Wedding reading

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Dr. Seuss

“Oh, the Places You'll Go!” by Dr. Seuss is a prose reading read at a wedding ceremony. It takes about a minute and a half read aloud, usually by a guest reader. We do not reprint the words here — the note below says why, and what to bring instead.

Why the words are not printed here

Still in copyright, and Dr. Seuss Enterprises enforces it hard — do not reproduce any of it, including in a printed order of service. Read the passage straight out of a bought copy of the book, which also looks better than a sheet of paper.

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.

Where it comes from

Random House published Oh, the Places You’ll Go! on January 22, 1990, the last Dr. Seuss book to appear in his lifetime.

What it says

The book speaks to someone setting out on a journey and promises that great things are ahead. It is honest about the hard parts: wrong turns, slumps, lonely stretches and the dull place where everyone is just waiting. But it insists that the traveler will find their way through and do well. At a wedding, an excerpt turns the journey into the couple’s shared life, with all its good days and hard ones, and leaves guests smiling. Read to adults, its cheerfulness carries a little more weight than it does at bedtime, because everyone in the room knows what the slumps can look like.

Read from the book itself, not a printout — the rights here are actively enforced. Read at a wedding ceremony. Themes: oh the places you'll go · setting off together · usually excerpted rather than read whole · children present · a young couple · buoyant.

Who it suits

Couples who love children’s books, teachers, couples with young children or many child guests, and weddings with a playful, celebratory tone. It is a popular graduation gift, so it can feel familiar. It is not a match for formal religious services.

Where it goes in the ceremony

A good closing reading, just before the pronouncement, to send the couple off. A parent, sibling or child can read it, ideally from the book.

Reading it aloud

Allow about a minute and a half at a ceremony pace of about 130 words a minute, from the reader’s first word to their last.

Read from a bought copy of the book. The rights are actively enforced, and the book itself looks better in a photo than a printout.
Choose the excerpt beforehand, usually the beginning and the ending, and mark the pages so the reader does not hunt.
Seuss rhymes need bounce. Keep the rhythm lively and do not slow to a crawl.

Questions about reading it aloud

How long does “Oh, the Places You'll Go!” take to read aloud?

“Oh, the Places You'll Go!” takes about a minute and a half 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 “Oh, the Places You'll Go!”?

Usually a guest reader rather than the officiant. “Oh, the Places You'll Go!” runs about a minute and a half, 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 “Oh, the Places You'll Go!” be printed in a ceremony script?

Not by us. Still in copyright, and Dr. Seuss Enterprises enforces it hard — do not reproduce any of it, including in a printed order of service. Read the passage straight out of a bought copy of the book, which also looks better than a sheet of paper.

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.

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