Vow writing tips and examples
Writing your vows can feel like an overwhelming task, I’m here to guide you, with as much or as little help as you’d like. Have fun planning your ceremony script and writing your vows. Try to speak authentically and from the heart more than worrying about coming up with overly eloquent and embellished wording.
Start by deciding if you’d like matching vows that you write together, both saying the same words, or if you’d like separate vows. If you decide on individual vows, are you going to run them by each other beforehand or keep them as a surprise? If you decide not to share them prior to the wedding ceremony, it’s a good idea to agree on a similar length and vibe but that’s not essential if you think the juxtapose will add a moment of humour or reflect your relationship.
You can’t get this wrong, it’s all about preference and anything you feel is important for you to say (or not say) is valid. The questions I asked you in your couple’s questionnaire might serve as writing prompts of your own to help you find the right words.
Here’s a few script examples
The asking
(name) do you promise to love (name) freely, cherish (him/her/them) without reservation and to honour and protect (him/her/them) forevermore?
I do…
Or maybe something with a bit of humour…
(name) do you promise to love and honour but not obey because that’s just a bit controlling really, (name) for the rest of your days together? Do you promise to never watch the next episode without (him/her/them) and to always protect (him/her/them) from spiders for as long as you both shall live?
I do…
Here are the legal vows we have to say
“I call upon the persons here present to witness that I, (Name), take thee, (Name), to be my lawful wedded wife or husband, or spouse”.
That’s it, just that short sentence. So many couples like to add their own vows, maybe a write a short poem. This is the part where you get to say what you want to say on your big day. This is one of the rare moments in life that is not only very intimate and meaningful to you and your partner, but you also get to speak publicly about what your relationship means to you. Your vows can be funny, romantic or however you want the vibe to be to reflect your relationship.
Here are a few lines and words to help you along the way…
“You impelled me then, you impel me now and you will always. You strengthen my weaknesses and give me the courage to be the best I can be. You make me want to be a better person, not only to be worthy of your love but so I can give you the world I so want to give you. I promise to never stop trying. To never stop catching my breath when I see you. To never stop falling in love with you every day”.
“I am so blessed to have you in my life. You are my best friend, my soul mate and the love of my life. I feel so lucky to have found you and to be standing here before you today. You make me happier than I ever knew was possible and I promise to always cherish our love and to fill our tomorrows with joy, happiness, compassion and loyalty
“I am so honoured to walk through my life with you by my side. To laugh and cry with you, to support you, to build our beautiful home together and drink tea with hot toast and butter while our hair is stained with paint. I’m so honoured to watch our garden grow with you, our grey hairs spreading just like the growing shade of our little mango tree. To see our love multiply in the form of our children and to smile and say, ‘look what we did!’ in awe at ourselves. I’m so honoured to love you and to marry you today”.
Ring Exchange Vow ideas
“Like this ring, my love for you is never ending, please accept it as a symbol of the vows we made today”
“With this ring I give you my promise of everlasting love always and forever.”
How you would like to be announced at the ‘pronouncing’, (the bit just before your big kiss) is the last thing to decide in planning your script. It can represent however you identify, such as ‘Husband and Wife’ ‘Wife and Wife’ ‘Husband and Husband’ or maybe ‘Partners in Marriage’ or ‘Spouses for Life’ or even a title of your own.
I hope this helps get the ink flowing for you, remember just to keep it genuine and real and you can't go wrong.