{"id":3843,"date":"2022-05-12T14:36:46","date_gmt":"2022-05-12T13:36:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.argyll-bute.gov.uk\/marriage\/?p=3843"},"modified":"2026-02-27T16:54:25","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T16:54:25","slug":"readings-and-poems-the-couple","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.argyll-bute.gov.uk\/marriage\/2022\/05\/readings-and-poems-the-couple\/","title":{"rendered":"Readings and Poems – The Couple"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Couple 1 – I Promise<\/strong><\/h2>

I promise to give you the best of myself and to ask no more than you can give. I promise to respect you as your own person and to realise that your interests, desires and needs are no less important than my own. I promise to share with you my time and my attention and to bring joy, strength and imagination to our relationship. I promise to keep myself open to you, to let you see through the window of my world into my innermost fears and feelings, secrets and dreams. I promise to grow along with you, to be willing to face changes in order to keep our relationship alive and exciting. I promise to love you in good times and in bad, with all I have to give and all I feel inside in the only way I know how. Completely and forever<\/p>

Couple 2 – Yes, I\u2019ll Marry You, My Dear by Pam Ayres <\/strong><\/h2>

Yes, I\u2019ll marry you, my dear, and here\u2019s the reason why: So I can push you out of bed when the baby starts to cry And if we hear a knocking and it\u2019s creepy and it\u2019s late, I hand you the torch you see and you investigate. Yes, I\u2019ll marry you, my dear, you may not apprehend it,But when the tumble-drier goes it\u2019s you that has to mend it, You have to face the neighbour, should our dog attack him, And if a drunkard fondles me, it\u2019s you that has to whack him. Yes, I\u2019ll marry you, my dear, you\u2019re virile and you\u2019re lean, My house is like a pigsty, you can help to keep it clean, That little sexy dinner which you served by candlelight, As I just do chipolatas, you can cook it every night! It\u2019s you that has to work the drill and put up curtain track, And when I\u2019ve got the PMT it\u2019s you who gets the flak, I do see great advantages, but none of them for you, And so before you see the light, I do, I do, I do!<\/p>

Couple\u00a03 – I Will Be Here <\/strong><\/h2>

If in the morning when you wake, The sun does not appear, I will be here. If in the dark we lose sight of love, Hold my hand and have no fear,<\/p>

I will be here. I will be here,<\/p>

When you feel like being quiet, When you need to speak your mind I will listen, Through the winning, losing, and trying we\u2019ll be together, And I will be here. If in the morning when you awake, The future is unclear, I will be here. As sure as seasons were made for change, Our lifetimes were made for years,<\/p>

I will be here. I will be here,<\/p>

And you can cry on my shoulder, When the mirror tells us we\u2019re older. I will hold you, to watch you grow in beauty, And tell you all the things you are to me, We\u2019ll be together and I will be here. I will be true to the promises I\u2019ve made, To you and to the one who gave you to me,<\/p>

I will be here<\/p>

Couple\u00a04 – I Love You – Deanne Laura Gilbert:<\/strong><\/h2>

\u2018I Love You\u2019 means that I accept you for the person that you are, and that I don\u2019t wish to change you into someone else. It means that I do not expect perfection from you, just as you don\u2019t expect it from me.<\/p>

\u2018I Love You\u2019 means that I will love you and stand by you even through the worst of times. It means loving you when you are in a bad mood or too tired to do the things I want to do. It means loving you when you are down, not just when you\u2019re fun to be with.<\/p>

\u2018I Love You\u2019 means that I know your deepest secrets and do not judge you for them, asking in return only that you do not judge me for mine. It means that I care enough not to let you go. It means thinking of you, dreaming of you, wanting and needing you constantly, and hoping you feel the same way for me.<\/p>

\u2018I Love You\u2019 means forever.<\/p>

Couple 5 –\u00a0 Together<\/strong><\/h2>

Hand in hand we walk together<\/p>

Through the days ahead,<\/p>

Side by side we stand<\/p>

And face all problems head to head,<\/p>

All our love we pool<\/p>

In its sharing it grows stronger,<\/p>

Now that two are one,<\/p>

We are alone no longer.<\/p>

Let friends and family witness<\/p>

That our love has brought us here,<\/p>

And may you all be joyful<\/p>

As in our joy you share.<\/p>

Couple 6 – <\/strong>All I want is you<\/strong><\/h2>

If I was a flower growing wild and free
All I’d want is you to be my sweet honey bee
And if I was a tree growing tall and green
All I’d want is you to shade me and be my leaves<\/p>

