Hear My Soul Speak: Wedding Quotations from Shakespeare

William Shakespeare wrote some of the most romantic lines the world has ever known. What better way to bless a wedding than with a generous helping of his timeless wisdom? No one speaks to eternal happiness and everlasting love like Shakespeare, whose words ring just as true today as they did four hundred years ago.

This book is far more than just a plain list of quotes you’ve no doubt heard before. Over one hundred selections have been chosen specifically for their usefulness at a wedding, organized by who might say them (the happy couple, the father of the bride, or even the guests themselves), when to say them (at the altar, at the reception, as a toast) and even what they mean (when it’s not obvious). It’s much easier for the best man to deliver a toast when he knows what he’s saying and is not just reading from an index card he copied off the Internet, no matter how cool and romantic it sounds.

There is a chapter devoted entirely to sonnets that might be appropriate for ceremonial readings, complete with “modern translation.” Additionally there are chapters on how to recite Shakespeare like a pro, and a brief biography of Shakespeare for those who might be curious about Mr. Timeless Romantic’s own love life.
A wedding is the happiest day in two people’s lives. If you’re a guest or a member of the wedding party and you get a chance to contribute, why fall back on the same old “Congratulations and best wishes” cliché that everybody uses? Make your contribution the most memorable part of their already memorable day by channeling some of the Bard’s words. Who knows? They may still be talking about your reading four hundred years from now.

And if it is your wedding? Well, then, Heaven give you many, many merry days. When you do dance, I wish you a wave o’ the sea, that you might ever do nothing but that.