November 17, 2025
Modern & Unusual Wedding Readings for Your Ceremony
Looking for non-traditional wedding readings? Explore modern, funny, and unusual poems perfect for humanist or outdoor weddings in North Wales.
Looking for non-traditional wedding readings? Explore modern, funny, and unusual poems perfect for humanist or outdoor weddings in North Wales.
If you've read the classics and thought, lovely but not us, this is your shortlist. These modern, non-religious wedding readings are heartfelt without being saccharine, clever without being cold, and perfect for humanist wedding ceremonies, outdoor weddings and non-traditional weddings in North Wales and Cheshire.
If you want a reading that feels honest, human and quietly funny, A Vow by Wendy Cope is a perfect fit. It's simple and conversational, but taps into something much more profound — the idea that real love isn't about perfection, it's about turning up and choosing each other anyway.
Cope's words land beautifully in modern, non-religious wedding ceremonies because they sound like something you might actually say. No frills, no grand declarations, just a truthful reflection on what it means to promise someone your best — even when you can't promise perfection. It works wonderfully in intimate ceremonies or outdoor weddings across North Wales and Anglesey, especially if you want something sincere but not sentimental.
I cannot promise never to be angry;
I cannot promise always to be kind.
The poem continues in this vein — honest, warm, and quietly funny — ending on a declaration that feels real rather than rehearsed. You can find the full text via the Poetry Archive or request it through your local library. I'm also happy to share it directly with couples I'm working with.
I Wanna Be Yours has become something of a cult classic for alternative weddings, and for good reason. It's funny, offbeat, and brimming with personality, while still managing to feel deeply romantic.
The poem works brilliantly for modern humanist or non-religious weddings because it brings together humour and affection in a way that feels completely natural. Guests recognise the rhythm instantly, and its quirky imagery makes it unforgettable.
It's ideal for non-religious weddings where you want laughter woven through the emotion, or for couples who share a love of music, poetry, or a bit of northern grit. This reading is a crowd pleaser, and it never fails to get a smile.
I wanna be your vacuum cleaner
breathing in your dust
The poem was published in Clarke's collection Ten Years in an Open Necked Shirt and is available through most bookshops and libraries. As it's an actively licensed work, I share the full text directly with couples I'm working with rather than reproducing it here.
There's something beautifully ordinary about this poem, and that's exactly why couples love it. Marriage isn't about grand gestures or cinematic romance. It's about the quiet, everyday partnership that builds a life — the breakfasts and shared beds, the tiny rituals that make love real.
William Letford captures that feeling perfectly. His words are rooted in real life, celebrating the messy, funny, comforting truth of being with someone for years on end. It's a piece that fits seamlessly into humanist and non-religious wedding ceremonies, especially for couples who value honesty over perfection and laughter over formality.
I've seen this read beautifully by six different guests who took a couple of sentences each at a wedding at Llyn Gwynant Barns, where the simplicity of the landscape mirrors the poem's grounded tone. It also works for vow renewals and intimate elopement ceremonies, where couples want something mature, tender and unpretentious — a reflection of love that's grown, not just begun.
My wish for you
is twenty thousand mornings
climbing out of bed together.
The poem is taken from Letford's collection Bevel, published by Carcanet Press. Available through bookshops and libraries. I share the full text with couples I'm working with.
If you want a reading that makes people feel something but still sounds like it belongs in this century, this is the one. Mouthful of Forevers has become a modern classic for humanist and non-religious weddings because it captures love after life has already happened — not the first rush of romance, but the deep, real kind that arrives when you've both seen a bit of the world.
Clementine von Radics writes with emotional precision. Their words are raw, modern, and unapologetically romantic without ever tipping into cliché. It's a brilliant choice for couples who've lived a little, loved before, or found each other later in life. The poem celebrates vulnerability and healing, but it's also fiercely hopeful — perfect for couples standing at the start of a new chapter together.
Our love came unannounced in the middle of the night.
Our love came when we'd given up on asking love to come.
The full poem appears in von Radics' collection Mouthful of Forevers, published by Andrews McMeel. Available through most bookshops. I share the full text directly with couples I'm working with.
That's exactly what I'm here for. As a wedding celebrant in North Wales and Cheshire, I help couples choose readings that sound like them, not like everyone else. And if you're working with me, I'll share full texts of any of the above — copyright restrictions apply to public reproduction, but not to the planning process between us. Let's plan a ceremony that's warm, modern and genuinely yours — send me a message and we'll start from there.
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Kate Rostance is a humanist wedding celebrant based in North Wales. She creates ceremonies that are relaxed and full of meaning - with a touch of humour and plenty of heart. She works across North Wales, including Snowdonia, Anglesey, Gwynedd, the Llyn Peninsula, Cheshire and beyond.
Find out more about Kate, her approach to weddings, or what happy couples have said about her.
