Marriage vows
From ArticleWorld
During a wedding ceremony, the bride and groom exchange wedding vows. These promises that they make to each other vary by culture and couple.
Anatomy of a wedding vow
In Western culture, a wedding vow typically consists of promises stressing several qualities:
- Unselfishness
- Faithfulness
- Unconditionally
- Permanence
Phrases in the traditional wedding vow include: love, comfort and keep; forsaking all others; for richer or poorer; in sickness and in health and as long as we both shall live.
Written vows
A couple can decide to write their own vows. These should maintain the same qualities mentioned above, but can also include personalized declarations of love, reasons they fell in love and hopes and dreams for the future. Couples can choose to use all original writing or to read passages of favorite or significant literature or songs in the course of their vows. A couple can decide to write vows on their own, or to together write one vow that they will both say.
Some tips for writing vows include:
- Complete the sentence “I love ... because ...” in 10 different ways.
- Write down the things you bring into the union. What do you promise to provide and do?
- What language will you use to name your partner? (Significant other, husband, partner, life partner, etc.)
- Do something fun with your partner to help you remember why you love him or her.
- Decide if they’ll indicate a time frame (like “til death do us part” or “as long as we both shall live”).
- Transfer your ideas to a clean piece of paper, and start writing.
- Finally, share your vow with someone you trust: a friend or family member you know will give you honest feedback.