"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud."
— 1 Corinthians 13:4 (NIV)
Wedding Bible readings are the scriptures a couple asks the church to hear at the ceremony. People who search wedding scripture readings, or wedding readings from the Bible, want that same list. This page groups them the way a service uses them: love that lasts, the covenant, God's blessing, and the classic passages programs print. Each entry has a short NIV line and a link when this site has a page that stays with that verse. Planning the whole marriage ceremony? The longer list of wedding Bible verses has more passages, Bible verses about marriage covers what the covenant is, and anniversary Bible verses are for the years after.
The fuller ceremony list under the verses wording is Wedding Bible verses. A wider list of love verses, beyond the ceremony, is Bible verses about love. Verses about what marriage itself is are Bible verses about marriage. The covenant those readings are for is Love and marriage.
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Love that lasts
1 Corinthians 13:4-7. "Love is patient, love is kind." Paul is telling a church how love treats people. Couples read it because a marriage needs that same treatment. The first clause is Love is patient Bible verse.
1 Corinthians 13:8. "Love never fails." Prophecies, tongues, and knowledge pass away. Love remains. The vernacular page is Love never fails Bible verse.
1 Corinthians 13:13. "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." Many ceremonies close the chapter here. The phrase page is The greatest of these is love. Faith, hope, and love together are Faith, hope and love Bible verse.
Song of Solomon 8:6. "Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death."
Covenant and blessing
Genesis 2:24. "That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh." Love and marriage stays with that design.
Matthew 19:6. "So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate."
Ephesians 5:25. "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her."
Numbers 6:24-26. "The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."
Ecclesiastes 4:12. "A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." Couples read the third strand when they want the marriage held by more than the two of them.
Classic marriage ceremony readings
The long reading is 1 Corinthians 13. Colossians 3:14 says to put on love, which binds every virtue in perfect unity. 1 John 4:19 says we love because he first loved us. None of these lines creates a marriage by being read aloud. They name the love, the covenant, or the blessing the couple is asking God to keep.
Questions people ask
What are wedding Bible readings?
Wedding Bible readings are scriptures chosen for the ceremony: love that lasts, a covenant that is not only a feeling, and a blessing asked from God. The sections above group them by use. The same list under the verses wording is Wedding Bible verses.
What is the difference between wedding Bible readings and wedding Bible verses?
None that matters for choosing. People search both phrases for the same ceremony list. This page uses the readings wording. Wedding Bible verses uses the verses wording and has the fuller grouped list.
What are the most common wedding scripture readings?
1 Corinthians 13:4-8, Song of Solomon 8:6-7, Genesis 2:24, Ephesians 5:25, Ruth 1:16, Ecclesiastes 4:12, and Numbers 6:24-26 are the lines programs print most often. Linked pages on this site stay with the verse after the service.
Can we use more than one wedding Bible reading?
Yes. Many services use a short love reading, a covenant reading, and a blessing. Keep each one short enough that guests can follow without a booklet.
Where should I read next?
For the fuller ceremony list, read Wedding Bible verses. For what marriage itself is, read What does the Bible say about marriage. For anniversary readings later, read Anniversary Bible verses.
