Writing Wedding Vows

Writing wedding vows is next on the wedding to-do list! After a morning with the boys, you’ve played a round of golf and followed it up with an early lunch. Now it’s finally time to start thinking about getting ready for the wedding.

You start checking off the list your bride-to-be has given you:

rings (check),
boutonnières (check),
gifts for the boys (check),
speech (haha I’ll wing it, how hard can it be, check),
vows (che…..) wait, VOWS!

Had you finished writing those? Were they saved in your phones notes somewhere? Why does the stupid printer never connect to the wifi when you need it? Don’t stress, it’s OK, you’ll just Google wedding vows…first hit: ’41 modern wedding vows’. 41, seriously?

Calm down, just try to think of some romantic things that you have done together. There was that time you surprised her with a getaway to Byron for the weekend. That was romantic, right? You had a lovely candlelit dinner at the vegan place she was dying to try out! That shows sacrifice, right? WAIT…she got food poisoning after that meal didn’t she? Come on, why is it so hard to think of romantic things…

There is no need to panic with writing wedding vows, we have your back.

Follow these simple steps and you’ll deliver the vows your bride deserves!
Discuss with your bride-to-be the style and tone of your vows. Are they going to be formal, traditional, religious, humorous, romantic or poetic? The list goes on but you get the picture. Make sure you are both on the same page (no pun intended). It might save the look of shock the photographer captures on your bride’s face when you unexpectedly start rapping your vows!

It’s great to read examples on Google, but don’t just cut and paste. We all need some inspiration and looking at examples will help you find a style that you love. Once you have found some, think about what it is you like about them. You are far better to write down too much and have to cut it down to create a masterpiece then completely plagiarise.

Be heartfelt and make a promise to your partner.

Think about why you want to spend the rest of your life with your partner. What is it about your partner that inspires you? What qualities does your partner have that draws you to them? Brainstorm as much as you can and then work to an outline. Speech writing expert Robert Lehrman suggests this outline: Affirm your love, praise your partner, offer promises and close with a final vow. This tried and tested outline should suit any style and tone. In addition: Don’t use profanities or mention anything embarrassing about your partner. This should go without saying!

Take the time to try and memorise your vows, your partner deserves it.

Practice in front of the mirror until you don’t stumble over the words and you sound confident. If you still feel nervous, then keep on practicing!

Whatever you do, don’t leave writing wedding vows to the last minute.

Last but not least we can promise your bride won’t appreciate it if you’re reading scrawled vows off a torn piece of a Corona carton. Set aside time on the months leading up to the wedding to write your vows and run them past your celebrant, or at the very least, a close friend or family member.