Wedding Poems – 15 Beautiful Ideas for Your Ceremony

Marriage, oh marriage! It has been an institution in our world for millennia, and so there are many poems about marriage and love. Today, we will have a look at a number of different marriage poems to see why they stand out. Many of these poems can also be used in marriage ceremonies, and if you are looking for a poem to use in a ceremony, you may just find some stunning ones below. If learning about wedding poems is something that you would like to do, keep reading and see what you can find!

A Look at Wedding Poems

There are so many love poems out in the world, but what about wedding poems? These two are often seen as related to one another because we often see love as naturally leading to marriage. This is not always the case as marriages have a long history of existing outside of ideas surrounding love and, in the modern day, marriage is often seen as unnecessary by many who are in love.

However, wedding poems have existed for a very long time. However, what is considered to be a marriage poem and what is not can be a difficult thing. For instance, there are many poems that are commonly used in marriage ceremonies that are not actually about marriage. Many of these kinds of poems are instead about love, loyalty, kinship, and so on. So, we are going to have a look at fifteen different poems and while they are not all explicitly about marriage itself, they are often associated with marriage. Some of them will be love poems and some will be a little less serious (especially the more contemporary ones), but they all have a place as marriage poems in some way or another. Let’s get started with the first of these, which is a truly ancient one.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (53 – 54 CE) from the New Testament

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 is not actually a text that is explicitly about marriage, and it is also, technically, not a poem at all. However, these few verses of the New Testament are often used as a wedding poem. The reason for this is because of where its focus lies. In this case, it fixates on what love should be.

The ideas that it presents are beautiful, even to those who do not ascribe to Christian beliefs.

The reason for this is because this particular chapter of the bible, and these verses in particular, focus on the positives of love. It tells us that in real love, we are patient, kind, humble, and selfless. There are a number of different points that are brought up, and it is essentially a list of items that have come to be representative of love. Still, these points are powerful ones that should be kept in mind, such as “love does not delight in evil” but is rather something that protects and hopes.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (53 – 54 CE) from the New Testament; The Bodleian Libraries, Oxford, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

This Marriage (13^th Century) by Rumi

This Marriage is a poem that serves as a perfect kind of poem for marriage ceremonies. In terms of wedding poems, many of them are not actually about the wedding ceremony itself, but rather about love in a more general sense, or as a means of focusing on the kind of relationship that arises out of a marriage.

However, this poem is focused on the specific vows said at a wedding and what they come to represent.

This also means that this is a great example of the kind of love poems for wedding ceremonies that can be utilized in the actual marriage itself. This poem can be used where vows are told, as it is a poem that focuses on what these vows are meant to mean for the two people who have decided to marry one another. The poem uses a number of images to present us with the idea of positivity that will follow on from the wedding itself. It is a poem that wants marriage to succeed and to survive long after the wedding itself has come to an end.

A Ditty (Between 1554 and 1586) by Sir Philip Sidney

A Ditty is a great example of the kinds of love poems for wedding ceremonies that can be recited because of its focus on love and the way in which it should be presented in a mutual sense in which all parties feel similar emotions for one another. In the case of this particular poem, it is an old one, but one that has ideas that still ring true today for those who are in love.

It pronounces that “my true-love hath my heart, and I have his”, and this idea of mutual adoration for one another is one that is found in marriage ceremonies around the world.

While this kind of a metaphor, in which hearts or souls are bonded together, is a common idea that is explored in many examples of wedding poems. We want to believe the idea that we have found a soul mate when we have decided to marry someone, and poems such as this can serve as reinforcement of that idea.

Sonnet 116: Let me not to the marriage of true minds (1609) by William Shakespeare

Sonnet 116: Let me not to the marriage of true minds is not a poem that is necessarily about marriage itself, but it does use the metaphor of marriage in a powerful way to present the kinds of feelings that we may experience when we are in love with one another.

In this case, the poem suggests that true love is rather like a “true marriage”, in that it should be forever, or at least that this is the idea of a true marriage.

While the present day does not necessarily mean that marriages will last forever, as divorce is always an option for those who have fallen out of love, there is something beautiful about a poem that does see true love as something unbreakable. In addition, when it comes to actual marriage ceremonies and the wedding poems that are often recited at them, there is usually a pronouncement of the eternity of wedding vows. We want to believe that a marriage will be the end of the journey of love, and poems of this nature help to reinforce that idea.

