Wedding reading
A live performance
A family member or musician
“A live performance” by A family member or musician is a piece of music read at weddings and funerals alike. It takes about 4 minutes read aloud, usually by a musician. 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
Whoever is performing brings their own music. Agree the cue with them directly rather than through the family, and agree what you do if they cannot finish — for a grandchild singing at their grandmother’s funeral, that is a real possibility and it is your job to have a plan.
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
Someone performing live. Plan for the possibility they cannot get through it.
Read at weddings and funerals alike. Themes: a grandchild singing · a piper · a soloist · live music · someone who may not get through it.
Questions about reading it aloud
How long does “A live performance” take to read aloud?
“A live performance” takes about 4 minutes 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 “A live performance”?
A musician rather than a reader. “A live performance” runs about 4 minutes, and whoever is running the sound needs the exact cue point agreed in advance.
Can “A live performance” 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. Whoever is performing brings their own music. Agree the cue with them directly rather than through the family, and agree what you do if they cannot finish — for a grandchild singing at their grandmother’s funeral, that is a real possibility and it is your job to have a plan.
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.