Non religious reading for couple with children

[GreenSpaghetti]

I am after some ideas for readings for the non religious wedding of a couple who already have children together, own a house etc. I am looking for something that reflects this rather than starting of a new life together type thing. Any ideas?

I'm on the same situation in fact thinking of my 9 year old to do a reading so will be watching this with interest.

I am another watching with interest! I would be really interested to hear other peoples ideas on how they incorporated their children into their wedding. We have four small boys..The baby is too young but the others are six and under. Apart from the rings I can't think of anything.. Its a small civil ceremony.
Hopefully we will all find something perfect

Could they draw pictures of what their family means to them, and you could then frame them and put on table or something?

Clutching at straws a bit!

What a lovely idea gallicgirl. It's something we will seriously consider.
Thank you.

Why Marriage, by Dena Acolatse
Because to the depths of me, I long to love one person,
With all my heart, my soul, my mind, my bodyâ?¦

Because I need a forever friend to trust with the intimacies of me,
Who wonâ??t hold them against me,
Who loves me when Iâ??m unlikable,
Who sees the small child in me, and
Who looks for the divine potential of meâ?¦

Because I need to cuddle in the warmth of the night
With someone who thanks God for me,
With someone I feel blessed to holdâ?¦

Because marriage means opportunity
To grow in love, in friendshipâ?¦

Because marriage is a discipline
To be added to a list of achievementsâ?¦

Because marriages do not fail, people fail
When they enter into marriage
Expecting another to make them wholeâ?¦

Because, knowing this,
I promise myself to take full responsibility
For my spiritual, mental and physical wholeness
I create me,
I take half of the responsibility for my marriage
Together we create our marriageâ?¦

Because with this understanding
The possibilities are limitless.

ooh sorry app doesnt like punctuation

forgot it mentions god too. aargh sorry not with it today!

We asked a couple of friends to do readings, non-religious, not too slushy

One picked a poem (john Donne I think), the other astounded us and wrote her own, something about being wrapped in a blanket of love, it was totally about us and for us, and perfect.

You could easily change that God reference to

"Someone who thinks the world of me"

Szeli what a lovey poem- thank you for posting it & like gallicgirl says the god reference could be changed!
Thanks therealmary also.

I Wanna Grow Old With You – Adam Sandler
I wanna make you smile
Whenever you’re sad
Carry you around when your arthritis is bad
All I wanna do, is grow old with you
I’ll get you medicine when your tummy aches
Build you a fire if the furnace breaks
So, it could be so nice growing old with you,….
I’ll miss you
Kiss you
Give you my coat when you are cold
Need you
Feed you
Even let you hold the remote control.
So let me do the dishes in our kitchen sink
Put you to bed when you’ve had too much to drink
Oh I could be the man that grows old with you
I wanna grow old with you.
Composer: Adam Sandler

We had 'I rely on you' by Hovis Presley

I rely on you
like a Skoda needs suspension
like the aged need a pension
like a trampoline needs tension
like a bungee jump needs apprehension
I rely on you
like a camera needs a shutter
like a gambler needs a flutter
like a golfer needs a putter
like a buttered scone involves some butter
I rely on you
like an acrobat needs ice cool nerve
like a hairpin needs a drastic curve
like an HGV needs endless derv
like an outside left needs a body swerve
I rely on you
like a handyman needs pliers
like an auctioneer needs buyers
like a laundromat needs driers
like The Good Life needed Richard Briers
I rely on you
like a water vole needs water
like a brick outhouse needs mortar
like a lemming to the slaughter
Ryan's just Ryan without his daughter
I rely on you

We had a shorter version of Dr Seuss's Oh The Places You'll Go. Perhaps something along those lines could be fun if there are lots of kids?

A friend also did a fun thing where her son and two nephews held up pictures as her DSIL-to-be read a simple children's story about love. They had to be prompted a couple of times but they'd obviously practised and it was pretty adorable.

We had The owl and the pussycat
And also someone read dance me to the end of love, a Leonard Cohen song.

We are getting married after several years living together but no kids. We are going with a Pablo Neruda poem ( the I want to do to you what the spring does to cherry blossom one) and a reading from far from the madding crowd when Bathsheba and Gabriel get married. Both are about couples who already know each other well ifswim. Not about starting life together .

Some great ideas, thank you all