Bible verses for weddings
Weddings are a public covenant between two people and their communities, and Scripture gives that covenant a shared vocabulary. Couples choose readings months in advance, so the words are weighed and remembered. For many, these passages carry the weight of divine blessing and a model for lifelong love.
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
“love is patient”1If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don’t have love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don’t have love, I am nothing. 3If I give away all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don’t have love, it profits me nothing. 4Love is patient and is kind. Love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud, 5doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; 6doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. 8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will be done away with. Where there are various languages, they will cease. Where there is knowledge, it will be done away with. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 10but when that which is complete has come, then that which is partial will be done away with. 11When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child. Now that I have become a man, I have put away childish things. 12For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, even as I was also fully known. 13But now faith, hope, and love remain—these three. The greatest of these is love.
Read 1 Corinthians 13 in full →It is the Bible's most famous description of love, defining it through patient, kind, and enduring action rather than emotion. It is read to set a high standard for the covenant being made.
Appointed by a tradition
Worth knowing: Paul is describing love in the context of spiritual gifts in the Corinthian church, not marriage specifically; reading it at a wedding expands its original scope.
Ruth 1:16-17
“where you go I will go”16Ruth said, “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. 17Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May Yahweh do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me.”
Read Ruth 1 in full →The words express radical loyalty and commitment, and they are spoken by Ruth to Naomi as a pledge of lifelong companionship. It has been adopted as a wedding reading because the vow 'where you go I will go' echoes marriage vows.
Customary, not appointed
Worth knowing: Ruth makes this covenant with her mother-in-law, not a spouse; the original situation is grief and loyalty to family.
Song of Solomon 8:6-7
“love is strong as death”6Set me as a seal on your heart, as a seal on your arm; for love is strong as death. Jealousy is as cruel as Sheol. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a very flame of Yah. 7Many waters can’t quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love, he would be utterly scorned.
Read Song of Solomon 8 in full →This is one of the few explicitly erotic and romantic passages in Scripture. It speaks of love's strength and exclusivity, claiming that love cannot be extinguished or bought.
The passage is about this
Worth knowing: The book is a collection of love poems, and the identity of the speakers is debated; it may not be a direct promise between a specific couple.
Genesis 2:18-24
“one flesh”18Yahweh God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to him.” 19Out of the ground Yahweh God formed every animal of the field, and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. Whatever the man called every living creature became its name. 20The man gave names to all livestock, and to the birds of the sky, and to every animal of the field; but for man there was not found a helper comparable to him. 21Yahweh God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. As the man slept, he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22Yahweh God made a woman from the rib which he had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. 23The man said, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken out of Man.” 24Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother, and will join with his wife, and they will be one flesh.
Read Genesis 2 in full →It provides the biblical foundation for marriage, describing the creation of woman and the declaration that a man leaves his parents and joins his wife as one flesh. It is read to ground the wedding in the created order.
The passage is about this
Worth knowing: The passage's ancient context includes a particular social structure; the 'helper' language is about a complementary partnership, not subordination.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
“a cord of three strands”9Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. 10For 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. 11Again, if two lie together, then they have warmth; but how can one keep warm alone? 12If a man prevails against one who is alone, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Read Ecclesiastes 4 in full →It celebrates the practical benefits of partnership, including mutual support and security. The image of a threefold cord is a popular symbol for marriage.
Customary, not appointed
Worth knowing: The passage is about companionship generally, not specifically marriage; the 'threefold cord' is not identified in the text, so adding God to it is an interpretive step.
Colossians 3:12-14
“above all, love”12Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance; 13bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave you, so you also do. 14Above all these things, walk in love, which is the bond of perfection.
Read Colossians 3 in full →It calls believers to clothe themselves with compassion, kindness, humility, and love, which are attributes couples pledge to value. It is read to remind the couple of the Christian virtues that sustain a marriage.
Customary, not appointed
Worth knowing: Paul is addressing the Christian community at Colossae, not spouses in particular; the instructions are for all believers, though they apply readily to marriage.
Where the traditions differ
Catholic weddings follow the Lectionary for Marriage, with prescribed options for first reading, psalm, second reading, and Gospel. Orthodox weddings have fixed readings: Ephesians 5:20-33 and John 2:1-11. Protestant traditions vary widely: some have no fixed readings, others recommend certain passages, and couples often choose freely. Jewish weddings do not typically use New Testament readings; they center on the seven blessings and may include Hebrew Bible verses or a modern reflection.
Choosing
Consider whether you want a passage that explicitly depicts marriage (Genesis 2), poetic love (Song of Solomon), or communal loyalty (Ruth), and read the passage aloud in context beforehand. Also check with your officiant about any lectionary constraints or traditional expectations in your tradition.
Scripture quoted from the World English Bible. The commentary is AI-generated and labelled by what kind of claim it makes; it is not the ruling of any tradition.