Wedding reading

[Alowyn]

Hi folks

Perhaps someone can help me out with a very special request. If you can, a thousand brownie points to you.

So here's the story. I'm getting married in June this year. My wife to be and I are both avid readers - and of course LotR is one of the books we absolutely love. We're actually considering shire music for her entrance, as it just suits us so well.

Right now I'm looking for a reading for the wedding, for just before we exchange vows. I really want something that will resonate perfectly for us. I'm looking for something that speaks on hope or courage - two major themes of our relationship. It has unfortunately been too long since I've read the books, as life and work has caught up with us. Can anyone think of a passage in any of the books that would work?

So basically, this passage must be one that speaks of either hope or courage (preferably both) but is still light and warm - this is a wedding, after all, so speaking about doom, war, death, etc would probably be a touch inappropriate. Something that focuses on love would be excellent. I'm sure that there must be a passage somewhere that's just perfect, in any of Tolkien's works - can anyone think of one?

Thanks so much
Luke

[Inziladun]

Welcome, Alowyn!

In addition to whatever responses you might get on this thread, there was another a while back asking the same thing.

[Morthoron]

How about a speech from the WitchKing? You know, the one where he says, "Do you not know death when you see it?"

Ummmm...why is everyone glaring angrily at me?

[Galadriel55]

Welcome aboard, Alowyn!

Aside from the passages already mentioned in the thread Inzil linked, I think these ones could beconsidered:

In the chapter The Stairs of Cirith Ungol (in The Two Towers), where Frodo and Sam talk about the "great tales" and how the characters do not enter stories deliberately, and that "they never end as tales". I think it's very inspirational, though it might be a tad too melancholic for a wedding.

Or, on a more silly note, you can re-write Bilbo's birthday speech (A Long Expected Party, Fellowship) into a wedding speech (ie take all of it and replace "birthday" with "wedding", and name changes to fit your family, a wedding announcement instead of the good-bye, and etc). It is something people would recognise if they read the books and/or watched the movies (I think the movie speech echoes the book one closely...), and it's filled with light and warmth, possibly the kind you're looking for. And there are some Rings involved too!