25 Bible Verses About Wedding (NIV & KJV)

A wedding is more than a ceremony. In Scripture, it marks the start of a covenant, a promise sealed before God that two people will become one. The Bible offers rich language for this moment, from the first marriage in Eden to Paul's description of a love that never fails.

These Bible verses about wedding day love and commitment are drawn from both the NIV and KJV. They work well for vows, readings, toasts, or simply as a source of encouragement as you prepare to marry or celebrate someone who is.

Whether you are planning a ceremony or looking for words to mark a covenant made before God, let these verses guide your heart toward what marriage was always meant to be.

God's Design for Marriage

From the very beginning, God intended marriage to unite two lives into one.

“The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.””— Genesis 2:18 (NIV)“And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.”— Genesis 2:18 (KJV)

“That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.”— Genesis 2:24 (NIV)“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”— Genesis 2:24 (KJV)

“So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.””— Matthew 19:6 (NIV)“Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”— Matthew 19:6 (KJV)

“Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?”— Amos 3:3 (NIV)“Can two walk together, except they be agreed?”— Amos 3:3 (KJV)

The Nature of True Love

Paul's words on love remain the most requested reading at weddings for good reason.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.”— 1 Corinthians 13:4 (NIV)“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,”— 1 Corinthians 13:4 (KJV)

“It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”— 1 Corinthians 13:7 (NIV)“Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”— 1 Corinthians 13:7 (KJV)

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”— 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”— 1 Corinthians 13:13 (KJV)

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”— 1 Peter 4:8 (NIV)“And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.”— 1 Peter 4:8 (KJV)

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”— 1 John 4:18 (NIV)“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”— 1 John 4:18 (KJV)

Two Are Better Than One

Scripture celebrates the strength and comfort found in a shared life.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:”— Ecclesiastes 4:9 (NIV)“Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.”— Ecclesiastes 4:9 (KJV)

“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”— Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NIV)“And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”— Ecclesiastes 4:12 (KJV)

“He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.”— Proverbs 18:22 (NIV)“Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.”— Proverbs 18:22 (KJV)

“Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the Lord.”— Proverbs 19:14 (NIV)“House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from the LORD.”— Proverbs 19:14 (KJV)

A Covenant of Loyalty

A wedding vow echoes the loyalty and devotion Scripture calls a couple to keep.

“But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.”— Ruth 1:16 (NIV)“And Ruth said, 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:”— Ruth 1:16 (KJV)

“Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.”— Hebrews 13:4 (NIV)“Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.”— Hebrews 13:4 (KJV)

“May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.”— Proverbs 5:18 (NIV)“Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.”— Proverbs 5:18 (KJV)

“Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun.”— Ecclesiastes 9:9 (NIV)“Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.”— Ecclesiastes 9:9 (KJV)

Love That Binds Everything Together

These verses speak to the unity and sacrificial love a marriage is built on.

“And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”— Colossians 3:14 (NIV)“And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.”— Colossians 3:14 (KJV)

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her”— Ephesians 5:25 (NIV)“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;”— Ephesians 5:25 (KJV)

“However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.”— Ephesians 5:33 (NIV)“Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.”— Ephesians 5:33 (KJV)

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”— Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”— Ephesians 4:32 (KJV)

Blessings for the Marriage

Verses of blessing and hope for the years a couple will share together.

“A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.”— Proverbs 31:10 (NIV)“Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.”— Proverbs 31:10 (KJV)

“Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:”— Proverbs 31:28 (NIV)“Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.”— Proverbs 31:28 (KJV)

“Do everything in love.”— 1 Corinthians 16:14 (NIV)“Let all your things be done with charity.”— 1 Corinthians 16:14 (KJV)

What Does the Bible Say About Marriage and Weddings?

The Bible frames a wedding as the beginning of a covenant, not just a celebration. Genesis 2:24 sets the pattern: a man and woman leave their former lives and become one flesh, joined by God Himself. This union is meant to be lasting, faithful, and built on more than feeling.

Paul's description of love in 1 Corinthians 13 gives that covenant its shape. Love is patient, kind, and keeps no record of wrongs. It does not give up, and it does not fail. This is the love a wedding calls two people to practice for the rest of their lives, not just to feel on the day they marry.

Scripture also reminds us that marriage was never meant to be carried alone. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 speaks of the strength found in two people who support each other, and Colossians 3:14 calls love the bond that holds every other virtue together in perfect unity. A wedding, in the Bible's view, is the start of that binding.

May these verses bless your ceremony and the marriage that follows it. For more Scripture on love and family, explore our Bible verses about marriage, Bible verses about love, and Bible verses about family.