Sonnet 116: Let Me Not to the Marriage of true minds (1609) by William Shakespeare; William Shakespeare, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

To My Dear and Loving Husband (1678) by Anne Bradstreet

To My Dear and Loving Husband is a sweet poem that is concerned with marriage in a more direct sense. This is not necessarily the kind of poem that one would find in a wedding ceremony, but it is one that describes the kind of love that a married pair can experience with one another. In this particular case, it is a poem that expresses a heterosexual marriage between a man and a woman rather than simply between two people who love one another, and so this particular poem may not be as universal as some of the other poems on this list.

However, this poem does examine the way that this female speaker adores her husband.

It focuses on love, and it makes use of the idea of riches and repayment. This is a love that cannot be repaid. It is a love that she feels deeply within her heart and one that she intends to spend the rest of her life repaying to the one she loves. This is also a much older poem than many of the others on this list, and it helps to show the way that marriage has always been an institution that has assisted in love even if many older marriages were for reasons other than love.

Love (1799) by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Love is a poem that, despite having a particularly simple name, is a stunning example of the darker side of marriage poems. The reason for this is that there is never an actual wedding that takes place between the speaker and the object of their desires, but rather a more sinister perspective of guilt and shame. The speaker in this poem is a minstrel who is in love with the Lady of the Land, but he knows that he is not worthy of her, so he sings her a song concerning one who would be worthy of her.

She ultimately rejects him despite his attempts, and the poem goes to pains to show the way that she responds to him.

We often have an association with songs about these kinds of love and that they are intrinsically tied to a positive idea of love, but while this poem broaches the kinds of ideas that one may find in a wedding poem, it does not present us with something good and positive. Not all love stories end in marriage, and many do not end in any kind of reciprocation of feelings at all. It may be a rather depressing note for a poem of this nature, but they are not all happy.

Genevieve from a poem by S.T. Coleridge entitled Love (1812) by George Dawe; George Dawe, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Marriage Morning (1871) Alfred Lord Tennyson

Marriage Morning is, unlike the last poem on this list, a far more traditional example of the many wedding poems out there. In the case of this particular poem, it tells the tale of these two lovers and how they have come to reach this particular moment. They spend the time reminiscing about the events that stretched from their courtship to the present moment. The title tells us what this present moment is as they are soon to be married, and with marriage comes a sense of what is still to come in their relationship.

Many wedding poems have this kind of focus.

They examine the way in which marriage will lead to a new kind of life. The life before a marriage is one thing, but as a courtship between two people reaches a higher point, the prospect of life together forever becomes a possibility. This poem examines that kind of feeling, and it treats it with positivity. The relationship that led to this marriage has already been a great one, but this pair of lovers still have the rest of their lives to be with one another, and the poem, and other wedding poems like it, tell us that this is what many of us will strive for in matters of love.

Select poems of Alfred lord Tennyson (1885); Internet Archive Book Images, No restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons

To Be One With Each Other (19^th Century) by George Eliot

To Be One With Each Other is a poem that examines the idea of love and marriage in a more metaphysical sense. While there are many wedding poems that examine the way in which marriage ties people together and allows them to live a life with one another, this poem is more concerned with these kinds of ideas on a spiritual level. The poem, and its shaped structure, present us with the idea of the “greater thing” being humans joining their souls together so as to strengthen one another while also allowing one another to rest with the other.

There are many love and wedding poems that address similar ideas.

There is the idea that to be with one another in such an intimate way is to share something far deeper with one another. It is to lean on one another and improve one another. This ties into ideas of humans being better in groups rather than as purely separate individuals. We are stronger with each other, and we can weather far more adversity when we allow ourselves to be joined with another. It is a beautiful sentiment and one that many share, especially when they are on the cusp of marriage itself.

The Arnolfini Portrait (1434) by Jan van Eyck; Jan van Eyck, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

To My Valentine (Between 1902 and 1971) by Ogden Nash

To My Valentine is a far more humorous poem about love with one another. However, while the poem is rather funny, and makes use of imagery and statements that would generally appear out of place in a love poem for a wedding, this is exactly the kind of poem that would likely work, in the modern day, as one of the great wedding poems for ceremonies. The reason for this is because many contemporary weddings tend to be more accepting of laughter rather than seriousness in the action.

