We're having a civil ceremony in a hotel next July, is it possible to have a poem or letter read out during the service or is it just a straight forward and all the same???
Within reason, and as long as the vows are acceptable (they can be changed too), AFAIK, you can do or say more or less whatever you want as long as you do it safely and legally.
So in answer to your quaetion - almost certainly, yes.
We're having a civil ceremony in a hotel next July, is it possible to have a poem or letter read out during the service or is it just a straight forward and all the same???