27 Bookish Wedding Ideas for Literature Lovers

Bookworms and romantics, this is for you.

Photography: Yes, Dear. Studio

Updated Feb 28, 2025

exactly what the librarian ordered. Luckily for all you bookworms, we've created the ultimate guide to throwing a book wedding. How to plan one? Check. Book-themed decor ideas? Check. Bookish recommendations you can buy for your wedding now? Check. We promise getting lost in all this intel is just as good as curling up in a cozy armchair and getting lost in a good book itself. Here are all our tips on how to incorporate that book into your own wedding.

How to Plan a Book-Themed Wedding

There are so many different directions you can go for a book-themed wedding. Of course, there's the obvious book theme decor choice: literal books. You can stack them on top of reception tables for book wedding centerpieces, next to ceremony chairs as aisle markers or into entryway pillars for your ceremony.

But from a design standpoint, Elizabeth McKellar of The Nouveau Romantics based in Denver goes immediately to the content: Is there a favorite passage you love? Or one that has deep meaning for both of you? She advises pulling from that for your invitations, ceremony programs and even specialty cocktails. These ideas create a more subtle wedding style.

"I really like to guide couples into the areas (books, authors, particular passages) that are meaningful to them and then work with vendors that share their excitement," she says. "Think outside the box on how you can apply these things—beyond books as centerpieces."

Depending on what inspires and is sentimental to you, you could use classic typeface on any printed items, large pieces of fabric printed with your favorite passages or pages of your book. You could also use those words and digitally map them onto a dance floor or wall as a large installation for a big impact. You can also lean into book-related wedding themes, like vintage or dark academia.

There are so many ways to incorporate nods to the literary world, according to McKellar, who says they're pretty cost-effective because they already have a spot in wedding planning—whether it's book-inspired belly bands for invitations, book passage envelope liners or ceremony programs. "All of these are fantastic ways to make things really personal but aren't huge budget busters," she adds. You can always use The Knot budget tool to get an idea of theme-related costs in your area.

While you don't need a fellow-literature-loving wedding planner, McKellar says it's always nice to find a partner who aligns with your values and perspective. To find another bookworm who also happens to be a wedding planner, scour the wedding planners section of The Knot Vendor Marketplace, which you can filter by location. Look for details on their website or social media accounts that allude to their love of reading—maybe a Harry Potter quote, a mention of BookTok in their site bio, a story highlight reel of books they read or photos of book-themed weddings they've worked on. And don't forget to consult your list of questions to ask a wedding planner when you reach out to them.

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Ideal Venue Ideas for a Bookish Wedding

An easy way to elevate your inner librarian is to tie the knot in a bookish wedding venue. The most obvious: a bookstore for some quaint charm or a library for a more elegant and historic feel. Whether it's the New York Public Library or the George Peabody Library in Baltimore, many library wedding venues across the US can take your breath away with their vast size and vaulted ceilings. But, as with your decor, you can also think outside of the box for more subtle literary-themed places to get married. Think writer estate venues like Ernest Hemingway's, a writer's museum or a literary-themed café.

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Book Wedding Centerpieces to Obsess Over

Books for wedding centerpieces may not seem like the most novel idea, but there are so many ways to style them that you can always find a fresh take, no matter the reception table. These book centerpiece ideas are sure to inspire you.

1. Whimsical Open Book

Leave a vintage book open to its torn pages for an old-timey effect, and pair it with rolled-up sheet music and gold bud vases. Laid on top of a bed of moss, it creates a whimsical fairy-tale-esque centerpiece.

2. Vintage Books for Wedding Decor

Think beyond your reception tables! If you have a lounge area, don't skip the coffee table—it's just begging to be dressed up with a few stacks of vintage book decor for some cozy library vibes.

3. Book Table Number

Let your books do double duty as both a centerpiece and a table number. Take off the covers of worn books to stencil gold or silver numbers on them. They'll steal the show at your reception tables!

4. Eclectic Book Centerpiece

Prop books up rather than laying them flat and bookend them with bell jars filled with moss, ferns or orchids and flasks filled with mustard yellow craspedia. Add some mercury-glass votive candles and vintage silver cups for an extra touch to these book-themed wedding centerpieces.

Book Wedding Ceremony Ideas

There are so many ways to get creative with book-themed wedding decorations for your ceremony. Since ceremonies are so heartfelt, this can be the ideal setting to incorporate a meaningful book, whether as aisle markers or pages used as the back of a wedding program. But there are also ways to have fun and be festive with it.

5. Book Ceremony Backdrop

Sometimes romance looks like dozens of open-paged books framed with hydrangeas, roses and moss. What better backdrop for a pair of readers to say "I do" in front of?

6. Program Display

For cute signage, stamp the closed pages of several books. We love it as a way to draw attention to the programs for guests to take before the ceremony starts.

7. Book Arch for Wedding

For some whimsical literary inspiration, set a statement at the entrance to your ceremony with an archway of books stacked on top of one another. It will lead guests into another world!

8. Dried Lavender in Book Pages

Fasten pages from romance books into a cone shape to house dried lavender that guests can shower you in during your recessional.

9. Cut-Out Book Ring Box

Think outside of the box—literally. Instead of a box or pillow, place your rings in a heart-shaped hole inside your favorite book for a sweet little touch.

