Guide · Updated October 11, 2026
Non-religious wedding ceremony script: a complete secular sample
A complete wedding ceremony with no religious language, with your cues and the time each part starts. It runs about 17 minutes, or 15 without the handfasting. Change the words in brackets and it's yours to use.
On this page: What makes it non-religious Words to swap The complete script Keeping it warm Questions
What makes a ceremony non-religious
A non-religious ceremony, sometimes called a secular or civil-style ceremony, leaves out prayers, blessings, scripture and any mention of God. The meaning comes from what's left: the couple's story, the promises they make out loud, and the people who came to hear them.
Couples mean different things by "non-religious", so ask. Some want no religious words at all. Others are happy for a grandparent to say a blessing at the reception, or to include a reading a religious relative loves, as long as the ceremony itself stays secular.
Words to swap
Many lines people expect at a wedding come from religious services. These swaps keep the rhythm without the religion.
| Instead of | Try |
|---|---|
| "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God…" | "Welcome, everyone. We're here because…" |
| "Holy matrimony" | "Marriage" |
| "Let us pray" | "Let's take a quiet moment" |
| "May God bless this union" | "We wish them every happiness" |
| "What God has joined together…" | "What they have chosen together…" |
| "Minister" or "Reverend" in the program | "Officiant", or simply your name |
The complete script
Lines in plain type are what you say. Lines in italics are cues for you; don't read them aloud. [Partner 1] and [Partner 2] are the couple, in whatever order suits them.
Processional
0:00 · 3 minStand at the front, in the middle, facing the guests. Wait until everyone has walked in and the music has faded.
Opening
3:00 · 1 minHello, everyone, and welcome. Please sit down.
Pause while the guests sit.
My name is [your name]. I'm [who you are to the couple], and I'm honored to be standing up here with [Partner 1] and [Partner 2] today.
This isn't a ceremony about tradition for its own sake. [Partner 1] and [Partner 2] wanted a wedding that sounds like them, in front of the people who made them who they are. That's all of you.
Why we're here
4:00 · 1½ minNobody needs a ceremony to love someone. [Partner 1] and [Partner 2] have been doing that for [how long] without one. So why are we here?
Because some promises are worth saying out loud. When they make their promises today, they'll make them in front of witnesses: the people who will remind them of these words on ordinary days, and who will help them keep them.
Look out at the guests, then back to the couple.
Their story
5:30 · 3 min[Partner 1] and [Partner 2] met [where and when, in one sentence].
[The first thing their friends noticed about them together: one scene, told plainly.]
Pause for laughter, if it's a funny line.
[When it became serious, and how everyone knew.]
[The proposal, in two or three sentences.]
[One thing they do for each other that says more than any speech.]
Look at both of them before you go on.
Reading
8:30 · 1½ minStep slightly to the side so the reader can stand at the front.
[Reader's name], [who they are to the couple], is going to read [title] by [author].
Stay still and look at the reader.
Thank you, [reader's name].
Declaration of intent
10:00 · 1 minCustomary wording. It includes both partners saying "I do". Ask the office that issues the license whether your state requires anything more.
[Partner 1], do you take [Partner 2] to be your [wife / husband / spouse], to love and to cherish, from this day forward?
[Partner 1]I do.
[Partner 2], do you take [Partner 1] to be your [wife / husband / spouse], to love and to cherish, from this day forward?
[Partner 2]I do.
Vows
11:00 · 2 minAsk them to face each other and hold hands.
[Partner 1], please repeat after me.
[Partner 2], I choose you,
today and every day after.
I promise to be your partner in plans and in surprises,
to listen, to tell you the truth kindly,
and to make a home with you wherever we are.
Then the same for [Partner 2], with the names swapped. If they wrote their own vows, invite each to read instead.
Rings
13:00 · 1 min[Whoever holds the rings] brings them forward.
A ring is a small thing to carry a big promise. What these rings mean comes from the people wearing them.
[Partner 1], place the ring on [Partner 2]'s finger and repeat after me.
[Partner 2], this ring is my promise.
Wear it, and remember mine.
Then the same for [Partner 2].
Handfasting (optional)
14:00 · 2 min[Partner 1] and [Partner 2] are going to tie the knot, quite literally. Please join your hands.
Drape the cord over their joined hands and loop it loosely around them once or twice, then tie it in a simple knot.
These hands will hold each other on the easy days and the hard ones. The knot is tied by both of you, and kept by both of you.
Slip the tied cord off their hands without undoing the knot, and give it to whoever is keeping it safe.
Pronouncement and kiss
16:00 · ½ minCustomary wording, with you declaring them married.
[Partner 1] and [Partner 2], by the promises you have made today, I now pronounce you married.
You may kiss!
Step to one side first, so you're not in the middle of the photo.
Recessional
16:30 · ½ minEveryone, please stand and welcome the newlyweds, [Partner 1] and [Partner 2]!
Signal the musicians. The couple walks out first. Then sign the license with them, and with the witnesses if it asks for them.
Secular readings that work
These are all old enough to be in the public domain in the US, so they can be printed in the program too.
- Sonnet 116, William Shakespeare (1609): love that doesn't change when everything else does. About a minute.
- A Red, Red Rose, Robert Burns (1794): short, warm and easy to read aloud. About a minute.
- Song of the Open Road, closing section, Walt Whitman (1856): for couples who see marriage as setting out together. About a minute.
- A passage from a book, a film or a song the couple love. Check the length, and check with the couple before printing modern words in the program.
Keeping it warm without religion
- Let the story carry the weight. Specific details do what solemn language does in a religious service: they make the moment feel real.
- Use silence. A quiet moment, for the couple or for someone who has died, needs no prayer. "Let's take a quiet moment" is enough.
- Include the guests. A promise from the guests ("Will you support them? We will!") gives the ceremony the sense of community a congregation would.
- Keep one ritual. A handfasting, a tree planting or a candle gives everyone something to watch, and the photographer something to capture.
Questions
Is a non-religious ceremony legal?
What makes a marriage legal is set by the state: usually a valid license, an officiant the state accepts and both partners clearly agreeing to marry. Religious words aren't part of that. For your state's requirements, ask the office that issues the license.
What's the difference between non-religious, secular and non-denominational?
Non-religious and secular mean the same thing here: no religion in the ceremony. Non-denominational usually means a ceremony that can mention God or faith, but isn't tied to a particular church or tradition.
Can a religious relative still take part?
Yes, if the couple agrees. They could give a reading of their choice, or say a blessing at the reception rather than in the ceremony.
Where's the full-length version?
Our complete wedding ceremony script runs about 20 minutes, with a remembrance, a reflection and a guests' promise, and has no religious language either.
Want the whole ceremony written for you?
Tell us about the couple and get a personalized script with cues and timings, a run sheet, rehearsal notes, vow prompts and the program. See a free example first.
Start your ceremony