Yes, Taylor and I planned our wedding in 4.5 months—but just because we were on board shortening our engagement didn't mean that we were okay with compromising the quality of our wedding. And when I say quality, I'm not necessarily talking about the bells and whistles (i.e. the flowers and cake—although, yeah, we wanted those to be beautiful/delicious too). I'm really talking about the emotional and spiritual aspects of our wedding day.
More than anything, Taylor and I wanted our wedding ceremony to be a testament to and celebration of the Lord's goodness in bringing us together; a living picture of the way Christ loves the church. Our love story was written by Him—would be impossible without Him!—and we wanted to communicate that to our guests in as many ways as we could. One of the ways we chose to do this was by writing our own wedding vows.
If writing’s not your thing, the prospect of penning your own promises might seem intimidating. But scripting your own vows also happens to be one of the easiest ways to publicly celebrate all the things you love about each other—and your love story. Not sure where to begin? Follow the formula below. It’s proven to bust even the most stubborn writer’s block!
How to Write Your Own Wedding Vows
Step One: Review examples of traditional vows. This will give you a good idea of the length you’re shooting for, and will also help you identify the specific promises you’d like to make to each other. A popular choice:
I, [bride], take you, [groom], to be my husband; to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward, until death do us part.
Step Two: Write down all of your fiancé’s most irresistible qualities (or if you’re aiming for a lighter ceremony, consider his loveable quirks). Use your list to create unique promises, then fold them into the format of the traditional vows you’ve studied.
Step Three: Put on your serious thinking cap and discuss the following question with your betrothed: “Upon what foundation do we want to build our future?” Reflect and write accordingly.
More than words spoken on your wedding day, your vows are the promises you’ll return to again and again throughout your marriage; a verbal representation of the covenant you’re committing to uphold in good times and bad. After reading over a few samples, Taylor and I turned to the Bible for inspiration to finish writing our vows. For your consideration, here is the promise I made to Taylor:
According to the will of God and my desire, I, Karley, take you, Taylor, to be my husband. Leaving my father and mother, I cleave to you. Through every year and every circumstance, I will remain constant in my commitment to you. I will always hope all things and believe all things in you and for you, turning your eyes constantly to Him who gave us one another.
All finished? Considering ordering a set of notebooks that you can use to record a printed copy of your promises (and reference on the Big Day). I love the look of these vow booklets
Inspired by these Christian wedding vows?
Click the image below to download a free sample his-and-hers script, which is editable using Microsoft Word! Edit or add additional verbiage to our text, insert your names into the blanks, then print and hand a copy to your officiant. You'll find more great examples of Christian wedding vows right here.
