Listed below are a variety of different Vows that can be used in your wedding ceremony. I have a preferred set of vows (Preferred vows) that are very popular and I use often. I encourage each bride and groom to read these vows and choose the vows that have meaning to them, or to write their own.
Preferred Vows
I _________ Promise,
From this day Onward,
That You _______________
Will be my precious & Loving Husband/wife,
And I promise to stand with you,
in sickness, Or in Health,
In times of Joy or in Sorrow
And I pledge to you Today,
Before God, Our Family & Our Friends,
My Respect,
My Honor,
My Patience & understanding,
I pledge my friendship,
My Loyalty,
My protection, and my care,
and all of my love,
for all of my life.
Traditional vows
1.
- I, (Bride/Groom), take you (Groom/Bride),
- to be my (wife/husband),
- to have and to hold
- from this day forward,
- for better or for worse,
- for richer, for poorer,
- in sickness and in health,
- to love and to cherish;
- from this day forward
- until death do us part.
2.
- I, (name), take you, (name),
- to be my beloved (wife/husband),
- to have and to hold you,
- to honor you, to treasure you,
- to be at your side
- in sorrow and in joy,
- in the good times, and in the bad,
- and to love and cherish you always.
- I promise you this from my heart,
- for all the days of my life.
3.
- I, (name), take you, (name),
- to be my [opt: lawfully wedded] (husband/wife),
- my constant friend, my faithful partner
- and my love from this day forward.
- In the presence of God, our family and friends,
- I offer you my solemn vow
- to be your faithful partner
- in sickness and in health,
- in good times and in bad,
- and in joy as well as in sorrow.
- I promise to love you unconditionally,
- to support you in your goals,
- to honor and respect you,
- to laugh with you and cry with you,
- and to cherish you
- for as long as we both shall live.
4.
- In the presence of God, Family & Friends
- I take you to be my husband/wife,
- promising with Divine assistance
- to be for you a loving and faithful husband/wife
- so long as we both shall live.
5.
- I, (name), take you, (name),
- to be my friend,
- my lover,
- the (mother/father) of my children
- and my (husband/wife).
- I will be yours in times of plenty and in times of want,
- 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 and protect you,
- to comfort and encourage you,
- and stay with you, for all eternity.
6.
- I, [name], choose you [name]
- to be my [husband/wife],
- to respect you in your successes
- and in your failures,
- to care for you in sickness and in health,
- to nurture you, and to grow with you
- throughout the seasons of life.
7.
- I, (name), take you, (name),
- to be my partner,
- loving what I know of you,
- and trusting what I do not yet know.
- I eagerly anticipate the chance to grow together,
- getting to know the (man/woman) you will become,
- and falling in love a little more every day.
- I promise to love and cherish you
- through whatever life may bring us.
Traditional Civil Ceremony Vows
8.
- (Name), I take you to be my lawfully wedded (husband/wife).
- Before these witnesses
- I vow to love you and care for you
- as long as we both shall live.
- I take you with all your faults and your strengths
- as I offer myself to you with my faults and strengths.
- I will help you when you need help,
- and I will turn to you when I need help.
- I choose you as the person
- with whom I will spend my life.
Non-Traditional Vows
9. My One True Love:
- I (name), take you (name)
- to be my (husband/wife),
- my partner in life
- and my one true love.
- I will cherish our union
- and love you more each day
- than I did the day before.
- 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.
10. Share in Your Dreams
- (Name), from this day forward
- I promise you these things.
- I will laugh with you
- in times of joy
- and comfort you
- in times of sorrow.
- I will share in your dreams,
- and support you
- as you strive to achieve your goals.
- I will listen to you
- with compassion and understanding,
- and speak to you with encouragement.
- I will remain faithful to our vows
- for better or for worse,
- in times of sickness and health.
- You are my best friend
- and I will love and respect you always.
11. When Our Love is Simple, and When it is an Effort
- (Name), 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 highest regard.
- These things I give to you today,
- and all the days of our life.
12. Trust in You Completely
- (Name), with all my love,
- I take you to be my wife/husband.
- I will love you
- through good and the bad,
- through joy and the sorrow.
- I will try to be understanding,
- and to trust in you completely.
- Together we will face all of life’s experiences
- and share one another’s dreams and goals.
- I promise I will be your equal partner
- in a loving, honest relationship,
- for as long as we both shall live.
Romantic Vows
13. With Kindness, Unselfishness, and Trust
- I (name) affirm my love to you,
- (name) as I invite you to share my life.
- You are the most beautiful,
- smart, and generous person I have ever known,
- and I promise always to respect you and love you.
- With kindness, unselfishness and trust,
- I will work by your side
- to create a wonderful life together.
- I take you (name) to be my lawful (wife/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
- for as long as we both shall live.
14. The Best Person I Can Be
- (Name), from the moment I first saw you,
- I knew you were the one
- with whom I wanted to share my life.
- Your beauty, heart, and mind
- inspire me to be the best person I can be.
- I promise to love you for eternity,
- respecting you,
- honoring you,
- being faithful to you,
- and sharing my life with you.
- This is my solemn vow.
15. To Grow Along with You
- Name, today I become your (husband/wife)
- and you become my (wife/husband).
- I will strive to give you the best of myself,
- while accepting you the way you are.
- I promise to respect you as a whole person
- with your own interests, desires, and needs,
- and to realize that those are sometimes different,
- but no less important than my own.
- I promise to keep myself open to you,
- to let you in to my innermost fears and feelings,
- secrets and dreams.
- I promise to grow along with you,
- to be willing to face change
- as we both change,
- keeping our relationship alive and exciting.
- And finally, I promise to love you
- in good times and in bad,
- with all I have to give
- and all that I am,
- in the only way I know how
- — completely and forever.
16. Best Friend
- (Name), today I take you to be my (husband/wife).
- Together we will create a home,
- becoming a part of one another.
- I vow to help create a life
- that we can cherish,
- inspiring your love for me
- and mine for you.
- I vow to be honest,
- caring and truthful,
- to love you as you are
- and not as I want you to be,
- and to grow old by your side
- as your love and best friend.
After both have said individual vows, they may wish to say something in unison such as:
Entreat me not to leave you, or to return from following after you, For where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. And where you die, I will die and there I will be buried.
May the Lord do with me and more if anything but death parts you from me.