What’s more important than the elegant wedding attire, the delectable foods, the breathtaking venue but the exchange of wedding vows? It is the heart of the entire wedding service as it carries a solemn serious promise, a public pledge expressing the couple’s desire to enter a permanent relationship.

Finding the right wedding vows can be a challenge for the couples. While some couples already know what they want to say in their hearts, they sometimes have a hard time to express these feelings into the right words.

It’s recommendable to read lots of wedding vows and see what feels right. Some religions will insist to use canonical wordings as vows, but may also say personal vows. Combining the two can even make the vow a celebration of the tradition while coating with personal touch.

There are three types of wedding vows:

The traditional vow is a standard way of promising love to your future spouse without mentioning God or the presence of a dominant religious figure. "I, Daphne, promise to love and cherish you, Bert, for as long as we both shall live."

Non-traditional vows are promises to each partner who are not religious and allow each to take a creative turn with words. A good example is, "I, Bert, take you, Daphne, to be my partner, loving what I know of you, and trusting what I do not yet know. "  

Religious vows are traditional vows that refer to God or the presence of a religious figure while stating promise. Example: "I, Bert, vow to love and respect you, Daphne, on this day under the eyes of God and our family, for as long as we both shall live."

On the other hand, personalized wedding vows are a popular trend nowadays. In writing a personalized wedding vow it’s important to make a timeline that highlights your relationship in the past, present and future then make a list of promises you’d like to make each other. It’s important to list things down first before pushing through the prose style.

Don’t use unfamiliar words or phrasing in your vows because it may sound insincere. Speak as normal as possible and don’t include slang, profanity, or improper grammar, as well as flowery language that doesn’t fit your style.

Sample personalized wedding vow:

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. In the presence of God and these our friends I take thee to be my husband/wife, promising with Divine assistance to be unto thee a loving and faithful husband/wife so long as we both shall live.