Readings for Catholic Wedding Mass

[wukter]

I am getting married next month - yay - and I am planning my Mass Ceremony.
Does anyone know of suitable readings?

I heard a lovely one 'Now you shall feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other', but I'm not sure if that one is Biblical.

TIA!

I had this one, can't remember the other but will try and look for it.
From the First Letter to the Corinthians
(12:31?13:8 Love is patient and kind)

But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way...

Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not hold on to what was wrong, but holds on to what was right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect; but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will be swept away.

I had a fabulous reading from the Song of Solomon. I haven't got the details handy. Will look.

Thanks Pauline, I have picked St Paul to the Corinthians, it's perfect for a wedding.

TheFallenMadonna, is that one 'My beloved is mine and I am his'.
DHtb is a bit about the image of the gazelle bounding about the mountain. Though I like it myself. Marriage eh - all about compromise.

As someone who was raised a catholic in Ireland and has to attend 57 weddings a year back home, the 'gazelle bounding about his mountain' one never fails to have me and DP sniggering in the back like 2 naughty schoolkids .

The St Paul to the Corinthians one I can recite by heart (despite being atheist) as it is the most popular. Despite the ubiquity of it and some of the religious weirdness, it does have some lovely lines about love.

No gazelles at my wedding!

I'd have laughed.

Translation is all important I think. We read all sorts of versions before settling on the right one. We used different versions for different readings.

We didn;t choose from a list of readings btw. We chose them from a bible. Dh is a protestant...

That's it, Bunny, he's afraid he'll get an attack of the giggles on the altar.

My own wedding is 5th of out 8 this year that I am attending...

Have you a proper official Bible link TheFallenMadonna? Whenever I google I get loads of sites themed around Hellfire.

when we got married (DH is catholic) one of the readings the Deacon recommended included the line `a silent wife is a gift from God'.

Needless to say we didnt have that one although shamefully i cant actually rememeber what we did have

The gazelle one is from the song of songs. Has some nice parts, "set me as a seal upon your heart".

We're also getting married next month and we're having the reading from the book of Tobit about Tobias & Sarah ("bring us to old age together") and the lesser known letter from st Paul to the Colossians:

You are God's chosen race, his saints; he loves you, and you should be clothed in sincere compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with one another; forgive each other as soon as a quarrel begins. The Lord has forgiven you; now you must do the same. Over all these clothes, to keep them together and complete them, put on love. And may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts, because it is for this that you were called together as parts of one body. Always be thankful.
Let the message of Christ, in all its richness, find a home with you. Teach each other, and advise each other, in all wisdom. With gratitude in your hearts sing psalms and hymns and inspired songs to God and never say or do anything except in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

The best ones are when they hold the Mass at 5PM, and use all the readings for Sunday and then no one has to go to Mass the next day!

I loved those weddings!

'Love is patient . . . '

Blah blah blah, hurry up let's get to the drinking and eats.

My (female) cousin's wedding had that one hogshead . I nearly stood up and objected at that point .

DontWorryBaby - There is very little about yours that I find relatable to a happy marriage. The 'chosen race' bit I find particularly objectionable in a...oh what was his name....HITLER way .

Bunny i nearly snorted when the Deacon read it to us - wishful thinking on DH's part

It's so hard to pick one that still fits in the modern world.
There was a wedding blessing I came across which called on God to bless Groom, the provider and Bride the homemaker.

There is a part where you are asked to accept the children God may send you, DD will probably erupt roaring at that point.

Bunny i thought compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness & patience were important qualities for a happy marriage. The only real "new testament" options for us were that one or the Corinthians, which we've heard at three weddings already this year!

It is difficult to pick readings which are relevant in modern day life, on our marriage course they changed the reading about the "silent wife being a gift from god" and swapped the wife/husband terms over to make you think about it differently... I couldn't keep a straight face through that reading though, and DH2B would never let me forget it!!

Does anyone know if the one I quoted above 'Now you shall feel no cold, for each of you will be shelter to the other' a real Bible reading?

