A non-religious wedding ceremony script carries all the weight of a traditional service — welcome, story, vows, rings, pronouncement — without prayer or scripture. Below is a complete secular ceremony script you can read as written, plus variants for humanist, civil and spiritual-but-not-religious ceremonies.
Runs 18-25 minutes as written. Every element is meaning-forward: the legal lines stay, the liturgy is replaced by the couple's story and readings of their choosing.
Open by gathering the room around the couple, not around a faith tradition.
"Welcome, everyone. Today, in front of the people who matter most to them, [Name] and [Name] are making the oldest promise two people can make — and making it new, in their own words."
The secular replacement for the homily: two minutes of true story. This is the section guests retell at dinner.
"[Name] and [Name] met [how]. Everyone here has watched what grew from that: the way they show up for each other, and for you. That's what we are here to celebrate."
Poetry and prose instead of scripture — the most chosen secular readings:
"Love one another, but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. — Kahlil Gibran" / "I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you. — Roy Croft"
The legal spine, unchanged by secular framing.
"[Name], will you take [Name] to be your partner in marriage — to share your life, your home and your heart?" ("I will.")
A humanist framing of the rings.
"These rings have no beginning and no end — like the promise they mark. [Name], repeat after me: I give you this ring, made precious by what it means and by the one who wears it."
Same legal words, humanist close.
"By the authority vested in me, and by the love everyone here carries for you, I pronounce you married. You may kiss!"
The shortest legal version: 5-10 minutes, used at courthouses and by registrars. Trim the story, keep the spine.
Everything required, nothing wasted.
"We are gathered to witness the marriage of [Name] and [Name]. [Name], do you take [Name] to be your lawfully wedded spouse?" ("I do.") "Do you take [Name]?" ("I do.") "Exchange rings. Then by the authority vested in me, I pronounce you married."
For couples who want room for meaning without doctrine: replace the scripture reading with a poem, keep one moment of silence for remembrance, and close with a community vow ("Will everyone here support this marriage?" — "We will.").
Commonly a civil, secular, humanist or custom ceremony — the legal requirements are identical to a religious one. What changes is the wording: welcome and readings reference the couple and their community rather than God or scripture.
Poetry and prose replace scripture: Kahlil Gibran's "On Marriage," Roy Croft's "I Love You," readings from novels, or a letter a parent wrote. Anything that speaks to the couple works — there is no required text.
Yes, everywhere in the U.S. — validity depends on the officiant's authority and the license, not the ceremony's wording. A friend ordained online (Universal Life Church) can lead a fully secular ceremony that is legally binding in most states.
18-25 minutes is typical; a courthouse civil ceremony runs 5-10. Without a sermon or mass, secular ceremonies are naturally shorter — resist adding elements back just to fill time.