If you’re writing your own wedding vows, you’re likely wondering how to write vows that feel true to you, your feelings for your partner, and the personality of your relationship as a couple. At the Heritage Center of Brooklyn Center, we’ve heard a lot of vows — and we’re happy to share what we’ve learned about how to write great vows with you!
Personal, well-written wedding vows can make a ceremony more heartfelt and unforgettable. Learn how to write vows with our expert tips and examples!
Understanding The Purpose Of Wedding Vows
The history of wedding vows dates back to the Medieval era Church of England, which had manuals for marriage ceremonies based on the individual diocese. Today, wedding vows represent a commitment to each other as spouses, and can be much less formal and traditional than the vows of yesteryear.
As you start to think about writing your vows, reflect on what you’d like your vows to represent and achieve. Are you speaking your vows to express your love and commitment to your partner? To reflect on your journey together so far? To make promises for the future? All of the above? Think on these questions as a starting point for writing vows that are meaningful to both you and your spouse.
Tips On How To Write Wedding Vows
The Heritage Center of Brooklyn Center is a popular venue for weddings and we have witnessed countless people pledge forever within our halls. With all this experience, we have heard some of the absolute best wedding vows! Here are some tips for writing wedding vows that will wow your guests — and most importantly, your spouse!
Discuss With Your Partner First
While you might want the actual vows to be a surprise for the big day, some things should be decided on ahead of time. Sit down with your soon-to-be spouse and decide together on what tone and length you are going for. Now is the time to share any expectations you have for the vows. Do you expect they will be so romantic that you will cry? Do you expect to make everyone in the congregation laugh? Do you expect them to be full of promises? Clearing this beforehand will ensure you each set off to tackling writing your own vows in a way that will be memorable and fulfilling to you both.
Write Them Well In Advance
Whatever you do, don’t leave writing your vows until the last minute! Start writing your vows at least a month before the big day, so you have plenty of time to edit them and practice them — more on that below. You may even consider jotting down memories, anecdotes, and things you love about your partner as they occur to you in the weeks and months leading up to your wedding, so that when the time comes to write your vows, you have a library of ideas close at hand.
Brainstorm What to Include in Your Vows
Wondering how to start your wedding vows? Writing wedding vows can feel overwhelming, so start by simply brainstorming on a blank sheet of paper. Write down words, phrases, or promises you know you want to include in your vows. Jot down attributes you love in your partner, record favorite memories the two of you have created, and the hopes you have for your future together. Once you have these thoughts on paper, you can start to sort through what you feel is important to include!
Read Inspiration
The best vows are not created from thin air. If it is worded well then it has likely been worded before. Look up wedding vows others have used and get inspired! These easy wedding vows are simple, relatable and straightforward. These vow examples are romantic and touching. Read on to see some of our wedding vow examples below — there really are endless possibilities!
Make It Personal
The best wedding vows are ones only you could have written. Personalized vows speak to the heart because they are unique to your love and your relationship. Using your list of brainstormed ideas as a jumping point, sort them into an order that makes sense to you and make them as succinct as you can. Personal wedding vows should speak to your partner as only you can, so with each promise you make, consider coupling it with an example or a short, meaningful memory. Remember to avoid cliches to make your personalized vows as cringe-free as possible!
General Wedding Vows Template
The most basic wedding vows template is typically as follows: “I, (name), take you, (name), to be my wife/husband; 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 cherish as long as we both shall live.”
If you’d like some help with wedding vows that aren’t quite so cut-and-dry, consider following this format: Write 2-3 sentences on each of the following topics. Put together, they make compelling vows for your big day — and you won’t even have to Google how to structure wedding vows, as this template does the work for you!
- Begin by reflecting on a favorite memory of your partner, or on something they have contributed to your life. This is a great place to tell a brief sweet or funny anecdote that gives your guests insight into your relationship.
- Make some promises. These can be serious and heartfelt, like “I promise to stand by your side through every season of life,” or funny and lighthearted, like “I promise not to tease you about your ever-growing LEGO collection.” The best vows tend to be a balanced mix of genuine emotion and humor.
- Look to the future. Close out your vows by sharing your hopes and dreams for your future together. Don’t forget to actually say “I love you” — you’d be surprised how often couples forget to include those three little words when writing vows!
Wedding Vow Examples
There is a huge range of styles of wedding vows: Traditional and religious wedding vows, modern and personalized wedding vows, creative and unique wedding vows, you name it! Here are some of our favorite examples of vows that are heartfelt and compelling. Use them as a starting point for your brainstorming, or as a template for you to personalize as you see fit!
Our Shared Adventure
I can’t wait to embark on this shared adventure with you, to explore the world and create new memories together, to laugh and love with all our hearts.
You Are Everything to Me
I love everything about you: Your strengths and your weaknesses, your graces and your flaws. I am blessed to see the parts of you that you share with no one else, and even more blessed to love them. I will spend the rest of my life loving you for everything that you are, because you are everything to me.
Better Together
From the very beginning, your love has made me want to be a better person. You inspire me to be the best version of myself. For the rest of our life together, I will continue to choose you, to choose us, and to choose to be the person you need me to be.
Love at First Sight
I didn’t believe in love at first sight until I laid eyes on you. Now I not only know it exists, I know that it pales in comparison to the love that has grown from that fateful first glance. I know that in the years to come, my love for you will only become stronger.
All of Me
Today and every day, for the rest of our lives, I promise all of myself to you. Let us share our thoughts and feelings, our hopes and dreams, our sorrows and burdens, and navigate it all as one. No matter what life brings us, my commitment to us will not waver.
We Are Family
It’s true that today, we become a family in the eyes of the law, but you and I both know that we were a family long before this moment. You are my best friend, my partner, my person — you are an incredible parent to our pets and the only one I can imagine doing dishes with for the rest of my life. Today isn’t about rings or our signatures on a piece of paper; it’s about recognizing before everyone we love that you are my family — yesterday, today and forever.
I Choose Love
I believe that love is not something that simply happens to us; it is something we choose. “Love” is a verb, not a noun. For a union to last a lifetime, we must choose to love each other, actively, every day. And I do: I choose to love you, and it is the easiest choice I will ever have to make. I choose you, again and again, as long as we both shall live.
Strength & Comfort
I vow to shoulder your burdens, to pick up the slack, to help you carry the things that grow heavy throughout our lives. I vow to be your partner in the good and the bad, to be a source of strength and comfort, and to share with you all the love I have to give.
Soulmates
People talk about finding their other half; I have found mine in you. Our souls know each other from some world beyond world and time beyond time, and I pledge to love you with everything I am until we return to those ineffable places.
Growing Together
As we grow as husband and wife, I promise not to forget how it all began: As two strangers, who fell in love in spite of themselves, and together built something beautiful.
Editing and Rehearsing Your Wedding Vows
Once you have a draft of your wedding vows that you’re pleased with, it’s time to start editing and rehearsing your vows. You might start by reading your vows aloud to see how they sound, and start editing from there. You could also rehearse them in the mirror, so you become comfortable addressing them to your loved one. Ultimately, the best wedding vows are going to be the vows that feel authentic to you and to what you feel for your partner, so practice and edit your vows with that in mind.
Have Your Wedding At The Heritage Center of Brooklyn Center
With these tips for writing wedding vows, you can’t go wrong. We want to hear what you come up with! Consider the Heritage Center of Brooklyn Center as the perfect wedding venue for your big day! We’re experienced in hosting weddings of all sizes and in all seasons, and would be delighted to help make your dream wedding a reality. Contact us today to connect with one of our planners!