Are you looking for ways to personalize your wedding day and make it extra special? Deciding to write own vows is a way to make your ceremony heartfelt and a reminder of the love you share. Your spouse is sure to never forget the personalized promises you make, whether they’re funny and silly or honest and deep. To help you get started learning to write your own vows, keep reading for some great tips!
First Steps: You’re going to want to give yourself some time to write your own vows- at least a month before the wedding. Don’t make the mistake of leaving this ’til the last minute, lest your wedding vows just sound generic and rushed.
Start out by writing down a list of your favorite qualities and memories of your soon-to-be spouse. Then make a list of your hopes for the future together. Finally, though it may sound strange, make a list of things you know your spouse worries about, like whether you’ll ever be able to afford a home, or if getting married might stifle career hopes. Don’t worry about fancy wording at this point, just brainstorm to get some concepts down that you know you’ll want to include when you write your own vows.
Getting Specific: Now that you’ve brainstormed, start looking for ways to turn these concepts into concrete ideas. With the list of great qualities, choose out a few specific things you want to mention at the beginning of your vows; things you want your guests and your spouse to know are important. For instance, if you had a special moment when you knew your fiance was “The One” think about how you can promise to make that moment happen over and over throughout your lives. Look at your list of future goals for your second set of promises; if you both want to travel, promise that you’ll see the world side by side.
The list of worries and fears can actually be extremely important when you write your own vows. By promising to always support your partner’s careers or to make sure your family home is always full of love, you’re both acknowledging your fiances worries and letting them know in front of all your guests that you will stop those fears from coming true. These powerful wedding vows are sure to bring a tear to your spouse’s eye!
Practical Considerations: After you’ve written your wedding vows, take some precautions to make sure things go smoothly on the day. Talk to your officiant and make sure that your homemade vows are acceptable while most non-denominational officiants will have no problem with this, more traditional religious officiants may want you to make certain promises. Be sure you practice your vows out loud a few times; sometimes what looks good on paper just doesn’t sound right when you say it aloud. Finally, be sure that your best man or maid of honor has an extra copy of your vows on hand- just in case you lose yours!
