Couples oftentimes desire to have a blessing, reading or poem read by family or friends at their marriage ceremony; or as a toast at their wedding reception. With Saint Patrick’s Day approaching, I recalled a few that have Irish and Celtic roots, and others that do not.
I’ve noticed that some that are similar, but have a slightly different wording. If you have one that you prefer, let’s include it here! Send it to me and I’ll add it to the list below. My favorite is at the bottom of the page ; )
Irish Blessing
May Joy and Peace surround you,
Contentment latch your door,
And Happiness be with you now,
And bless you evermore.
May your troubles be less,
And your blessings be more
And nothing but happiness
come through your door.
Celtic Wedding Blessing
May your mornings bring joy and your evenings bring peace.
May your troubles grow few as your blessings increase.
Be no worse than the happiest day of your past.
May your hands be forever clasped … in friendship,
and your hearts joined forever in love.
Saint Patrick’s Breastplate
May you be blessed with the strength of heaven,
The light of the sun and the radiance of the moon,
The splendor of fire,
The speed of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of the sea,
The stability of earth,
and the firmness of rock.
Benediction
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
May God be with you and bless you;
May you see your children’s children.
May you be poor in misfortune,
Rich in blessings,
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.
May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home
And may the hand of a friend always be near.
May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you.
Irish Wedding Blessing
May God go with you and bless you,
May you see your children`s children,
May you be poor in misfortune and rich in blessings,
May you know nothing but happiness from this day forward.
May joy and peace surround you both,
Contentment latch your door,
And happiness be with you now And God Bless you Evermore.
May you live you life with trust,
And nurture lifelong affection,
May your lifelong dreams come true for you,
Move ever that direction.
May the light of friendship guide your paths together,
May the laughter of children grace the halls of your home.
May the joy of living for each other trip a smile from your lips,
a twinkle from your eye.
And when eternity beckons,
at the end of the life heaped high with love,
May the good Lord embrace you
with the arms that have nurtured you
the whole length of your joy-filled days.
And, today, may this Spirit of Love
find a dwelling place in your hearts, forever.
Amen
Irish Vow of Unity
We swear by peace and love to stand,
Heart to heart and hand to hand.
Mark, O Spirit, and hear us now,
Confirming this our Sacred Vow.
… and a few more that are not particularly Irish or Celtic, but offer sentiments that are appropriate to the occasion …
From This Day Forward
From this day forward, let us laugh together, and plan together,
let us find our favorite places, and go together…
Let us enjoy the sunshine, and the rain,
being alone together, and in crowds together…
From this day forward, together,
Let us love!
Apache Marriage Blessing
Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be the shelter for each other. Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be the warmth for the other. Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before.
Go now to your dwelling place to enter into the days of your life together. And may your days be good and long upon the earth.
Treat yourselves and each other with respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together. Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your connection deserves.
When frustration, difficulty and fear assail your relationship – as they threaten all relationships at one time or another – remember to focus on what is right between you, not only the part which seems wrong.
In this way, you can ride out the storms when clouds hide the face of the sun in your lives – remembering that even if you lose sight of it for a moment, the sun is still there.
And if each of you takes responsibility for the quality of your life together, it will be marked by abundance and delight.
Excerpt from The Bridge Across Forever
(Richard Bach)
A soul mate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys to fit our locks. When we feel safe enough to open the locks, our truest selves step out and we can be completely and honestly who we are; we can be loved for who we are and not for who we’re pretending to be. Each unveils the best part of the other.
No matter what else goes wrong around us, with that one person we’re safe in our own paradise. Our soul mate is someone who shares our deepest longings, our sense of direction. When we’re two balloons, and together our direction is up, chances are we’ve found the right person. Our soul mate is the one who makes life come to life.
On Love
By Thomas Kempis
Love is a mighty power, a great and complete good.
Love alone lightens every burden, and makes rough places smooth. It bears every hardship as though it were nothing, and renders all bitterness sweet and acceptable.
Nothing is sweeter than love,
Nothing stronger,
Nothing higher,
Nothing wider,
Nothing more pleasant,
Nothing fuller or better in heaven or earth; for love is born of God.
Love flies, runs and leaps for joy. It is free and unrestrained.
Love knows no limits, but ardently transcends all bounds.
Love feels no burden, takes no account of toil,
attempts things beyond its strength.
Love sees nothing as impossible, for it feels able to achieve all things. It is strange and effective, while those who lack love faint and fail.
Love is not fickle and sentimental, nor is it intent on vanities.
Like a living flame and a burning torch, it surges upward and surely surmounts every obstacle.
Art of Marriage
The little things are the big things.
It is never being too old to hold hands.
It is remembering to say “I love you” at least once a day.
It is never going to sleep angry.
It is at no time taking the other for granted; the courtship should not end with the honeymoon, it should continue through all the years.
It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.
It is standing together facing the world.
It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.
It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy.
It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.
It is not expecting the husband to wear a halo or the wife to have wings of an angel. It is not looking for perfection in each other.
It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humor. It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.
It is finding room for the things of the spirit.
It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.
It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal.
It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.
Love
Roy Croft
I love you, not only for what you are,
But for what I am when I am with you.
I love you, not only for what
you have made of yourself,
but for what you are making of me.
I love you for the part of me that you bring out;
I love you for putting your hand onto my heaped-up heart and passing over all the foolish, weak things that you can’t help.
Dimly seeing there, and for drawing out into the light,
all the beautiful belongings that no one else had looked
quite far enough to find.
I love you because you are helping me to make of the lumber of my life, not a tavern, but a temple. Out of the works, of my every day, not a reproach, but a song.
I love you because you have done more than any creed
could have done to make me good,
and more than any fate to make me happy.
You have done it without a touch, without a word, without a sign.
You have done it by being yourself.
~ • ~
I have included my favorite (and I have it memorized ; )
Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue,
Sugar Is Sweet, And So Are You!
Simple and true! That’s always most appealing to me.
William Wallace Denslow’s illustrations for “Roses Are Red”, from a 1901 edition of Mother Goose (copyright has expired).
The origins of my favorite poem can be traced back to 1590 by SirEdmund Spenser, “The Faerie Queene”, and 1784 in “Gammer Gurton’s Garland”, a collection of English nursery rhymes:
- “The rose is red, the violet’s blue,
- The honey’s sweet, and so are you.
- Thou are my love and I am thine;
- I drew thee to my Valentine:
- The lot was cast and then I drew,
- And Fortune said it shou’d be you”.
- Remember, we’d love to add your favorite to the list. There’s no expiration date on this request, send one today, send one next year … and if you know the author of some of the above, let me know and I’ll include that too. paula@teacupwedding.com
