Hi Researchers,

My oldest friend in the world is getting married on April 16th and I'm
going to be doing a reading at the wedding. I need your help in
finding The Absolute Perfect Wedding Reading.

A little background. They've been together for several years and are
best friends. Her soon-to-be-husband is a surfer, and she's a beach bunny - so
something along the surfing/water/beach lines + "best friends" would
be ideal.

What I don't want: anything I've found in the first few pages of
searching for "wedding readings"! I don't want scripture or religious
quotes, either. Or anything too dark, deep, or heady.

I'd prefer your personal favorites over those found in a simple search
- since I've tried searching and come up with nothing perfect yet!

But I know you researchers - one of you, somewhere - has the ideal reading for me.

The reading should be about, oh, 2-3 minutes probably. Longer than a
one-sentence quote, but shorter than a short story.

One that I love is "Us Two" from Now We Are Six, BUT it's overused and
I'm looking for something less common. But I really love the theme of
the poem. (Scroll down here to read it:
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/2633/milne.html )

She and I known each other and been friends since we were babies, and
we don't actually get to see each other very often, nor do we even
TALK that often any more, as our lifestyles and schedules are very
different - however, that's never been an issue with our friendship!
I'd really love to present her and her babe with The Reading That Sums
It All Up - friendship, love, the beach, surfing, best friends, living
life, having fun?

Requests for Clarification will be granted, gratefully!

Thanks much!

---

Request for Question Clarification by hammer-ga on 14 Mar 2005 15:23 PST

What are their first names? (First names only, please.)

- Hammer

---

Clarification of Question by spacegirl-ga on 14 Mar 2005 16:13 PST

Brenda and Herb, thanks.

Just a few tidbits...

Cole Porter's song "Friendship" is a dandy:

http://www.rienzihills.com/SING/friendship.htm

C.S. Lewis's book "The Four Loves" contains some excellent material on
the subject of friendship:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0156329301

My very favorite marriage-related reading is from Khalil Gibran's "The
Prophet." This was read at my wedding 25 years ago, and it still seems
fresh to me:

http://www.robinsweb.com/inspiration/prophet.html

Thanks, pinkfreud! I'll try to pick up a copy of "The Four Loves" to
see if that has anything pertinent.

I love "The Prophet," too, but I'd still love to find something
water/surf/beach-oriented - I know there's something out there!

Note to researchers - I'm not afraid of movie quotes, either! Poetry
and essays are good, but if you know of something great from a movie,
that's fine, too.

"If God is a DJ,
Life is a dance floor,
Love is the rhythm,
And You are the music."
-Pink

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those 
 who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
 -Dr. Seuss

Probably not quite what you are looking for- but maybe -and they are 2
of my favorites.  Good Luck & All the best,
Dancing Bear

I searched R L Stevenson, mistakenly seeking Masefield's "Sea Breeze"
(no good), but found this by RLS, the first line is the title:

Small is the trust when love is green
In sap of early years;
A little thing steps in between
And kisses turn to tears.

Awhile - and see how love be grown
In loveliness and power!
Awhile, it loves the sweets alone,
But next it loves the sour.

A little love is none at all
That wanders or that fears;
A hearty love dwells still at call
To kisses or to tears.

Such then be mine, my love to give,
And such be yours to take:-
A faith to hold, a life to live,
For lovingkindness' sake:

Should you be sad, should you be gay,
Or should you prove unkind,
A love to hold the growing way
And keep the helping mind:-

A love to turn the laugh on care
When wrinkled care appears,
And, with an equal will, to share
Your losses and your tears.

No surf and beach, etc., but maybe that doesn't HAVE to be your theme.
But maybe Hammer is going to write a poem for you with their names and
surf and sand:  Brenda, a Venus on the half shell,  (Boticelli)
       Herb, a surfing Neptune ...
                         *      *     *

(And this for Pinky, and has absolutely nothing to do with this question:
From Child's Garden of Verses. "Pirate Story":

Three of us afloat in the meadow by the swing,
     Three of us abroad in the basket on the lea.
Winds are in the air, they are blowing in the spring,
     And waves are on the meadow like the waves there are at sea.

Where shall we adventure, to-day that we're afloat,
     Wary of the weather and steering by a star?
Shall it be to Africa, a-steering of the boat,
     To Providence, or Babylon or off to Malabar?

Hi!  but here's a squadron a-rowing on the sea--
     Cattle on the meadow a-charging with a roar!
Quick, and we'll escape them, they're as mad as they can be,
     The wicket is the harbour and the garden is the shore.

