Bible Verses for Weddings and Marriage Readings

Few moments call for the right words quite like a wedding, and the best Bible verses for weddings carry a weight that everyday language rarely reaches. Whether you are the couple choosing a reading, a friend asked to stand up and speak, or a celebrant pulling a ceremony together, a well-chosen passage can say what you most want to say. The Bible has plenty to offer on love, faithfulness, and the slow work of building a life with someone.

Below are the most-loved readings, grouped to help you find what suits the moment: the classic passages, shorter verses for vows or an order of service, and a few notes on using them in an Australian ceremony. All verse text comes from the World English Bible (WEB), which is public domain and free to print in your booklet.

The classic wedding reading: 1 Corinthians 13

If you only know one wedding passage, it is probably this one. Paul’s description of love is read at more marriage ceremonies than any other text, religious or otherwise, and it has earned its place:

“Love is patient and is kind. Love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud, doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never fails.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

What makes it work for a wedding is that it describes love as a set of actions, not a feeling. Patience, kindness, keeping no record of wrongs: these are things you do, day after day, long after the wedding itself is over. For the full passage and a closer look at what each line means, see 1 Corinthians 13:4.

A note on translation. The well-known King James phrasing reads “charity suffereth long, and is kind,” using “charity” where the WEB uses “love.” Both render the same Greek word, agape. Most couples today prefer “love” for clarity, though the older wording is still beautiful read aloud.

Bible verses for weddings about partnership and commitment

Marriage is a partnership before it is anything else, and Ecclesiastes 4 captures that as well as any passage in the Bible:

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls, and doesn’t have another to lift him up… A threefold cord is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

The “threefold cord” line is often read as the couple plus God, and it makes a graceful close to a reading. Even taken plainly, the point holds: two people who hold each other up are stronger than either alone.

Colossians 3:14 is short enough to memorise and deep enough to build a marriage on:

“Above all these things, walk in love, which is the bond of perfection.” (Colossians 3:14)

It comes at the end of a list of qualities, including compassion, kindness, humility, and patience, and it names love as the thread that ties them all together. Many couples use this verse as the theme for their whole ceremony.

Ruth 1:16-17 is, strictly speaking, spoken by Ruth to her mother-in-law rather than between spouses. But its language of loyalty has been borrowed for weddings for generations, and it is hard to beat for sheer devotion:

“Don’t urge me to leave you, and to return from following you, for where you go, I will go; and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried.” (Ruth 1:16-17)

If you use it, a celebrant will sometimes explain the original context in a sentence so guests are not confused. Said with that framing, it remains one of the most moving promises in Scripture. You can find more in our collection of Bible verses about love.

Verses on the design and gift of marriage

Some couples want a reading that speaks to marriage itself, not only to love in general. These passages do that, and our marriage verses gather even more in one place.

Genesis 2:24 is where the Bible first describes marriage, and Jesus quotes it later:

“Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother, and will join with his wife, and they will be one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24)

Mark 10:9 carries that idea into the words a celebrant often speaks over the couple:

“What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” (Mark 10:9)

Song of Solomon 8:6-7 brings a different register, passionate rather than gentle, and suits couples who want something with more heat in it:

“Set me as a seal on your heart, as a seal on your arm; for love is strong as death… Many waters can’t quench love, neither can floods drown it.” (Song of Solomon 8:6-7)

Short verses for vows, an order of service, or a card

When you need just a line, woven into vows, printed on the order of service, or written in a card for the couple, these carry weight without needing a full reading:

1 John 4:19 — “We love him, because he first loved us.”
Proverbs 18:22 — “Whoever finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor of Yahweh.”
1 Corinthians 13:13 — “But now faith, hope, and love remain—these three. The greatest of these is love.”
Ephesians 4:2 — “with all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love.”
Colossians 3:14 — “Above all these things, walk in love, which is the bond of perfection.”
Song of Solomon 6:3 — “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.”

That last line is short, balanced, and easy to read in unison. It turns up on rings, in vows, and on framed prints more than almost any other.

Using these verses in an Australian wedding

In Australia, a legal marriage must include the words set out in the Marriage Act 1961, namely the celebrant’s monitum and the couple’s legal vows. Scripture readings sit around those required words rather than replacing them, so you are free to add as many or as few as you like.

A few practical notes:

Civil and religious ceremonies both allow readings. A civil celebrant can include a Bible passage at your request; you do not need a church wedding to have one. Many Australian couples mix a Scripture reading with a poem or a song lyric.
Ask a guest to read. Handing 1 Corinthians 13 to a sibling or close friend is a lovely way to involve someone without giving them a speaking role at the reception.
Print the words. Putting the reading in your order of service lets guests follow along, and the WEB text used here is free to reproduce.
Mind the length. Outdoor weddings are common here, and wind, heat, and restless guests are real. One strong reading often lands better than three.

If you would like to turn a favourite verse into something to keep, our free verse image maker can set it on a clean background for the order of service or a thank-you card, and the verse wallpapers work well as a keepsake for your phone.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most popular Bible verse for weddings?

1 Corinthians 13:4-8, the “love is patient, love is kind” passage, is by far the most-read wedding Scripture. It describes love as action rather than feeling, which is why it suits a day about lifelong commitment. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 and Colossians 3:14 are close behind.

Can you have a Bible reading at a non-religious or civil wedding in Australia?

Yes. A civil celebrant can include any reading you choose, including Scripture, alongside the legally required words. The Bible passage is part of your personal ceremony, not the legal portion, so it is entirely up to you.

Is it okay to use Ruth 1:16-17 even though it isn’t about marriage?

Many couples do. The verse is originally spoken between Ruth and Naomi, but its promise of loyalty, “where you go, I will go,” has been used at weddings for generations. A short note from the celebrant about its origin keeps things clear.

Which Bible translation should we use for our reading?

Any translation is fine. We quote the World English Bible (WEB) because it is modern, clear, and free to print. Some couples prefer the older King James wording for its rhythm. Read both aloud and choose the one that sounds right in your voice.

Browse more Bible verses about love, or start your morning with the verse of the day.