Because wedding ceremonies just aren’t long enough, they now have bells and whistles added, including poetry readings. This can be done at the reception in the place of speeches or during the wedding ceremony itself. It used to be something just the bride and the groom did, but now even the cake decorator does a reading. Love poetry is always a popular choice for anyone stuck doing these readings. Here are some tips to read love poetry and ensure you get invited back to another wedding.
Leave Them Wanting More
Mark Twain used to say that very few sinners are saved after the first twenty minutes of a sermon. Let that be your guide, but cut it down to ten minutes or less. In the case of love poetry, less is always more. You are putting on a show and everyone in the wedding party, the so-called happy couple and the guests are all Simon Cowell.
Also, your reading is probably in the middle of a long slew of readings. By the time of the wedding, everyone will be frazzled and praying to get the whole thing over with so they can go get something to eat. Get on their good sides by choosing a love poem as short as possible.
Avoid Schmaltz
Real love is not all prettiness and harmony. For the couple, the wedding is the best they are going to ever get. Don’t read anything so sweet as to cause cavities in the mouths of your listeners. Avoid really silly rhyme schemes unless the poem has a sarcastic or comic bent to it.
If all else fails, pick something by E.E. Cummings. Not only is a lot of his poetry short, but the emotion expressed in it is not weighed down by schmaltz. Either that or read a love sonnet by Shakespeare, My Mistress’ Eyes are Nothing Like the Sun because it will sound really good and most of the guests won’t have a clue as to what you’re talking about.
Rehearse Beforehand
Reading a poem out loud sounds at first like a really simple thing to do. You could do it blindfolded and with your hands behind your back, right? Wrong! Doing a wedding reading is like a gift to the couple or one of the couple’s gift to the other. If you read in such a way that it looked as if you never saw the poem before, then this looks as if you are regifting.
Have some fun with the poem beforehand. Figure out arm gestures, dramatic pauses and how to best pronounce some of the trickier words. Also, in this way, you can figure out just how long it takes to read the poem well. Don’t just fire off the words like bullets from a gun. Although you may want to memorize the poem, this may put more pressure on you than you need, so be sure to bring a copy with you.
Worse comes to worse, toss the poem and hand out cash.
References:
Brainy Quotes. “Mark Twain Quotes.” http://www.brainyquotes.com/quotes/quotes/m/marktwain140482.html
Plan Your Wedding Cereomy.com. Sample Wedding Ceremony Readings and Wedding Poems.” http://www.plan-your-wedding-ceremony.com/wedding-ceremony-readings.html
Personal (bitter) experience
