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Vows

1. Talk with your bride:
   • What will be the format (wording, structure and approach)?
   • What will be the theme (a word, thought, feeling… tying everything together)?
2. Start with a traditional wedding vow and modify it to your liking:
   • With God as my witness, I, ___________take you, ___________, to be my lawfully wedded 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, as long as we both shale live.
   • I, ___________, take you ___________, to be my wife, my constant friend, my faithful partner and my one true love. In the presence of God and those here today, I promise to be your faithful husband through all of life’s joys and challenges. I further promise to love you unconditionally, comfort you in hard times, encourage you to achieve all your goals, laugh with you, cry with you, always be open and honest with you, grow with you in mind and spirit and cherish the love we share for as long as we both shall live.
   • I___________, take you ___________, to be my wife, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our marriage and love you more each day. I will trust you and respect you, laugh with you and cry with you, loving you faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles we may face together. I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from this day forward for as long as we both shall live. In the presence of God and our family and friends, I take thee to be my wife, promising with Divine assistance to be a loving and faithful husband for as long as we both shall live.
   • I, ___________, take you, ___________, to be my wife, my friend, my love and the mother of our children. I will be yours in times of plenty and in times of need, in times of sickness and in times of health, in times of joy and in times of sorrow, in times of failure and in times of triumph. I promise to cherish and respect you, to care for and protect you, to comfort and encourage you and stay with you for all eternity.
   • I, ___________, affirm my love to you, ___________, as I invite you to share my life. You are the most beautiful, smart, and generous person I have ever known, and I promise to always respect you. With kindness, unselfishness and trust, I will work by your side to create a wonderful life together.
   • ___________, I love you. You are my best friend. Today I give myself to you in marriage. I promise to encourage and inspire you, to laugh with you, and to comfort you in times of sorrow and struggle. I promise to love you in good times and in bad, when life seems easy and when it seems hard, when our love is simple, and when it is an effort. I promise to cherish you, and to always hold you in the highest regard. These words I will honor you with today, and all the days of our life.
   • ___________, I love you. I want to be your husband so that we might serve Christ together. Through all of the uncertainties and trials of life, I promise to be faithful to you and love you, so that together we may grow in the likeness of Christ and that our home may be praiseworthy to Him.
   • __________, I promise to love you, to be your best friend, to respect and support you, to be patient with you, to work together with you to achieve our goals, to accept you unconditionally and to share my life with you forever.
3. Write 3-5 sentences explaining WHY you are making these vows to her.
   Think about first falling in love, and when you knew she was the one. Gather inspiration from meaningful items in your relationship.
   • Describe what made those moments so special to you.
   • Describe how those moments helped you understand, respect and care for her.
   • Describe other moments or ways of showing love that you both share.
   • Reference Special: Scriptures, Songs, Poems, Stories, Quotes, Pictures, Personal Letters/Cards…
4. Build in some consistency.
   The starting sentence and transition sentence (explaining “why”) should be the same for both her vows and yours.
5. Don’t go too long.
   Both of you should keep the total length of your vows to no more than 2 minutes.
6. Make sure the right person has a copy.
   Give a copy of your vows to your officiant for additional advice and approval. Your officiant should also hold on to a final copy from each of you, so that he/she can hand them to you (if needed) at the appropriate time during the ceremony.
7. Do something special with them.
   Frame your vows as a special gift for your wife on your first anniversary.