Many couples want a Bible verse on the invitation, on the wedding website, or as part of the vows. Below is a curated KJV set, grouped by theme: love, marriage, shared life, respect and forgiveness.
Short verses for invitations
- "The greatest of these is love." — 1 Corinthians 13:13
- "Let all your things be done with charity." — 1 Corinthians 16:14
- "Beloved, let us love one another." — 1 John 4:7
- "God is love." — 1 John 4:8
- "There is no fear in love." — 1 John 4:18
- "It is not good that the man should be alone." — Genesis 2:18
- "They twain shall be one flesh." — Mark 10:8
- "What God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." — Mark 10:9
- "A threefold cord is not quickly broken." — Ecclesiastes 4:12
- "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine." — Song of Solomon 2:16
- "Love is strong as death." — Song of Solomon 8:6
On love
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Charity never faileth.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
The best-known wedding passage. It describes love not as feeling but as patience, kindness, faithfulness and endurance.
1 John 4:7-8
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
1 John 4:7-8
Roots love not in feeling but in God. A natural fit for a church or faith-led ceremony.
On marriage
Genesis 2:18, 24
And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Genesis 2:18, 24
The biblical foundation for marriage: people are created for partnership and shared life.
Mark 10:6-9
But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.
For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;
And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.
What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
Mark 10:6-9
The strongest passage on the covenant nature of marriage. A fitting reading for a formal ceremony.
Ephesians 5:21, 25
Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.
Ephesians 5:21, 25
Read together, the key is mutual love and self-giving service, not hierarchy.
On shared life and endurance
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.
For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.
And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Why partnership matters: someone to lift you up. The "threefold cord" is often read at Christian weddings as the couple plus God.
Ruth 1:16-17
Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:
Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried.
Ruth 1:16-17
Not originally a marriage vow, but the imagery of faithfulness and shared destiny makes it a wedding favourite.
On respect, patience and forgiveness
Ephesians 4:1-3
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Ephesians 4:1-3
The everyday side of marriage: humility, patience, peace.
Colossians 3:12-14
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
Colossians 3:12-14
A beautiful programme for married life: kindness, humility, patience, forgiveness, love.
Romantic passages from Song of Solomon
Song of Solomon 2:10-13
My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.
For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come.
Song of Solomon 2:10-13
Poetic, spring-tinted, romantic — a natural fit for outdoor or quietly elegant ceremonies.
Song of Solomon 8:6-7
Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death;
Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it.
Song of Solomon 8:6-7
One of the most beautiful poetic verses on love. Works particularly well on elegant invitations or printed orders of service.
How to choose
Match the verse to the mood. A classic, formal ceremony pairs naturally with 1 Corinthians 13 or Ephesians 5; an outdoor, poetic ceremony sits better with Song of Solomon. For an invitation, a short verse (1 Corinthians 13:13, Song of Solomon 2:16) almost always works.
If your guest list is mixed, choose a passage with a humane, universally understandable message such as Ecclesiastes 4 or Colossians 3.
FAQ
What's the best-known wedding Bible passage?
1 Corinthians 13, particularly the "love is patient, love is kind" passage and the closing line: "the greatest of these is love."
Which short verse works for an invitation?
Good short options: 1 Corinthians 13:13, 1 John 4:7, Ecclesiastes 4:12, and Song of Solomon 2:16.
Which passage best fits the marriage vows?
Genesis 2:24, Mark 10:6-9 and Ephesians 5 are the strongest scriptural anchors for the covenant nature of marriage.