Ideas for wedding readings suitable for a child. Includes top tips about involving children and how to ensure that it will all go smoothly on the special day.

Including children in wedding ceremonies can be an important moment for the blended family. Often children can feel left out with the bridal couple receiving a lot of attention during the planning of the wedding and on the day. Children may feel nervous about how things will change and, understandably, that their parent will no longer give them much attention after the wedding.

The wedding ceremony has many opportunities for children to be involved. They can be flower girls, ring bearers and bridesmaids. For older children who feel confident, they can offer readings.

Top Tips For Children Reading at a Wedding Ceremony

• Let the child choose a reading that has special meaning for him or her, with perhaps a little guidance about how it should be appropriate to the wedding. For some children, a favourite poem or story is often one that they remember a parent reading to them. This can become a special memory for the parent and the child if it is read on the wedding day.
• It can be simple! The happy ending of a fairytale such as "Cinderella" or "Sleeping Beauty" is quite suitable.
• Keep the reading short, around 100 words, and allocate an aunt or grandparent to help the child practice reading slowly and clearly.
• This same relative should sit beside the child during the wedding ceremony to offer support and ensure that things run smoothly.
• When the reader is introduced and invited to step forward and read, the celebrant could say a few words about why the excerpt or poem has been chosen, to create a context for the wedding guests.

For children who do not want to choose, there are some books that really lend themselves to wedding readings.

Excerpt From The House At Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne

"Pooh, promise you won't forget about me, ever. Not even when I'm a hundred."

Pooh thought for a little.

"How old shall I be then?"

"Ninety-nine." Pooh nodded.

"I promise," he said.

Still with his eyes on the world, Christopher Robin put out a hand and felt for Pooh's paw.

Exerpt From Now We Are Six by A.A. Milne

This is from the story called Us Two

" So wherever I am, there's always Pooh,

There's always Pooh and Me.

"What would I do?" I said to Pooh,

"If it wasn't for you," and Pooh said... "True,

It isn't much fun for One, but Two

Can stick together," says Pooh, says he.

"That's how it is," says Pooh.

Exerpt from The Velveteen Rabbit ot How Toys Become Real by Margery Williams

In the first chapter of this classic, the Skin Horse talks to the rabbit about what being real means.

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

The Skin Horse goes on to explain that it might and why it is worth it, with beautiful insights into love.

More ideas for weddings : Creative Wedding Readings, Wedding Readings to Set the Mood

Contemporary Wedding Music, Classical Wedding Music

References

• The House at Pooh Corner (A.A. Milne. Dutton Juvenile 1988)
• Now We Are Six (A.A. Milne. Dutton Juvenile; Deluxe edition 2008)
• The Velveteen Rabbit (Margery Williams. Doubleday January 6, 1958)

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