All I want is you, will you be my bride
Take me by the hand and stand by my side
All I want is you, will you stay with me?
Hold me in your arms and sway me like the sea<\/p>

If you were a river in the mountains tall
The rumble of your water would be my call
If you were the winter, I know I’d be the snow
Just as long as you were with me, when the cold winds blow<\/p>

If you were a wink, I’d be a nod
If you were a seed, well I’d be a pod
If you were the floor, I’d want to be the rug
And if you were a kiss, I know I’d be a hug<\/p>

If you were the wood, I’d be the fire
If you were the love, I’d be the desire
If you were a castle, I’d be your moat
And if you were an ocean, I’d learn to float<\/p>

All I want is you, will you be my bride
Take me by the hand and stand by my side
All I want is you, will you stay with me?
Hold me in your arms and sway me like the sea<\/p>

Couple 7 – Your Personal Penguin<\/strong><\/h2>

I like you a lot You\u2019re funny and kind So let me explain What I have in mind. I want to be your personal penguin I want to walk right by your side I want to be your personal penguin I want to travel with you far and wide Wherever you go, I\u2019ll go there too Here and there and everywhere And always with you I want to be your personal penguin From now on Now lots of other penguins seem to do fine In a universe of nothing but ice But if could be yours and you could be mine A cosy little world would be twice as nice I want to be your personal penguin I want to talk to you night and day I want to be your personal penguin I want to listen to whatever you say Look at these wings, so perfect to hold you I\u2019d like to say again What I have already told you Let me be your personal penguin From now on<\/p>

Couple 8 – <\/strong>The Giraffe and The Monkey <\/strong><\/h2>

Wherever we go Whatever we do Whenever there\u2019s me I hope that there\u2019s you. Now Money is Funny, it can make people odd. You forget to be happy, and you live for your job And fashion, is a passion, beset with a flaw You can dress to excess, but you\u2019ll always need more And a muscle toned body, may sound like a dream But no body is better, than chocolate ice cream What I\u2019m trying to say, is that happiness grows Not through your wages, or body or clothes<\/p>

But in laughter and love, and in sharing your life. In the arms of another as husband and wife. So when you find someone who\u2019s weird just like you Who laughs when you\u2019re stupid and who makes you laugh too. When you sit on the sofa, not hiding you\u2019re flaws. As imperfectly perfect, as the hand that holds yours. When the fortune of kings, or purse of a beggar. Won\u2019t change how it feels, just being together.<\/p>

When a cuddle and cuppa is all that you need\u2026. Well then\u2026 you\u2019ve found something quite special indeed.<\/p>

Wherever we go<\/p>

Whatever we do<\/p>

Whenever there\u2019s me I hope that there\u2019s you.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Couple 9 – Never thought it possible<\/strong><\/h2>

I never thought it possible That I would be standing here with you. It was something I thought was a fairy tale A happy ending to a children\u2019s book I never thought it possible For it to be so true and so real We were merely friends Or so we thought we were I never thought it could change so fast It was chance I met you when you were in town. It was fate that brought us together Like a magnetic pull I was stuck quite happily And you were as well I loved you then and I still do But now I know I\u2019m IN love with you I promise not to leave you I promise to stand by you and love you I never thought it possible That I\u2019d be here you, But I\u2019m glad I am and I will always love you.<\/p>

Couple 10<\/strong>\u00a0 –\u00a0I Like You by Sandol Stoddard Warburg<\/strong><\/h2>

“I like you and I know why
I like you because you are a good person to like
I like you because when I tell you something special, you know it\u2019s special
And you remember it a long, long time
You say, Remember when you told me something special
And both of us remember<\/p>

When I think something is important you think it\u2019s important too
We have good ideas
When I say something funny, you laugh
I think I\u2019m funny and you think I\u2019m funny too
Hah-hah!<\/p>

