Plan your wedding or civil partnership ceremony

A Walled Garden

Unknown

‘Your marriage’, he said, ‘should have within it, a secret and protected place, open to you alone.
Imagine it to be a walled garden, entered by a door to which you only hold the key.
Within this garden you will cease to be a mother, father, employee, homemaker or any other of the roles which you fulfil in daily life. 
Here you are yourselves, two people who love each other.
Here you can concentrate on one another’s needs’. So take my hand and let us go back to our garden.
The time we spend together is not wasted but invested.
Invested in our future and the nurture of our love.

Sonnet 116

William Shakespeare

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments, love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove.
O no! it is an ever fixèd mark,
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wand’ring bark,
Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.
Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle’s compass come,
Love alters not within his brief hours and weeks, But bears
it out even to the edge of doom:
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

Yes I'll marry you

Pam Ayres

Yes, I’ll marry you, my dear,
And here’s the reason why;
So I can push you out of bed when the baby starts to cry,
And if we hear a knocking
And it’s creepy and it’s late,
I hand you the torch you see,
And you investigate.
Yes, I’ll marry you, my dear,
You may not apprehend it,
But when the tumble-drier goes, It’s you that has to mend it,
You have to face the neighbour should our Labrador attack him,
And if a drunkard fondles me It’s you that has to whack him.
Yes, I’ll marry you, my dear
You’re virile and you’re lean,
My house is like a pigsty, you can help to keep it clean.
That sexy little dinner, which you served by candlelight,
As I do chipolatas,
You can cook it every night!
It’s you who has to work the drill
And put up curtain track,
And when I’ve got PMT it’s you who gets the flak, I do see
great advantages,
But none of them for you,
And so before you see the light, I do, I do, I do!

A Marriage

Mark Twain 

A marriage… 
Makes of two fractional lives a whole; 
it gives to two purposeless lives a work, and doubles the strength of each to perform it; 
it gives to two questioning natures a reason for living, and something to live for; 
it will give a new gladness to the sunshine, a new fragrance to the flowers, a new beauty to the earth, and a new mystery to life. 

Marriage

Unknown

A marriage is a promise that two hearts gladly make. 
A promise to be tender, to help, to give and take. 
A marriage is a promise to be kind and understanding 
To be thoughtful and considerate, fair and undemanding. 
A marriage is a promise to share one life together… 
A love-filled promise meant to be kept lovingly for ever. 
Always love each other 

Marriage is the greatest happiness of all

Michele Gallagher

In a marriage, two people become as one, yet they are individuals, each with their own ideas and goals. 
In a marriage, two people share their thoughts, they give advice, sharing their feelings, being open and loving. 
They must trust each other and hold onto faith, while going through ups and downs.

Unknown

If you can always be as close And happy as today 
Yet be secure enough to grow And change along the way 
If you can keep for you alone your love as husband and wife 
Yet find the time to share your joy With others in your life 
If you can be as one and walk Through marriage hand in hand 
Yet still support the goals and dreams That each of you had planned 
If you can dare to always go Your separate ways together 
Then all the wonder of today Will stay with you forever 

Partners

Patience Strong

The first dance of all when they danced heart to heart 
They knew, they both knew, it was only the start 
Of something more wonderful than a mere dance 
More than a thrill of a passing romance. 
They knew without saying that Love, the real thing had 
touched them that night with its shimmering wing. 
No word had been spoken and yet they both knew 
That suddenly all sorts of dreams had come true. 
It’s many a year since the night that they met 
But that first dance they will never forget 
Then a boy and a girl and now husband and wife 
Still happy, still dancing and partners for life. 

My advice

Mum and Dad get married today 
I’d like to help them on their way 
So here’s some special advice from me 
To help them with our family 
Keep our house filled with laughter 
Let’s have fun forever after 
Keep the drawer filled up with sweets 
And give us children lots of treats 
Make sure you spend time together 
To keep your happiness forever 
Make sure you spend lots on us 
And then us kids won’t make a fuss 
But the most important thing for you 
Is to show your love in all you do 
A caring word, a kiss, a touch 
And those family cuddles that mean so much

I’ll be there

Louise Cuddon

I'll be there my darling, through thick and through thin
When your mind's in a mess and your head's in a spin
When your plane's been delayed, and you've missed the last train.
When life is just threatening to drive you insane
When your thrilling whodunit has lost its last page
When somebody tells you, you're looking your age
When your coffee's too cool, and your wine is too warm
When the forecast said "Fine", but you're out in a storm
When your quick break hotel, turns into a slum
And your holiday photos show only your thumb
When you park for five minutes in a resident's bay
And return to discover you've been towed away
When the jeans that you bought in hope or in haste
Just stick on your hips and don't reach round your waist
When the food you most like brings you out in red rashes
When as soon as you boot up the bloody thing crashes
So my darling, my sweetheart, my dear...
When you break a rule, when you act the fool
When you've got the flu, when you're in a stew
When you're last in the queue, don't feel blue' cause
I'm telling you, I'll be there.

