared — know the piece well enough that you can play in it. Make sure you check out the performance tips we have for each poem, and visit the Performance Bootcamp for general tips every Resplendant (wedding reader) can follow.