Wedding speech quotes and readings, correctly attributed

One short quote, said near the end and credited to its real author, is all most wedding speeches need. Below are well-known lines, each linked to its text, and how to make one sound like yours rather than lifted.

How many, and where

WeddingPlanner.co.uk's advice on using a quote says to "use no more than two quotes; just one would be ideal." It suggests writing your own material first ("Don't worry yet about adding a quote"), then choosing a quote that matches the tone of what you have written.

On placement, it says "the most appropriate place for your quote would be near the end of your speech", where your hopes and wishes for the couple come before the toast. Our guide to ending a wedding speech covers that last part.

A quote can open a speech too. Bridebook says "romantic lyrics or excerpts from a book are a sentimental way to open a wedding speech", particularly if you know the couple's song or favourite artist. Our guide to starting a wedding speech has other ways in.

Quotes from poetry

Gov.uk says copyright in written work usually lasts 70 years after the author's death, so these poems, all written before 1870, are long out of copyright.

Line	Author and source
"Let me not to the marriage of true minds / Admit impediments."	William Shakespeare, Sonnet 116 (Folger Shakespeare Library text)
"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways."	Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Sonnets from the Portuguese 43, first published 1850 (University of Toronto text)
"Grow old along with me! / The best is yet to be"	Robert Browning, "Rabbi Ben Ezra", in Dramatis Personae, 1864 (Wikisource text)

Two notes on accuracy. Sonnet 116 carries on: "Love is not love / Which alters when it alteration finds", which is a good line to follow it with. And "Grow old along with me" is often quoted without its second line, but "The best is yet to be" is what makes it a wish for the couple.

Quotes from the Bible

These are often read at religious ceremonies, and a single verse also works in a speech.

Line	Source
"Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it"	Song of Solomon 8:7, King James Version
"whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge"	Ruth 1:16, King James Version
"Love is patient, love is kind."	1 Corinthians 13:4, New International Version

Two things worth knowing. In the book of Ruth, Ruth says those words to Naomi, her mother-in-law, not to a husband. That makes it a good fit for a speech about joining a family, as long as you do not present it as a love letter. And "Love is patient, love is kind" is a modern translation. The King James Version of the same verse reads "Charity suffereth long, and is kind", which is why some guests will know it differently.

Modern lines

These are 20th-century books, so treat them as possibly still in copyright and keep to the one line.

Line	Author and source
"love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction."	Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Wind, Sand and Stars (1939), translated by Lewis Galantière. Listed on Wikiquote
"A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person."	Mignon McLaughlin, The Complete Neurotic's Notebook (1981). Listed on Wikiquote

The Saint-Exupéry line comes from a passage about comradeship, not marriage. The next sentence is "There is no comradeship except through union in the same high effort." It still suits a couple, but that is the context if a guest asks.

How to use a quote without it sounding lifted

A quote sounds borrowed when it does the work your own words should. Some ways to avoid that, in our words:

• Say who said it, first. WeddingPlanner.co.uk says that when speaking, you should "cite the source before saying the quote". "Shakespeare put it like this..." gives the room a moment to listen.
• Tie it to something true about the couple. Follow the quote with one sentence about them. For example (written for this page): "Ten years of camping holidays in the rain, and they still look outward together."
• Keep it short. One or two lines. A full poem is a reading, not a quote, and it belongs in the ceremony if anywhere.
• Check the wording. Misquotes are common. Read the line in the source, not on a list of quotes.
• Do not stack them. One quote at the end lands. Three in a row sounds like a search result.
• Do not let it replace you. A quote cannot do the job of a story. If you are leaning on one because you are not a natural joke-teller, our guide to a wedding speech without jokes shows what to build instead.

Readings at the ceremony

A reading during the ceremony is different from a quote 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. Check with them before choosing a reading. The speeches at the reception are not part of the ceremony, so a quote there is up to the speaker and the couple.

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