10. Stacked Book Aisle Markers

Forget flowers tied on chair backs—gold-starred pumpkins stacked on top of books create moody fall reading vibes as aisle ceremony markers. We love the combo of pop culture with poetry here.

Book Wedding Quotes

As literature lovers we have our favorite quotes and passages; you'd be remiss not to include some of your favorites in your wedding. We love the idea of wedding ceremony readings from books that share an excerpt that is meaningful to both of you. But you can also infuse bookish wedding quotes in smaller ways—at the bottom of your wedding program, on your welcome sign or sprawled across your ceremony backdrop. These are a few of our favorite quotes to use:

"Any day spent with you is my favorite day." – A.A. Milne, Winnie The Pooh
"You are part of my existence, part of myself. You have been in every line I have ever read." - Charles Dickens, Great Expectations
"It's delightful when your imaginations come true, isn't it?" – L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
"'Why do we have to listen to our hearts?' the boy asked. 'Because, wherever your heart is, that is where you will find your treasure.'" – Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
"I ask you to pass through life at my side—to be my second self, and best earthly companion." – Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

Escort Card Wedding Ideas

The number of ways you can delight a book lover with your escort cards is endless, from reference cards to vintage Rolodexes to book pages. We promise you'll swoon over these bookish wedding ideas.

11. Escort Card Table Typewriter

Literary details don't have to come from books themselves. For a more subtle vibe, incorporate vintage typewriters into your wedding decor. This one displays a message in an antique typeface for guests at the escort card table.

12. Library Escort Cards

Library reference cards as escort cards are perfect for the pair of book nerds. Clip them with clothes pins for a rustic touch.

13. Bookcase Seating Chart

This modern and minimalist bookcase seating chart steals the show. Each guest has a neutral-hued book with their name and table number on the spine.

14. Vintage Rolodex Display

A vintage Rolodex escort card display evokes some serious library vibes. Pair it with a few books, a black-and-white photo and a lace runner to round out the old-timey feel.

15. Book Page Seating Chart

We love a good collage, and this one made of book pages doesn't disappoint. It's a fun, textured and whimsical literary backdrop for a seating chart.

Bookish Wedding Favors

The final touch on a bookish wedding? Bookish wedding favors. That might take shape as a book itself, a bookmark or even book-scented candles. These book-themed favor displays make us wish we were there!

16. Secondhand Book Wedding Favors

For an eclectic bookish wedding favor display, showcase secondhand books on a colorful shelf topped with a vintage typewriter. Guests will be charmed; we know we are!

17. Bookmark Wedding Favors

What better wedding favor than a book itself!? We're in love with this colorful display that acts as a library for guests to take home their very own book. Also included: a personalized wood bookmark with a sweet little message.

Bookish Wedding Ideas You Can Shop Now

Now that you've been fully inspired by so many bookish wedding ideas, are you ready to start buying all sorts of fun bookish goods? From favors and invites to decor and books themselves, this shopping guide will get you started.

18. Personalized Wood Bookmarks

Laser engraved on alder wood, these bookmarks are wedding favors that your guests will actually use! Get them personalized with your names and wedding date, and choose from six different tassel colors.

From $122 | Etsy

19. Book Lover's Bookends

Bookends can act as fun decor, from adding a literary touch to the dessert table to actually propping books up in a centerpiece. These three styles feature illustrated patterns with fun bibliophile statements.

$25 | Uncommon Goods

20. Literary Themed Wedding Guest Book

This print of stacked books is such a fun guest book idea. Every guest can sign their name on the spine of a book in the drawing for their own spot in your library of memories.

From $51 | Etsy

21. Small Book Vase, The Secret Garden

We love this whimsical book vase as a delicate touch on the guestbook table or as part of an eclectic mix of centerpieces. Fill it up with flowers and a few pencils for a writerly addition.

$25 | Barnes & Noble

22. Mini Book Place Cards

Miniature anything always adds a cute touch, especially when it's a miniature book. Made of colored cardstock and bound by ribbon, they make for sweet place cards to set atop plate chargers.

$54 | Etsy

23. Little Book of City Style

The books you incorporate into your wedding decor don't have to be your fiction favorites. Bringing non-fiction books into your centerpiece stacks is an easy way to add another interest. If you're a fashionista who loves to travel with your partner, you'll love these mini-books showcasing fashion in different cities.

$17 | Anthropologie

24. Storybook Invites

Set the tone for your literary wedding with a wedding invitation that resembles a storybook cover. This one features an elegant floral motif that comes in eight different colors for some strong fairy-tale vibes.

From $1.59 each | The Knot

25. Literary Table Runner

Swoon—we fell hard for this literary table runner and know you will, too. At 16 inches by 10 feet long, each runner is made out of classic novels such as Jane Eyre and Little Women. Not only do they add to the bookish theme, but they also bring a dash of romance.

$30 | Etsy

26. Book Lovers Candles

If you don't want to be too on the nose with your wedding favors, opt for literary-themed candles. With notes of sandalwood, gardenia and peach, these candles are meant to evoke relaxation while curled up with your favorite book.

$27 | Amazon

27. Personalized Love Story Table Number

Display your favorite bookish quotes from love stories and poems on table numbers. It's an easy way to infuse some romance into your reception tables.

From $10 | Etsy