I like you because you know where I\u2019m ticklish
And you don\u2019t tickle me there except just a little tiny bit sometimes
But if you do, then I know where to tickle you too
You know how to be silly \u2014\u00a0that\u2019s why I like you
If I am getting ready to pop a paper bag,
then you are getting ready to jump
HOORAY!<\/p>

I like you because when I am feeling sad
You don\u2019t always cheer me up right away
Sometimes it is better to be sad
You can\u2019t stand the others being so googly and gaggly every single minute
You want to think about things
It takes time<\/p>

I like you because if I am mad at you
Then you are mad at me too
It\u2019s awful when the other person isn\u2019t
They are so nice and oooh you could just about punch them on the nose<\/p>

I can\u2019t remember when I didn\u2019t like you
It must have been lonesome then
Even if it was the 999th of July
Even if it was August
Even if it was way down at the bottom of November
I would go on choosing you
And you would go on choosing me
Over and over again
And that\u2019s how it would happen every time.”<\/p>

Couple 11<\/strong>\u00a0 –\u00a0CS Lewis<\/strong><\/h2>

Now at last they were beginning<\/p>

Chapter One of the Great Story<\/p>

No one on earth has ever read<\/p>

Which goes on forever<\/p>

In which every chapter is better<\/p>

Than the one before<\/p>

Couple 12 – May All Good Things Be Yours – Joanna Fuchs<\/strong><\/h2>

Your happiness begins
With your wonderful wedding day.
You\u2019ll share everything together;
Through it all, your love will stay.<\/p>

Congratulations to you,
As you begin your happy life.
May all good things be yours,
As new husband and new wife.<\/p>

Couple 13<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0– Love Is Friendship Caught Fire – Laura Hendricks<\/strong><\/h2>

Love is friendship caught fire; it is quiet, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times.<\/p>

It settles for less than perfection, and makes allowances for human weaknesses. Love is content with the present, hopes for the future, and does not brood over the past.<\/p>

It is the day-in and day-out chronicles of irritations, problems, compromises, small disappointments, big victories, and working toward common goals. If you have love in your life, it can make up for a great many things you lack.<\/p>

If you do not have it, no matter what else there is, it is not enough.<\/p>

Couple 14<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0– True Friendship – Judy Bielicki<\/strong><\/h2>

It is often said that it is love that makes the world go round. However, without doubt,
it is friendship which keeps our spinning existence on an even keel.
True friendship provides so many of the essentials for a happy life \u2014 it is the
foundation on which to build an enduring relationship, it is the mortar which bonds us
together in harmony, and it is the calm, warm protection we sometimes need when
the world outside seems cold and chaotic.
True friendship holds a mirror to our foibles and failings, without destroying our sense
of worthiness. True friendship nurtures our hopes, supports us in our
disappointments, and encourages us to grow to our best potential.
Bride and Groom came together as friends. Today, they pledge to
each other not only their love, but also the strength, warmth and, most importantly,
the fun of true friendship.<\/p>

Couple 14 – You Are the Bubbles – Rachel Bright<\/strong><\/h2>

Together, you are the bubbles in one another\u2019s champagne, the morning sun through the window,<\/p>

the breaking of a smile. Together, you are the one doughnut in the bag with more jam than any of the others, that photo where everyone looks great, the know-it-all-sing-out-of-tune-at-the-top-of-your-voice chorus of a favourite song. Together you are the beginnings of a big idea, the twinkly bits that hang in the sky after the firework goes bang, the cold thin air at the top of a mountain, the only two people in a crowded room. Together you are that unforgettable day of a holiday, an accidental adventure, a chocolate chip, pages ninety-eight to ninety-nine of a well-thumbed Mills & Boon, a bbq with friends, the spray of the sea, the nose of the cheese, a hug, a kiss, a hold-my-hand, a decision which, looking back, will seem to be the most excellent you ever made.<\/p>

Together you are bubbles, the unburstable bubbles of the very best things in life, the only things any of us ever need.<\/p>

Couple 15 – We’re All A Little Weird – Dr Seuss<\/strong><\/h5>

We\u2019re all a little weird, and life\u2019s a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.<\/p>

