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Sensual wedding readings

Some couples want the ceremony to name the fact that this is a love with a body in it — desire, closeness, the electricity that made them a couple in the first place. Done well, it's tender rather than racy.

These are the readings we suggest when a couple asks for something "a little warmer" — passionate, embodied, and still absolutely appropriate for the aisle.

Sensual readings we love

  1. 01

    I know you know

    by Michelangelo, 1475 ~ 1564

    Let the wall between our hopes and desires be battered down.

    Read the full poem →
  2. 02

    I love you

    by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, 1850 ~ 1919

    I love your eyes when the lovelight lies lit with a passionate fire

    Read the full poem →
  3. 03

    I want to die while you love me

    by Georgia Douglas Johnson, 1880 ~ 1966

    Who would care to live til love has nothing more to ask, and nothing more to give.

    Read the full poem →
  4. 04

    Love me

    by Bee Rawlinson, contemporary

    You in shorts and socks and sandals; Me with warts and huge love-handles

    Read the full poem →
  5. 05

    Salt Rose and Topaz

    by Pablo Neruda, 1904 ~ 1973

    I love you as certain dark things are to be loved, in secret, between the shadow and the soul

    Read the full poem →
  6. 06

    The kiss

    by Rabindranath Tagore, 1861 ~ 1941

    Love is writing a song in a delicate script, kiss-calligraphy on lips

    Read the full poem →
  7. 07

    When faces called flowers

    by e.e. cummings, 1894 ~ 1962

    Alive; we’re alive, dear: it’s(kiss me now)spring!

    Read the full poem →

Choosing your reading

Is this appropriate in front of family?

The pieces here are sensual, not explicit — the kind of thing a grandparent can nod along to. If in doubt, read it aloud to a trusted friend first and watch their face.

How many readings should we have?

One or two is typical for a shorter ceremony; three works well if you'd like to give more guests a role. Vary the tone so the ceremony doesn't sit on one note.

Who should read?

Choose people whose voices you love hearing — siblings, close friends, a parent, a chosen family member. Send the reading in advance so they can practise.

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