Ceremony Readings

Jack and I decided pretty early on that we would have a Catholic ceremony without the nuptial mass. Since Jack (and a good portion of our guests) are not Catholic we thought it would be best to avoid the mass and not make our guests feel excluded. This made things a little easier to plan but picking the readings and gospel still proved to be difficult for us. I don't think I'm alone here; most would agree that choosing the readings can be tedious at best. There is so much to choose from and it really is a boon to the couple if they have a patient and understanding priest who can guide them in making their choices. Typically two to three readings are done with one reading from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament. So without further ado.... we finally picked out our ceremony readings! With our priests blessing we choose our first reading from the Old Testament and our second reading is an excerpt that really means allot to us. Are there any special readings that you will or have incorporated into your ceremony?

1st Reading: Song of Solomon 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 wash it away.
If one were to give
all the wealth of his house for love,
it would be utterly scorned.

2nd Reading: Excerpt from "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" by Louis de Bernieres

Love is a temporary madness; it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of eternal passion. That is just being in love, which any fool can do. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Those that truly love have roots that grow towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms have fallen from their branches, they find that they are one tree and not two.