Couple 16 – What is A Family – Marin McKay<\/strong><\/h2>

A family is\u2026.. the sweetest feelings the warmest hugs trust and togetherness<\/p>

unconditional love the stories of our lives written on the same page. The nicest memories anyone has ever made treasured photos thankful tears hearts overflowing with all the years being there for one another supporting and caring understanding helping sharing walking life\u2019s path together and making the journey more beautiful because we are a family\u2026.and a family is love.<\/p>

Couple 17 – Lock and Key- Sarah Dessen<\/strong><\/h2>

What is family? They were the people who claimed you. In good, in bad, in parts or in whole, they were the ones who showed up, who stayed there, regardless.<\/p>

Couple 18 – I Love You – By Roy Croft<\/strong><\/h2>

I love you,
Not only for what you are,
But for what I am when I am with you.<\/p>

I love you,
Not only for what you have made of yourself,
But for what you are making of me.<\/p>

I love you for
the part of me that you bring out;
I love you for
putting your hand into my heaped-up heart
And passing over all the foolish, weak things
that you can\u2019t help dimly seeing there,
And for drawing out into the light
All the beautiful things
that no one else had looked
Quite far enough to find.<\/p>

I love you because you have done
More than any creed
Could have done
To make me good,
And more than any fate could have done
To make me happy.<\/p>

You have done it
Without a touch,
Without a word,
Without a sign.
You have done it by being yourself
Perhaps that is what
Being a friend means, after all.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Couple 19 – I’ll be there for you by Louise Cuddon<\/strong><\/h2>

I\u2019ll be there, my darling, through thick and through thin
When your mind\u2019s in a mess and your head\u2019s in a spin
When your plane\u2019s been delayed, and you\u2019ve missed the last train.
When life is just threatening to drive you insane
When your thrilling whodunit has lost its last page
When somebody tells you, you\u2019re looking your age
When your coffee\u2019s too cool, and your wine is too warm
When the forecast said, \u201cFine,\u201d but you\u2019re out in a storm
When your quick break hotel, turns into a slum
And your holiday photos show only your thumb<\/p>

When you park for five minutes in a resident\u2019s bay
And return to discover you\u2019ve been towed away
When the jeans that you bought in hope or in haste
Just stick on your hips and don\u2019t reach round your waist
When the food you most like brings you out in red rashes
When as soon as you boot up the bloody thing crashes
So my darling, my sweetheart, my dear\u2026
When you break a rule, when you act the fool
When you\u2019ve got the flu, when you\u2019re in a stew
When you\u2019re last in the queue, don\u2019t feel blue
\u2019cause I\u2019m telling you, I\u2019ll be there.<\/p>

Couple 20 – The One by Author Unknown<\/strong><\/h2>

When the one whose hand you\u2019re holding
Is the one who holds your heart
When the one whose eyes you gaze into
Gives your hopes and dreams their start,
When the one you think of first and last
Is the one who holds you tight,
And the things you plan together
Make the whole world seem just right,
When the one whom you believe in
puts their faith and trust in you,
You\u2019ve found the one and only love
You\u2019ll share your whole life through.<\/p>

Couple 21 – Carrie’s Poem from Sex and the City\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>

His hello was the end of her endings
Her laugh was their first step down the aisle
His hand would be hers to hold forever
His forever was as simple as her smile<\/p>

He said she was what was missing
She said instantly she knew
She was a question to be answered
And his answer was \u201cI do\u201d.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Couple 1 – I Promise I promise to give you the best of myself and to ask no more than you can give. I promise to respect you as your own person and to realise that your interests, desires and needs are no less important than my own. I promise to share with you my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3844,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3843","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ceremonies"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.argyll-bute.gov.uk\/marriage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3843","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.argyll-bute.gov.uk\/marriage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.argyll-bute.gov.uk\/marriage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.argyll-bute.gov.uk\/marriage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.argyll-bute.gov.uk\/marriage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3843"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/www.argyll-bute.gov.uk\/marriage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3843\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10726,"href":"https:\/\/www.argyll-bute.gov.uk\/marriage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3843\/revisions\/10726"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.argyll-bute.gov.uk\/marriage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3844"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.argyll-bute.gov.uk\/marriage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3843"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.argyll-bute.gov.uk\/marriage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3843"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.argyll-bute.gov.uk\/marriage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3843"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}