Q: I am scheduled to officiate at a wedding on New Year’s Day at 4 pm. Do I still have to use the readings of the day (since January 1st is a Solemnity and a Holy Day of Obligation)?
Or can I change one reading?
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A: If it’s not Mass, you may use the wedding readings. If it includes Mass, you may not.
See OCM 56. Both January 1 and January 2 are solemnities this year that fall at #3 and #2 respectively in the Table of Liturgical Days.
You have a choice of including the wedding within the Mass of Mary the Mother of God or of the Epiphany of the Lord. Even the presidential prayers come from the solemnity, not from the ritual Mass.
January 1 is not a holyday of obligation this year, but the same rule applies.
On the upside, the readings and prayers are quite lovely for these occasions, and they can blend well with a wedding celebrated in this festive time of year.