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Modern wedding readings
Modern readings tend to sit closer to the way we actually talk. The rhythms are conversational, the images are drawn from recognisable lives — kitchens, cities, small ordinary weekdays — and the emotional honesty lands harder because of it.
These are the contemporary pieces we reach for when a couple wants their ceremony to feel like now, not a period drama.
Modern readings we love
- 01
About Marriageby Denise Levertov, 1923 ~ 1997I would be met, and meet you so, in a green airy space, not locked in.Read the full poem - 02
Admonitions to a Special Personby Anne Sexton, 1928 ~ 1974To love another is something like prayer and can't be planned.Read the full poem - 03
Book of Genesisby Kei Miller, b. 1978Until even silent dreams had been allowedRead the full poem - 04
Epiphanyby Sophie Strand, contemporaryMy heart was made to be split open, like the milkweed pod, and scatteredRead the full poem - 05
Gift from the Seaby Anne Morrow Lindbergh, 1906 ~ 2001The only continuity possible, in life as in love, is in growth, in fluidity – in freedomRead the full poem - 06
Habitationby Margaret Atwood, b. 1939With wonder at having survived this far, we are learning to make fireRead the full poem - 07
I carry your heartby e.e. cummings, 1894 ~ 1962This is the wonder that is keeping the stars apart.Read the full poem - 08
Love is like owning a dogby Taylor Mali, b. 1965Love makes you meet people wherever you goRead the full poem - 09
Most like an archby John Ciardi, 1916 ~ 1978All I do at piling stone on stone apart from you is roofless around nothingRead the full poem - 10
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 - 11
The master speedby Robert Frost, 1874 ~ 1963Once you agree that life is just life forevermore, together, wing to wing and oar to oarRead the full poem - 12When faces called flowersby e.e. cummings, 1894 ~ 1962Alive; we’re alive, dear: it’s(kiss me now)spring!Read the full poem
- 13
Wishing Wellby Gregory Pardlo, b. 1968I cough up daylight like I've just been dragged ashoreRead the full poem
Choosing your reading
What makes a modern reading work at a wedding?
There are a lot of people writing a lot of things about love these days. While there are no rules, we like to go for pieces that are contemporary in their use of language but are reaching for something timeless and universal in their message. For more help choosing your reading, check out the Free Resources we have for Resplendants (wedding readers), particularly the video 'What Makes a Love Poem a Wedding Poem'.
What are the tips to delivering a "modern" wedding reading like a pro?
We like to see the naturalness of the text reflected in the naturalness of the performance. Modern pieces tend to create structure through line breaks on the page rather than rhythm or rhyme. But those line breaks, while they look nice, should not be taken as performance directions — Resplendants (wedding readers) should stay 'in the flow' of the writing. 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.