Writing Your Own Wedding Vows

Writing your own vows adds a deeply personal touch to your wedding ceremony. They should only take two or three minutes and are meant to be a public declaration of your commitment to one another. Lengthy or overly intimate vows run the risk of making friends and family uncomfortable. Here are five easy steps to help you write unforgettable wedding vows:

· Your beloved shares many of the same goals and dreams as you. Describe your commitment to your loved one using verbs such as: accept, adore, cherish, commit, declare, embrace, honor, join, love, nurture, pledge, promise, protect, respect, share, and support.

· The one you love has qualities that you admire and respect. These can be described using these words: caring, considerate, constant, devoted, enduring, faithful, forgiving, genuine, hopeful, lasting, noble, precious, sincere, unconditional and virtuous.

· What inspires you about spending the rest of your life with your loved one? Describe what you look forward to using nouns such as: beloved, best friend, companion, darling, dearest, eternity, friend, hero, partner, soul mate, sweetheart, and treasure.

· At what point did you feel yourself falling in love? Describe what makes your loved one unique with such qualities as: beauty, charisma, charm, generosity, grace, humility, humor, independence, integrity, loyalty, playfulness, sincerity, sweetness, and tenderness.

· Don’t be afraid to use words that imply that there may be bad times as well as good. These words may include: courage, determination, enduring, protect, strive, support, adversity, despair, understanding and trust.

There are other places to get inspiration such as poetry, sonnets, psalms and lyrics from love songs. You can also take traditional vows such as “in sickness and in health,” and choose your own words such as “in sweetness and in despair.” Whatever vows you choose, practice saying them slowly and clearly out loud. Avoid the tendency to rush your words and your guests will cherish the memory of your custom wedding vows.

Lyrics from Grow Old With You as sung by Adam Sandler as the character Robbie Hart in "The Wedding Singer"


I wanna make you smile whenever you're sad

Carry you around when you're arthritis is bad

All I wanna do is grow old with you



I'll get your medicine when your tummy aches

Build you a fire if the furnace breaks

Oh it could be so nice, growing old with you



I'll miss you

I'll kiss you

Give you my coat when you are cold



I'll need you

I'll feed you

Even let ya hold the remote control



So let me do the dishes in our kitchen sink

Put you to bed if you're had too much to drink

I could be the man who growns old with you

I wanna grow old with you