Wedding speech poems and readings: short, out-of-copyright lines

The best poems for a wedding speech are short: two to four lines you can say from memory, placed just before the toast. The five below are all long out of copyright, and each comes with its author, date and a link to the text we checked it against.

Gov.uk says copyright in written work usually lasts 70 years after the author's death. Every poet here died before 1932. Our separate wedding speech quotes guide covers Shakespeare's Sonnet 116, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Bible verses, so they are not repeated here.

Five short poems

Anne Bradstreet, "To my Dear and Loving Husband" (1678)

If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were lov'd by wife, then thee.

Bradstreet (1612 to 1672) wrote it to her husband; it was published after her death in Several Poems (1678). Text from the University of Toronto's Representative Poetry Online. The first line works on its own for any couple. The second is written from a wife to a husband, so change the speaker or leave it out.

Robert Burns, "A Red, Red Rose" (1799)

And I will luve thee still, my Dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry.

Burns (1759 to 1796) wrote this as a song; Representative Poetry Online, which our text comes from, dates its publication to 1799. Spellings differ slightly between editions. "Till a' the seas gang dry" means "until all the seas run dry". It suits a Scottish wedding, or anyone who can manage the Scots.

Christina Rossetti, "A Birthday" (1861)

Because the birthday of my life
Is come, my love is come to me.

These are the poem's last two lines. Rossetti (1830 to 1894) first published it in Macmillan's Magazine in April 1861. Text from Representative Poetry Online. The opening line, "My heart is like a singing bird", is better known, but the ending is the part that sounds like a wedding.

Edward Lear, "The Owl and the Pussy-Cat" (1871)

And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon.

Lear (1812 to 1888) wrote it as nonsense verse for children, and it ends with the owl and the cat getting married and dancing. Text from Representative Poetry Online. It is a good choice for a light speech, a couple who love the sea, or when children are in the room.

Kahlil Gibran, "On Marriage", from The Prophet (1923)

But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.

Gibran (1883 to 1931) published The Prophet in 1923. Text from Project Gutenberg's copy; its catalogue entry lists the book as public domain in the USA. It is a popular ceremony reading. In a speech, the line "Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup" leads neatly into a toast.

Poem	Tone	Best for
Bradstreet	Simple, devoted	Any speaker; parents
Burns	Romantic, Scots	Scottish weddings
Rossetti	Joyful	Maid of honour, close friends
Lear	Playful	Light speeches, families with children
Gibran	Reflective	Parents, grandparents, readings

How to work a poem into a speech

A poem on its own can feel lifted from a card. Three ways to make it yours:

1. Tie it to something real. Say why you chose it. "Mum read us 'The Owl and the Pussy-Cat' every night, and Hannah always asked for the last verse twice" makes the lines about this couple.
2. Keep it short. Two lines said well are better than a whole poem read off a phone. If you want the whole thing, suggest it to the couple as a ceremony reading instead.
3. Put it at the end. Say the lines, pause, then turn them into your toast. Our guide to how to end a wedding speech covers the last line.

An example

This example was written for this page and is not about real people:

"When I asked Ollie what he loved most about Grace, he said she never minds when he goes quiet for a whole Sunday with a book, and she never minds when he wants to talk about it for the whole of Monday. Kahlil Gibran wrote: 'Let there be spaces in your togetherness, and let the winds of the heavens dance between you.' Ollie and Grace have got the spaces and the togetherness right. Please raise your glasses to them both."

The poem works because the story before it shows what it means for this couple. Without the story, it is a quote anyone could read.

Readings at the ceremony

A reading during the ceremony is a different thing from a few lines in a speech. For a civil ceremony in England and Wales, gov.uk says to discuss any wording beyond the vows with the person carrying out the ceremony, so check with them before choosing a reading. Religious ceremonies have their own rules; ask the officiant.

Start your draft

Once you have your poem, the rest of the speech still needs your stories. Our step-by-step guide to writing a wedding speech covers that, or answer five questions on theweddingspeech.ai and see your free speech preview.