Guide to Writing Your Wedding Vows
There’s nothing wrong with using the standard wedding vows for your ceremony—they’ve been used for hundreds of years (they date back to 1549!) and they’ve been doing the job just fine. But sometimes you want to go that extra mile and write your own vows to make them more meaningful to you. If you’re thinking about taking a more personalized approach, these tips on how to write wedding vows can help.
Make Them About Your Partner
Have you ever gone to a wedding where one half of a couple writes vows that seem to be all about themselves? Yikes—talk about awkward! Now is not the time to go on and on about your accomplishments or the quirky things you do that make your partner love you. Instead, start your vows by sharing what your partner means to you and what you love about them.
Tell a Story
Illustrate what you’ve just shared about your partner by telling a story about them or your relationship. Could your first meeting have been a storyline in a romantic comedy? Did you get through a hardship together? Is there a hilarious anecdote just waiting to be told? Now is the time to spill it! It’s often these stories that make personalized vows memorable.
Write the Vows
Now that you’ve tackled the introduction, it’s time to write the vows themselves. Start each line with “I vow,” “I promise,” or “I pledge.” Then, lay out all of the promises you’re making to your partner during your ceremony.
It’s tempting to lean on humor here because even for the most outgoing people, it can be a bit awkward pouring your heart out in front of your closest friends and family members. A bit of humor is great, but you should include at least some serious vows, too.
Be sure to write about the things you plan on doing together and your commitment to standing by your partner’s side through thick and thin. It can be difficult to come up with vows all in one sitting, so plan on starting early and returning to your writing whenever inspiration strikes. Jot down bits and pieces, incomplete thoughts, and the start of ideas and build out from there.
Discuss your vows with your partner too—you might not want to share exactly what you’ve written, but you should be on the same page about style and tone, and you should make sure any anecdotes you share aren’t going to cause any embarrassment.
End With a Tradition
Most people finish their vows with “as long as we both shall live.” It’s a classic line for a reason—it encompasses everything that a wedding is about.
Write Them in an Heirloom Wedding Vow Book
Now that you know how to write wedding vows, let’s talk about where to write them! Your wedding vows are too important to scrawl on a piece of paper torn out of a notebook and folded up into your pocket. At Luna Paper Co., we produce heirloom-quality wedding vow books that you’ll treasure for years to come.
Our wedding vow books come in a number of different styles and each one can be customized with your own text and colors. Coordinate your vow books with your wedding guest book for a cohesive theme.
Order Your Wedding Vow Books from Luna Paper Co.
Browse the selection of wedding vow books on our website and choose the set that speaks to you. Have any questions? Contact us and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.