Nathan and Brandy wrote their own vows for their Garden of the Gods elopement. They were so heartfelt and made everyone cry (including me!) It’s getting more and more common for people to forgo the standard wedding vows, in lieu of more personalized ones. I can’t even remember the last wedding I photographed where the couple didn’t write their own vows! But for a lot of people, this can be one of the most daunting parts of planning a wedding.
I know it’s hard to bare it all, but your wedding day is the perfect day to do it. Whether you’ll be standing up in front of 100 people or just you two, it’s equally intimidating but if ever there was a time, it is then to say it. It doesn’t have to be so original that no one else has ever uttered those same words or felt what you say but it does need to be authentic and true to you two. So let’s go through some tips and tricks for how to write your own vows.
How To Write Your Own Vows
- Talk with your partner about the style, length, and tone you’d both like to use for the vows, to make sure you’re on the same page.
- Agree on a structure or outline for your vows. This will help ensure that you keep them short and they aren’t drastically different from each other.
- Start writing them a few weeks before your wedding. This isn’t something you want to procrastinate on.
- It’s great to include stories and jokes, but don’t forget the most important part – making promises to each other.
- Make sure you use your own voice. Getting inspiration from others is great but your vows should come from the heart, which means they need to sound like you.
- If you’ll be reciting your vows in front of your family and friends, make sure they are relatable to everyone. Avoid inside jokes or embarrassing stories you don’t want everyone to know.
- Prepare for the hard times. Your wedding should be a happy day but you need to make sure the two of you can make it through the less happy days too. Include a bit about how you will handle conflict in your vows.
- Include your guests in your vows. One of the reasons you invite your loved ones to your wedding is so that they can hold the two of you accountable to your vows. Remind them that you are counting on them too.
- Write a fresh, final copy for your ceremony. This will make reading it in front of everyone easier and it will be nice to save it to look at in the future.
Do you have any other tips on how to write your own vows? Put them in the comments!