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By Stacey Donovan

Wedding vows can be particularly meaningful when you write them yourself, but sometimes it’s hard to know where to start. But not if you start here! Our wedding vow writing tips, template and examples will help you organize your thoughts and express what’s really in your heart.

Part 1: The Declaration of Love

Make a simple statement about who s/he is to you. For example:

• “Aisha, you are the most amazing woman I’ve ever met.”
• “Matt, you are the one I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
• “Sam, you are my very best friend.”

Say a few things about why s/he’s so wonderful. Things like:

• “You are kind and caring, and one smile from you brightens my whole day.”
• “You are dependable, yet full of surprises, and you are beautiful inside and out.”
• “You make me laugh, you make me think, you make me pancakes, and you make me happy.”

Now say you love him/her.

• “I am completely and totally in love with you.”
• “You stole my heart, and I want you to keep it forever.”
• “I love you so much, and I can’t believe how lucky I am to be standing here with you today.”

Nice work! On to the next part!

Part 2: The Promises

Make promises about what you will do for your partner. Think about the ways love shows itself, day in and day out...through support, trust, words, actions, gifts, time and attention. If you are religious, you’ll probably also want to include language about your faith. Here are some examples:

• “In front of God and our friends and family, I promise to stand by you and to stand up for you, to laugh with you and never laugh at you, and to do everything I can to make you happy.”
• “I pledge to accept you as you are, to respect you as an equal and to encourage your dreams and passions.”
• “I promise to be loving, patient and faithful. I will be the very best husband I can be to you and the very best father I can be to Jacob and Taylor.”

Now think about some of the things you will do with your partner.

• “With you, I’ll create a peaceful, happy home and a loving family.”
• “I will grow old with you—and never stop growing with you.”
• “I’ll be your partner on all of life’s adventures.”

Promise to be there in bad times as well as good...

• “When you’re sad, I’ll comfort you, and when you’re happy, I’ll share your joy...”
• “Through hard times and good times, through sickness and health, I’ll always be at your side...”
• “I will love you through sunshine and storms...”

For a very, very long time.

• “...for all the days of my life.”
• “...as long as we both shall live.”
• “...for all eternity.”

Wedding Vow Writing Tips

• It’s a good idea to start writing your vows early. You’re likely to become more distracted as you both get closer to the big day. Do what lots of professional writers do: compose a quick rough draft early on, without worrying whether it’s good or bad. Then you’ll have plenty of time to change and revise it to make it perfect.
• Most people who write their own wedding vows choose to read them to make sure they get it right. Your vows can be on a typed note card or written in a small journal and tucked into a pocket, carried along with a bouquet or carried by an attendant until you need them. Even if you choose to recite your vows from memory, you or one of your attendants should have a copy of them handy in case nerves get the better of you—and if that happens, everyone will understand!
• If you decide to say traditional wedding vows, a simple way to add a personal touch is to write your own declarations of love (see part 1 of the wedding vow template) to say before reciting the traditional vows.