So, when a poem tells us that we should love someone more than “the criminal hates the clue” we can often appreciate it as a lovely, if ultimately silly, sentiment.

This is what makes this a fantastic poem for contemporary wedding ceremonies. It may be a rather silly poem, and it makes a number of statements that would ordinarily feel out of place, but regardless of that, it is cute and sweet in a way that we do not usually allow such silliness to appear. This is especially the kind of poem that would seem great in a speech during a wedding reception.

To Love is Not to Possess (Between 1928 and 2009) by James Kavanaugh

To Love is Not to Possess is a poem about love. However, it has a similar vibe to the very first poem in this list. It is a poem that examines the idea of a more permanent attachment to one another, in the form of marriage, but it is also a poem that tells us how we should treat those that we love.

The title of the poem is perhaps the most potent of them all as it tells us that if we love someone, we cannot control them.

The remainder of the poem echoes similar thoughts. We cannot imprison someone through our love, but we must also not lose ourselves. We must still be separate individuals, but those who are joined together with one another in a way that is not necessarily as metaphysical as certain ideas of love. Rather than being perfectly joined together, as if our souls have fused, we are separate beings, but beings that choose to be with one another and attempt to aid the other in flourishing as much as possible.

Wedding portrait of Isaac Abrahamsz. Massa (1586–1643) and Beatrix van der Laan (1592–1639) (1622) by Frans Hals; Frans Hals, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons 

Touched by An Angel (Between 1928 and 2014) by Maya Angelou

Touched by An Angel is a stunning poem by one of the greatest poets of the 20^th century. This is an example of the kind of wedding poems that want us to see a certain juxtaposition between life without love and one with love. It tells us that before we have found love before we have found the one who we may wish to be with for the rest of our lives, we are more fundamentally lonely.

We do not have a partner to share our lives with, but when that partner comes, they can help to “liberate us to life”.

This is a beautiful idea for many, and this also makes it a fantastic instance of the many superb love poems for wedding ceremonies. It is the kind of poem that reinforces the positives of marriage as an extension of love. It does not treat it merely as a ceremony, but something that allows us to continue in our journey of love. It also helps us to leave behind our old and painful memories and instead embrace the future with this other person.

Marrysong (1989) by Dennis Scott

Marrysong is a stunning poem that is also not necessarily about marriage itself, although the word “marry” is in the title. In this case, the poem is one that focuses on relationships and what they mean to us. While many like to imagine that the person they have fallen in love with will always be someone that they love, someone that does not change, this is not the case. The phrase “he/she is not the person I married” is something that is always true.

We change over time. We are not the same person after ten years of life let alone ten years of marriage.

However, this poem sees this sense of change in a positive light. It wants us to see our position in a relationship as something similar to a cartographer. The person we love is someone who is a grand expanse of landscape, and that landscape is always shifting and changing as time goes on, and all that we can do is try to explore it as it changes. The person we love will not be the same person forever, but we should want to see who they become rather than dreading what they will become.

Yes, I’ll marry you, my dear (1997) by Pam Ayres

Yes, I’ll marry you, my dear is a poem that looks at actual married life. It is also a funny poem that examines the more ordinary details of life with another person. In this case, it humorously states things like the reason for marriage is so that we can “push you out of bed/when the baby starts to cry”.

Poems of this nature are great wedding poems because they can be used in the ceremony to examine the more supposedly monotonous parts of marriage.

These are the parts that are real, the parts that we need to acknowledge before we get into an actual marriage, but they are also the parts that allow us to spend our lives together and essentially share a life. That makes this final poem a fantastic one to end on.

Our Souls Are Mirrors (2020) by Rupi Kaur

Our Souls Are Mirrors is another of the love poems that focuses on a more metaphysical unity of beings. It is a poem that wants us to see ourselves as inherently connected. It makes use of the metaphor of baking to reflect this kind of idea. It tells us that the one we are in love with, the one who we may join with again, are dough that was separated by god at some point, but that we can come back together.

There have already been a few of these kinds of poems in this list, but this is another phenomenal example of one of the great love poems for wedding ceremonies.

It is a relatively short, and very sweet, poem that could easily slot into a pronouncement of love at a wedding. In addition, the invocation of a religious deity is also perfect for those who do have spiritual beliefs and may wish for a poem that conveys those kinds of thoughts and feelings within a marriage context. This poem is not necessarily focused entirely on the idea of marriage, but it is a great example of a poem that can be used within that context to fantastic effect.