There's also the Book of Ruth 'Your people shall be my people'. It does read like I am abandoning my family/everything else for yours, though.

Is this it?

Salish marriage blessing

Now for you there is no rain, for one is shelter to the other.
Now for you the sun shall not burn, for one is shelter to the other.
Now for you nothing is hard or bad, for the hardness and badness is taken by one for the other.
Now for you there is no night, for one is light to the other,
Now for you the snow has ended always, for one is protection for the other.
It is that way, from now on, from now on. And now there is comfort.
Now there is no loneliness. Now forever, forever, there is no loneliness.

Or this?

Apache Wedding Blessing

Now you will feel no rain
For each of you will be shelter to the other.
Now each of you will feel no cold
For each of you will be warmth to the other.
Now there is no loneliness for you
For each of you will be companion to the other.
Now you are two persons
But there is one life before you.
Go now to your dwelling place to enter into the days of your togetherness
And may your days be good and long upon the earth.

That's the one Dontworrybaby.
Apache hmm - I'm guessing not Biblical then.
Pity it's lovely...

the Collosians one mentioned by DontWorryBaby

was Colossians 3:12-17

that's a good one, because it doesn't say that the man is more important than the woman, but it says everyone is equal and we're all responsible for being nice and loving toeach other.

Wukter, re: the quote in your first post, you might be thinking of Ecclesiastes 4:9-12. In the NRSV its:

9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help. 11Again, if two lie together, they keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone? 12And though one might prevail against another, two will withstand one. A threefold cord is not quickly broken.

My sister had this at her wedding. It varies HUGELY from translation to translation. In the King James version, it sounds quite suggestive .

The wedding at Cana is popular, and even appeals to atheists who like fine wines.... Any extract from the Song of Songs.

wukter, you could still include the apache blessing in the order of service as an epigraph at the end of the words of the final hymn
I did something similar with a quotation from a book I loved.
We had nice readings at our weddings - Colossians was one part but another two and also really lovely prayers of the faithful. Will look for precise refs tomorrow.
Can dig prayers out if it's helpful.
PS congrats!

Thanks a lot for all your help, I will check out these suggestions.
If I can locate the wedding of Cana I think I'll go for it.

That's a good idea Champagne Supernova, can add it in there.

Sorry wukter, later than intended but as promised: -

Prayers of the Faithful

Faithful God, holy and eternal, source of life and spring of love, we thank and praise you for bringing bride and groom to this day,and we pray for them
Lord of light and love:
hear our prayer

May their marriage be life-giving and life-long, enriched by your presence and strengthened by your grace; may they bring comfort and confidence to each other in faithfulness and trust.
Lord of light and love:
hear our prayer

May the hospitality of their home bring refreshment and joy to all around them; may their love overflow to neighbours in need and embrace those in distress.
Lord of light and love:
hear our prayer

May they discern in your word, order and purpose for
their lives; and may the power of your Holy Spirit lead them in truth and defend them in adversity.
Lord of light and love:
hear our prayer

May they nurture their family with devotion, see their children grow in body, mind and spirit and come at last to the end of their lives with hearts content and in joyful anticipation of heaven.
Lord of light and love:
hear our prayer

May all of us here present derive joy and hope for our lives from this celebration.

Lord of light and love:
hear our prayer

We pray for the faithful departed, especially our own relatives and friends: that God may call them into his Kingdom
[Moment's silence]

We ask Our Lady to intercede for us as we say: -
Hail Mary...

We had the Ecclesiastes reading "There is a time for everything" (you know, the Byrds song!). It's a bit of a family tradition on my side, we have it at every wedding, christening, and funeral because it covers all the bases =) Brings a small bit of solemnity to the happy occasions but it is lovely to hear it on the sad ones, and be reminded of the last time it was read, reflect on the continuity of life etc. etc.

Our Gospel reading was from John, "God is Love". Our wedding (like most people's weddings) was first and foremost a celebration of love, so we thought it was perfectly suitable. That's always been my favorite verse because it cuts right to the chase: it's the ultimate answer to any philosophical / spiritual quandary I might find myself in.

Many congratulations and enjoy your day :)