Choosing Wedding Vows – Free Wedding Vows

There’s so much to think about when you are planning a wedding.  There’s the guest list, the venue, the food, the flowers – and of course, the dress.  But during all the planning, you may sometimes overlook a very integral part of the wedding – the vows.

The exchange of vows is the part of the ceremony where a bride and groom express their feelings for each other.  Those feelings are often difficult to put into words, so couples may choose to use vows that are fairly standard and traditional.

Traditional wedding vows are very familiar.  They are still among the most popular choices.  You may have heard these traditional Catholic wedding vows before:

“I, (name), take you (name), to be my (wife/husband), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part.”

Different religions have their own traditional wedding vows, but no matter what the religion is, these vows are still timeless classics.

Wedding renewal vows are also special, since they give a couple the chance to reflect on their time together and to include their children and grandchildren in their special moment.  Choosing the vows that are right for such a ceremony often depends on the reason for the renewal.  For example, a couple may decide to renew their vows on a special anniversary, or after a stressful time in their lives.  A man and woman may have gotten married in a small, private ceremony and are renewing their vows in front of family and friends.

Regardless of the situation, there are many options for vows. Perhaps a couple wants to recite the vows they used during their first ceremony.  Alternatively, they can also use a variation of them or write entirely new ones.

For couples that want to be different or creative, funny wedding vows are another option.   Provided it’s permitted by your religion, adding humor to the ceremony is a great way to make it memorable.  There are so many ways to be funny.  A famous couple decided to spice up their ceremony by adding the line, “I vow to split the difference on the thermostat.”

Funny wedding vows may also play on the differences between men and women.  For example, the groom can say something like,  “I promise to always put the toilet seat down.” Or maybe the bride is a terrible cook.  If the couple chooses to add a humorous twist, maybe she can say something like, “I promise I will never make you eat my cooking.”

While funny wedding vows can be fun and original, there are important things to remember.  First, don’t go overboard with the jokes, and don’t refer to things that only you and your significant will know.  Most importantly, avoid profanity or any language that may offend guests.

Christian wedding ceremonies often contain very typical elements.  Christian wedding vows may also be very typical.  Here are some sample wedding vows that are commonly for Christian marriages:

“In the name of Jesus, I ___ take you, ___, to be my (husband/wife), to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, for as long as we both shall live. This is my solemn vow.”

“I, ___, take you ___, to be my wedded (husband/wife), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, ’til death do us part: according to God’s holy ordinance, and thereto I pledge you my love and faithfulness. “

“I love you ___ as I love no other. All that I am I share with you. I take you to be my (husband/wife) through health and sickness, through plenty and want, through joy and sorrow, now and forever. “

“I take you ___, to be my (husband/wife), loving you now and as you grow and develop into all that God intends. I will love you when we are together and when we are apart; when our lives are at peace and when they are in turmoil; when I am proud of you and when I am disappointed in you; in times of rest and in times of work. I will honor your goals and dreams and help you to fulfill them. From the depth of my being, I will seek to be open and honest with you. I say these things believing that God is in the midst of them all.”

Even though there are plenty of other samples out there, maybe you and your spouse-to-be want to write your own personal wedding vows.  They can be very simple wedding vows or ones that involve more thought and are more in-depth.  They can be funny or romantic.  Regardless of what they are, writing your own wedding vows is not as daunting a task as it may seem if you keep some tips in mind.

First, make sure your religion and the person officiating at the ceremony allow personalized vows.  It is also a good idea to talk with your partner about how to write the vows.  Will you use one vow you will both recite, or write individual ones?

Taking time to reflect on your relationship and/or your significant other is another way to get the creative juices flowing.  For example, think about why you love this person and why you want to marry him or her.  What do you hope for in the future with your spouse?  These are some ideas you can use to write your vows.

Also do your research.  There are plenty of places to look at sample wedding vows or read passages about love, marriage or romance.  Maybe you’ll come across some quotes you really want to use, or maybe something you read will be your inspiration as you sit down to write.

After you’ve jotted down some ideas, go through them all.  See if you want to use any of it.  If you’ve found passages you like, try and incorporate them into a sentence that starts with, “I vow,” or “I promise.”   Here’s a sample:

“As the poet Michael Leunig said, ‘Love one another and you will be happy.  It’s as simple and as difficult as that.’ I promise to always be there through the simple and the difficult.”

Maybe you’ve tried all these suggestions for writing your own wedding vows, but to no avail.  In that case, you can try filling in the blanks.  Start with a common phrase, then think of a way to end it.  “I promise to ___,” “I vow to ___,” “You are my ___.”

After you have finally written some vows, read them out loud to someone you trust.  This person should be someone who knows you well and knows about your relationship.  Just by reading the vows aloud you may hear something you want to change or something you particularly like.  The person you are reading them to may also have suggestions.

If you don’t want to write your own vows but also don’t want to use traditional ones, there are many sources of sample vows.  There are many web sites that provide examples of non-traditional wedding vows, romantic wedding vows and contemporary wedding vows.

Here are some examples:

Non-traditional:

I love you. Today is a very special day.
Long ago you were just a dream and a prayer.
Thank you for being what you are to me.
With our future as bright as the promises of God,
I will care for you, honor and protect you.
I lay down my life for you my friend and my love.

Romantic:

I promise to give you the best of myself and ask of you no more than I can give.
I promise to respect you as your own person and to realize that your interests, desires and needs are no less important than my own.
I promise to share with you my time and attention and to bring you joy, strength and imagination to our relationship.
I promise to keep myself open to you, to let you see through the window of my world into my innermost fears and feelings, secrets and dreams.
I promise to grow along with you, to be willing to face changes in order to keep our relationship alive and exciting.
I promise to love you in good times and in bad, with all I have to give and all I feel inside the only way I know how.
Completely and forever.

Contemporary:

I promise to be there when you need me, to fill your days with sunshine, to comfort you and encourage you, to be your best friend everlasting and to love you all my life with all my heart, for so long as we both shall live.

There are many, many choices for wedding vows.  Whether you ultimately choose to go with traditional wedding vows, something more contemporary or write your own unique wedding vows, they should be as special to you as the day itself.