Crafting Your Heart's Words: A Guide To Writing Personal Wedding Vows

Writing your own wedding vows is a beautiful way to personalise your ceremony and celebrate what makes your relationship unique. It can be a daunting task, but it's also an incredibly meaningful one. Here are some tips to help you get started:

- Start by discussing your expectations with your partner. Are you both comfortable with writing your own vows? What tone do you want to set? How long do you want them to be?

- Take some time to think about what makes your partner special to you. What are your most memorable moments together? What promises do you want to make to your partner?

- Don't feel like you have to start from scratch. Draw inspiration from traditional vows, poetry, books, movies, or songs.

- Keep your vows concise and heartfelt. Focus on the most important details and promises.

- Practice reciting your vows aloud. This will help you feel more confident on the big day and ensure your vows flow smoothly.

- Remember, your vows are a reflection of your love and commitment to your partner. Be authentic, and don't be afraid to infuse them with your own personality.

Promises for the future

Promises are an essential part of wedding vows. They are what make wedding vows, well, vows, and not just a love letter or speech. They are a way to solidify your commitment to your partner and communicate how you envision your future together.

Serious Promises

• "I promise to trust and respect you."
• "I promise to always put God first in our marriage."
• "I promise to be honest and faithful."
• "I promise to always put our love first."
• "I promise to choose adventure over tradition and to walk with you instead of alone."
• "I promise to chase your dreams alongside you."
• "I promise to create a home where we will become our own family."
• "I promise to build a happy and loving home with you."
• "I promise to travel the world with you."
• "I promise to always make sure I bring a snack for you on long car trips."
• "I promise to laugh with you every day, to dance with you in the kitchen, and to not rub it in when I beat you in horse."
• "I promise to continue to learn from you and to follow the examples of patience and respect that you continuously set."
• "I promise to always be your best friend."
• "I promise to always support and encourage you."
• "I promise to always be there for you, no matter what."
• "I promise to always be honest with you."
• "I promise to always respect you."
• "I promise to always care for you."
• "I promise to always protect you."

Humorous Promises

• "I promise to never stop kissing you every time we stop at a red light."
• "I promise to learn how to use the espresso machine so I can make you your morning coffee just how you like it."
• "I promise to never stop holding your hand."
• "I vow to split my cuddle time equally between you and our dog."
• "I promise to always make you your favourite snack."
• "I promise to always let you choose what we watch on TV."
• "I promise to always do the dishes."
• "I promise to always kill the spiders."
• "I promise to always do [insert chore here]."
• "I promise to always do your [insert chore here] for you."
• "I promise to always be on time."
• "I promise to always be patient with you."
• "I promise to always listen to you."
• "I promise to always give you the remote control."
• "I promise to always do your laundry."
• "I promise to always give you the last bite."
• "I promise to always give you the bigger half."
• "I promise to always give you the last word."

Acknowledging the past

Wedding vows are a serious, lifelong commitment that you're making in front of many witnesses. They are a public proclamation of your love and a chance to acknowledge your past together. Here are some ideas for how to acknowledge your past in your wedding vows:

Share Personal Stories

Recount the romantic story of how you first met, or how you knew your partner was "the one". You could also share funny anecdotes, such as how your first date went horribly wrong, or inspiring narratives about overcoming challenging times. These stories will make your ceremony more interesting and moving for your guests.

Include Real Promises

Make promises that acknowledge the support you've given each other in the past, and how you will continue to do so in the future. For example, you could promise to "stick by their side forever" or to "be the one to kill spiders".

Acknowledge the Role of Friends and Family

Your friends and family have likely played a role in enhancing your relationship, and you will continue to need their guidance throughout your marriage. Acknowledge their support and call on them for additional assistance in the future.

Affirmation and Acknowledgment of Your Past

Include big or small memories from your past together, depending on the vibe you want to create. You could say something like: "I knew you were the one when..." or "I'll never forget the time when...".

Thank Your Partner

Express how grateful you are to have found each other, and for the qualities that you love about your partner. You could say something like: "Thank you for making my dreams come true" or "Thank you for never making me worry or doubt your love for me".

Remember, your wedding vows should be heartfelt and authentic. Don't be afraid to be sentimental or to include a bit of humour. Good luck with writing your vows!

A special quote or reference

Including a special quote or reference in your wedding vows is a great way to inject personality into your ceremony and celebrate what makes your relationship unique. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Romantic and Sentimental Quotes:

• "You are my every dream come true, and I can't wait to build a life with you."
• "Because of you, I can feel myself slowly but surely becoming the me I have always dreamed of being." - Tyler Knott Gregson
• "You make me a better person."
• "Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same." - Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights
• "I love you not only for who you are but for what I am when I am with you." - Ray Croft
• "You are my best friend, my human diary, and my other half. You mean the world to me and I love you." - Unknown
• "In all the world, there is no heart for me like yours. In all the world, there is no love for you like mine." - Maya Angelou

Humorous Quotes:

• "I love you more than coffee, but please don't make me prove it." - Elizabeth Evans
• "I love you more than pizza, and that's saying a lot." - Unknown
• "I love you more than I love the smell of fresh-cut grass." - Unknown
• "I love you more than I love the sound of a can of soda opening." - Unknown
• "I love you more than I love finding money in my pocket." - Unknown
• "I love you more than cake." - Unknown
• "I love you more than I love sleeping in on weekends." - Unknown

Quotes About Love and Marriage:

• "Love is friendship that has caught fire." - Ann Landers
• "Love is a symbol of eternity. It wipes out all sense of time, destroying all memory of a beginning and all fear of an end." - Unknown
• "Love is when the other person's happiness is more important than your own." - H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
• "Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired." - Robert Frost
• "Love is not finding someone to live with. It's finding someone you can't live without." - Rafael Ortiz
• "Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own." - Robert Heinlein
• "Love is a great master. It teaches us to be what we never were." - Moliere

Remember, when choosing a quote or reference, select something that is meaningful to you as a couple and reflects your unique relationship.

Humour

"I promise to not only stick by your side forever, but to also be the one to kill spiders whenever they creep their way into our home."

"I promise to put the toilet seat down."

"I promise to let you watch football on either Saturday or Sunday... but not both."

"I promise to never make you read books."

"I promise to attend any doctor's appointment if it will make you feel better."

"I promise to unclog the shower even though only one of us has long hair."

"I promise to never watch the next episode on Netflix without you, no matter how much I want to."

"I promise to always get rid of the spiders, even though I’m more scared than you."

"I promise to love your [insert weird habit here]."

"I’ll keep you safe from [insert random phobia]."

"I’ll keep your calendar full with [insert favourite agenda you share as a couple]."

"I’ll never complain about [insert something you love to complain about]."

"I promise to always remember that you are indeed human. That you may sometimes make questionable decisions, decisions I don't agree with, like throwing a beach party that I didn't authorise on the one free day we had before our wedding—a day when we should be doing wedding admin together and things like, I don't know, writing our vows!"

The tone and length

When it comes to tone, you should agree on a style with your partner. If you're going for comedic and lighthearted, but your partner is leaning towards more serious and stoic, the wedding ceremony may feel disjointed. It's also important to keep your guests in mind when it comes to tone. While it's good to include humour and inside jokes, you don't want to distract from the ceremony or embarrass your partner.

You should also consider the level of detail you want to include in your vows. While you might want to include every detail of your relationship, this can overwhelm your guests. Instead, pick out the most important details, such as when you first met or the first time you said "I love you".

Finally, don't forget to practice! Read your vows out loud, and time yourself to make sure they're not too long. Practising will also help you to refine the tone and feel more confident on the day.

Frequently asked questions