I’ll Be There for You (2022) by Louise Cuddon

I’ll Be There for You is another of the more humorous poems that can often serve as some of the best wedding poems. In this case, the poem is an affirmation of a sweet love in which the mundanities of life are presented through the perspective of love. For instance, it tells us that we, in this case in the role of the beloved, will always be there for you, even when you have missed your train or had to deal with a delayed plane.

Wedding of Nicholas II and Grand Duchess Alexandra Feodorovna (1894) by Ilya Repin; Ilya Repin, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The poem takes pains to focus on these more mundane aspects of life, and it does this through a more humorous filter, but this focus on the minutiae of life is exactly the way that life really is. It is easy to have a poem or narrative that focuses on the grand gestures of love that one might find in something like Romeo and Juliet, but that is not everyday life. The life that we live on a daily basis is not one with such grandiosity in love, it is simply being there for the other person. It is being there when they are angry, happy, sad, playful, annoyed, and loving. It is in sickness and in health, after all.

Marriage has been around for at least a few years, and whenever something has been around for more than a couple of months, people write poems about it. Today, we have had a look at 15 of those poems, some of these have been love poems for weddings and others have been wedding poems for ceremonies. They are generally about love in some or another sense or they look at the duties of marriage. There are many ways to look at marriage and there are many different wedding poems. There are many more than have been discussed today, and if you want to have a look at a few more famous marriage poems, there are so many to explore!

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is a Wedding Poem?

This is a very broad category that has no standard means of classification. A wedding poem is a poem that is about marriage, but some could also argue that poems that are commonly used in marriage ceremonies can be seen as wedding poems too. When it comes to wedding poems for ceremonies, we often resort to poems about love, even when marriage is not actually mentioned, and that is because many poems could be perfect for marriages.

Are Wedding Poems Always Love Poems?

A wedding poem does not need to be a love poem either. Many love poems for weddings are very much oriented around love, but there could be a poem about marriage that focuses on a monotonous or abusive marriage. Not all marriages are necessarily good. Many weddings are usually portrayed as positive events, but this does not mean that they will always be positive or love-oriented. For instance, imagine a poem about an arranged marriage. It’s still about a wedding, but it’s not going to always be about genuine love.

Which Types of Poems Can Be Marriage Poems?

There is no such thing as a specific type of poem that is a wedding poem. There can be wedding poems for ceremonies that are sonnets, free verse poems, or even limericks. There is no limit as to what can be a poem about a marriage. This also means that the genre of marriage poems is immensely broad and cannot be easily classifiable. This is also why many poems that are not even explicitly about marriage itself can become used as love poems for weddings.

What Are Some of the Most Famous Marriage Poems?

There have been so many famous wedding poems out there, and some of the best-known of them all include poems like This Marriage (13th Century) by Rumi, To My Dear and Loving Husband (1678) by Anne Bradstreet, and Marriage Morning (1871) by Alfred Lord Tennyson. However, this is only a small selection of marriage poems, and there are a great many other ones out there that are worth reading.

Who Are Some of the Most Famous Poets Who Wrote Marriage Poems?

Many poets have written about marriage in some or another sense. For instance, figures like Rumi and Alfred Lord Tennyson have written on marriage. There have also been writers like William Shakespeare who have used the idea of marriage in their work. Marriage has been a staple of many societies for thousands of years, and so many examples of art depict or examine marriage.

Justin van Huyssteen( Novelist, Academic and Educator )

Justin van Huyssteen is a freelance writer, novelist, and academic originally from Cape Town, South Africa. At present, he has a bachelor’s degree in English and literary theory and an honor’s degree in literary theory. He is currently working towards his master’s degree in literary theory with a focus on animal studies, critical theory, and semiotics within literature. As a novelist and freelancer, he often writes under the pen name L.C. Lupus.

Justin’s preferred literary movements include modern and postmodern literature with literary fiction and genre fiction like sci-fi, post-apocalyptic, and horror being of particular interest. His academia extends to his interest in prose and narratology. He enjoys analyzing a variety of mediums through a literary lens, such as graphic novels, film, and video games.

Justin is working for artincontext.org as an author and content writer since 2022. He is responsible for all blog posts about architecture, literature and poetry.

Learn more about Justin van Huyssteen and the Art in Context Team.