Union

Robert Fulghum

You have known each other from the first glance of acquaintance to this point of commitment. 
At some point, you decided to marry. 
From that moment of yes, to this moment of yes, indeed, you have been making commitments in an informal way. 
All of those conversations that were held in a car, or over a meal, or during long walks – all those conversations that began with, “When we’re married”, and continued with “I will” and “you will” and “we will” – all those late night talks that included “someday” and “somehow” and “maybe” – and all those promises that are unspoken matters of the heart. 
All these common things, and more, are the real process of a wedding.
The symbolic vows that you are about to make are a way of saying to one another, “You know all those things that we’ve promised, and hoped, and dreamed – well, I meant it all, every word.”
Look at one another and remember this moment in time. 
Before this moment you have been many things to one another – acquaintance, friend, companion, lover, dancing partner, even teacher, for you have learned much from one another these past few years. Shortly you shall say a few words that will take you across a threshold of life, and things between you will never quite be the same.
For after today you shall say to the world –
This is my husband. This is my wife.”

The art of a good marriage

Wilfred Peterson

Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens. 
A good marriage must be created. In 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 the wings of an angel. 
It is not looking for perfection in each other.
It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humour. 
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. 
This is The Art of Marriage.

Always love each other

Unknown 

If you can always be as close 
And happy as today 
Yet be secure enough to grow 
And change along the way 
If you can keep for you alone 
your love as husband and wife 
Yet find the time to share your joy 
With others in your life 
If you can be as one and walk 
Through marriage hand in hand 
Yet still support the goals and dreams 
That each of you had planned 
If you can dare to always go 
Your separate ways together 
Then all the wonder of today 
Will stay with you forever

My True Love

Sir Philip Sidney

My true love hath my heart, and I have his. 
By just exchange one for another given. 
I hold his dear, and mine he cannot miss: 
There never was a better bargain driven. 
My true love hath my heart and I have his. 
His heart in me, keeps him and me in one, 
My heart in him, his thoughts and senses guides: 
He loves my heart, for once it was his own: 
I cherish his, because in me it bides. 
My true love hath my heart and I have his. 

I promise

Dorothy R Colgan

I promise to give you the best of myself and to ask of you no more than you can give. 
I promise to respect you as your own person and to realise that your interests, desires and needs are no less important than my own. 
I promise to share with you my time and my attention and to bring joy, strength and imagination to our relationship. 
I promise to keep myself open to you, to let you see through the window of my world into my innermost fears and feelings, secrets and dreams. 
I promise to grow along with you, to be willing to face changes in order to keep our relationship alive and exciting. 
I promise to love you in good times and in bad with all I have to give and all I feel inside in the only way I know how. 
Completely and forever. 

Look to this day

Unknown

Look to this day for it is life the very life of life. 
In its brief course lie all the realities and truths of existence; the joy of growth, the splendour of action, the glory of power. 
For yesterday is but a memory. 
And tomorrow is only a vision. 
But today well lived makes every yesterday a memory of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope. 
Look well, therefore, to this day. 

Unknown

You share today the joy of a deep commitment 
And a sacred trust, and you have given each other 
The most precious gift of love 
Treasure it, nurture it and encourage it 
With all the honesty you used in creating it 
You are sharing something rare and beautiful 
Always speak the truth and listen attentively 
So that you may understand each other’s thoughts and intentions 
Inspire each other by sharing your accomplishments 
Say I love you often to retain the warmth between you 
Laugh a lot too, even when you are angry 
Remember you are each other’s best friend 
Stand together and for each other always 
May each day be a blessing 
And the fulfilment of your dreams. 

O tell me the truth about love

W H Auden 

Some say that love’s a little boy, And some say it’s a bird, 
Some say it makes the world go round, 
And some say that’s absurd, And when I asked the man next door, Who looked as if he knew, 
His wife got very cross indeed, And said it wouldn’t do. 
Does it look like a pair of pyjamas, Or the ham in a temperance hotel? Does its odour remind one of llamas, 
Or has it a comforting smell? Is it prickly to touch as a hedge is, Or soft as eiderdown fluff? Is it sharp or quite smooth at the edges? 
O tell me the truth about love. 
I looked into the summer-house; It wasn’t ever there: I tried the Thames at Maidenhead, And Brighton’s bracing air. I don’t know what the blackbird sang, Or what the tulip said; 
But it wasn’t in the chicken-run, Or underneath the bed. 
Does it howl like a hungry Alsatian, Or boom like a military band? Could one give a first-rate imitation, On a saw or a Steinway Grand? Is its singing at parties a riot? Does it only like Classical stuff? Will it stop when one wants to be quiet? 
O tell me the truth about love. 
When it comes, will it come without warning Just as I’m picking a rose? Will it knock on my door in the morning, 
Or tread in the bus on my toes? Will it come like a change in the weather? Will its greeting be courteous or rough? Will it alter my life altogether? 
O tell me the truth about love. 