Ah, Halcyon days of childhood!  
Don't guess that's anything for "Talk like a Pirate Day.)

Someone can offer better than this.

Wherever Herb is, there's Brenda too,
There's always Brenda and Herb.
Wherever she goes, he's going too,
"Off to the beach today?" he asks:
"Well, my board could use a wax,"
Let's go together," says Herb, says he.
"Let's go together," says Herb.

"Want to go out?" said she to he.
("Out where?" said he to she.)
"I think a party sounds good to me."
"Just what I think myself," said he.
"It's hard to think of what to do,
But you choose so well," said Herb, said he.
"You choose so well," said Herb

"Let's meet my parents," said she to he.
"Yes, let's," said he to she.
They went to her house and met Mom and Dad
"These folks of yours," said Herb, "Not bad"
"As soon as I saw their faces I knew.
They're part of you," said Herb, said he.
"They're part of you," said he.

"Let's marry each other," said he to she.
"Yes, let's!," said she to he.
"I'm not afraid to marry you"
They both stood up and said "I do"
"Husband and wife" and off they flew.
"I wasn't afraid," said Herb, said he,
"I'm never afraid with you."

So wherever Herb is, there's Brenda too,
There's always Brenda and Herb.
Said she to he, "What would I do?"
"If it wasn't for you," and Herb said: "True,
It isn't much fun for One, but Two,
Can stick together, says Herb, says he. 
"That's how it is," says Herb.

- Hammer

Hammer-ga,  
that's great  - except for eshewing the accusative "him", but all withing poetic 
                  license

And I thought I was just joking with my suggestion.

Hammer - that's cute! I may print that up and give it to them as an aside :-)

Myoarin - I like that RLS poem. It's a contender. 

Still gonna wait this one out to see if anyone hits this nail on the head.

How about this,

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments.  Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove.
O, no!  it is an ever-fixèd mark
That looks on Tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wond?ring bark,
Whose worth?s unknown, although his height be taken,
Love?s not Time?s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle?s compass come;
Lover alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
    If this be error, and upon me proved,
    I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
			
			William Shakespeare
or this:

Brenda was a lovely lass, and Herbert was her beau.
They loved the surf and sand and sun, a life of fun that?s free.
Their friendship grew beneath the sun, but summers come and go.
She asked herself, midst all the lads, is Herb the one for me?
A surfer bum, you know the type, good looking, but what?s that?
Herb wondered too: she?s nice all right, but better than the rest?
The sun and sand and surf were great, they left it just at that.
But then their friendship turned to love, each was the other?s best.
And now they want to tie the knot, to pledge their love for life,  *
Not just when sun and sand are warm, and when the surf is up,
Together they will still be true, through cloudy days and strife,
But that will pass, the sun break through   -   and nothing rhymes with Up.**    
I/We love you both and wish you both a life in happiness.
For years to come, your lives to come, a life in happiness.

* And now they just have tied the knot, and pledged their love for life,
  depending on when your bit comes.  :) 
**Oh!:  and share another cup.  ?

It ain't Shakespeare, but it's got lots of surf and sun, and isn't
"scripture or religious quotes, either. Or anything too dark, deep, or
heady." (for sure!)  :-) x 2
And if you use it, I can always brag, my sonnet was preferred to that of Will?s!  
Whatever, zap in a photo with a question so we know who we're celebrating
  (or is that against the rules?  Can?t be if the question justifies
it:  ?Please help me identify the beach bunny.)

Perhaps you can try to use one of these:
"Clever Sayings about Weddings and Marriage" at
http://www.hudsonvalleyweddings.com/guide/sayings.htm
"Apache Wedding Prayer . . . a native American poem" at:
http://www.hudsonvalleyweddings.com/guide/apache.htm
"An Indian Wedding Blessing"  at:
http://www.hudsonvalleyweddings.com/guide/poem-ind.htm
A Compilation of Wedding Poems at:
http://www.hudsonvalleyweddings.com/guide/poems.htm
Hope these give you some inspiration.
All the best,
Judy

HI, Spacegirl,
We are all waiting to know what you are going use for the big wedding day.

???   All the best to B and H

Yikes, sorry for leaving this hanging, everyone. After much, much
searching and coming up totally empty-handed (can you believe it?),
Herb himself has decided that he likes the Irish Blessing the best out
of what we came up with. So that's what it shall be. He da boss! :-)

Thanks very much for everyone's input. I am still convinced there's
the perfect beach/surfing/friendship/love reading out there, though,
and if I ever do find it, I promise I'll return to Google Answers and
let you all know what it is. For now,
I'll close out the question. 

Happy April!