Wedding reading
Apache Wedding Blessing
Traditional, widely anthologised
“Apache Wedding Blessing” by Traditional, widely anthologised is a blessing read at a wedding ceremony. It takes about 40 seconds read aloud, usually by a guest reader. It is still in copyright, so the words are not reprinted here — the reader brings a printed copy.
Why the words are not printed here
Widely printed, but of disputed and probably twentieth-century authorship rather than Apache origin. If the couple want it, bring a printed copy from the source they prefer, and consider saying nothing about where it comes from rather than saying something wrong.
Pieces still in copyright are listed by title and author only — we name them and tell you where to get them, but we do not reproduce the words. Public-domain text is printed in your script in full.
What it is about
Often asked for. Its origin story is not what people think — worth knowing.
Read at a wedding ceremony. Themes: now you feel no rain · two bodies one life · often requested · disputed origin.
Questions about reading it aloud
How long does “Apache Wedding Blessing” take to read aloud?
“Apache Wedding Blessing” takes about 40 seconds read aloud at a ceremony pace, which is slower than conversation — roughly 130 words a minute. That is the figure the run-sheet uses when it works out the timing for the whole service.
Who usually reads “Apache Wedding Blessing”?
Usually a guest reader rather than the officiant. “Apache Wedding Blessing” runs about 40 seconds, which is a manageable amount to hand to a friend or family member. Give them a printed copy of their own, in a size they can read without their glasses, and tell them where to stand and how you will introduce them.
Can “Apache Wedding Blessing” be printed in a ceremony script?
Not by us. It is still in copyright, so we name it and point you at a copy rather than reprinting the words. Widely printed, but of disputed and probably twentieth-century authorship rather than Apache origin. If the couple want it, bring a printed copy from the source they prefer, and consider saying nothing about where it comes from rather than saying something wrong.
A reading is two minutes of the hour.
The rest is the welcome, the vows, the ring exchange, the pronouncement — and the timing that holds them together. Answer some questions about the couple and get the whole ceremony, written out, with this reading in its place.
Other readings that suit the same service
- Sheva Brachot — the Seven Blessings5 minutesTraditional, Hebrew
- The Priestly Blessing (Numbers 6:24–26)15 secondsKing James Bible
- May the Road Rise Up to Meet You20 secondsTraditional Irish
- Deep Peace (from the Invocation of Peace)25 secondsFiona Macleod (William Sharp)
- A Closing, with no prayer30 secondsOfficiantScript
- 1 Corinthians 13:4–8a45 secondsKing James Bible