Crazy with Love

Charlotte Gray

I know every bump, every bulge, every wrinkle. 
Every sag, every bag, every scar, every flaw, every whisker. 
I know that you fleck the bathroom tiles with shaving foam, 
That you flood the floor with bath water, 
That you never take your plate out to the sink, 
That you strew your clothes, 
That you forget to change your socks, 
That you tell me the ending of detective novels, 
That you track mud through the house, 
That you never remember to pay the paper bill. 
I know your eccentricities, your prejudices, your moods. 
And somehow, for some reason I can never fully 
Understand, I am crazy with love for you. 

Our Love 

Bruce B Wilmer

Our love is something we have built from passions, hopes and dreams. 
It’s safe from any passing moods, secure from all extremes. 
It’s something real and special, something solid, something pure. 
It’s something we can always count on, ringing sound and sure. 
It’s something grounded in the heart. Emitting confidence. 
It lives in our emotions; It is something we can sense. 
Our love remains a binding force, resistant to all strife. 
Amidst the outer pressures, it’s our anchor throughout life. 

Captain Corelli's Mandolin

Louis De Bernieres

Love is a temporary madness, it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides. 
And when it subsides you have to make a decision. 
You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. 
Because that is what love is. 
Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. 
That is just being “in love”, which any fool can do. 
Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and that is both an art and a fortunate accident. 
Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two. 

Friendship

Unknown

It is often said that it is love that makes the world go round. 
However, without doubt, it is friendship which keeps our spinning existence on an even keel. 
True friendship provides so many of the essentials for a happy life - 
it is the foundation on which to build an enduring relationship, it is the mortar which bonds us together in harmony, 
and it is the calm, warm protection we sometimes need when the world outside seems cold and chaotic. 
True friendship holds a mirror to our foibles and failings, without destroying our sense of worthiness. 
True friendship nurtures our hopes, supports us in our disappointments, and encourages us to grow to our best potential. 
This couple came together as friends, they pledge to each other not only their love but also the strength, warmth and, 
most importantly, the fun of true friendship. 

Where there is love

Helen Steiner Rice

Where there is love the heart is light, 
Where there is love the day is bright, 
Where there is love there is a song, 
To help when things are going wrong 
Where there is love there is a smile 
To make all things seem more worthwhile, 
Where there is love there’s quiet peace, 
A tranquil place where turmoil’s cease- 
Love changes darkness into light 
And makes the heart take “wingless flight”. 

Extract from Les Miserables

Victor Hugo

You can give without loving, but you can never love without 
giving. 
The great acts of love are done by those who are habitually 
performing small acts of kindness. 
We pardon to the extent that we love. 
Love is knowing that even when you are alone, you will 
never be lonely again. 
And great happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved. 
Loved for ourselves. 
And even loved in spite of ourselves.
I will be here MC 
Curtis Chapman 
If in the morning when you wake, 
If the sun does not appear, 
I will be here. 
If in the dark we lose sight of love, 
Hold my hand and have no fear, 
I will be here, 
I will be here, 
When you feel like being quiet, 
When you need to speak your mind I will listen, 
Through the winning, losing and trying we’ll be 
together, 
And I will be here. 
If in the morning when you wake, 
The future is unclear, 
I will be here. 
As sure as seasons were made for change, 
Our lifetimes were made for years, 
I will be here. 
I will be here, 
And you can cry on my shoulder, 
When the mirror tells us we’re older. 
I will hold you, to watch you grow in beauty, 
And tell you all the things you are to me. 
We’ll be together, and I will be here. 
I will be true to the promises I’ve made, 
To you 
And I will be here. 

Reading

Unknown

You share today the joy of a deep commitment 
And a sacred trust, and you have given each other 
The most precious gift of love 
Treasure it, nurture it and encourage it 
With all the honesty you used in creating it 
You are sharing something rare and beautiful 
Always speak the truth and listen attentively 
So that you may understand each other’s thoughts and intentions 
Inspire each other by sharing your accomplishments 
Say I love you often to retain the warmth between you 
Laugh a lot too, even when you are angry 
Remember you are each other’s best friend 
Stand together and for each other always 
May each day be a blessing 
And the fulfilment of your dreams.