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How to Write Wedding Vows: A Simple Guide + Wedding Vow Examples

Venues & Destinations Ande Tongco Sep 09, 2026

Writing your own wedding vows can feel daunting. How do you put everything you love about someone, the life you’ve already shared and the promises you want to make for ... The post How to Write Weddin...

How to Write Wedding Vows: A Simple Guide + Wedding Vow Examples

Writing your own wedding vows can feel daunting. How do you put everything you love about someone, the life you’ve already shared and the promises you want to make for the future into just a few minutes?

The good news is that there’s no single right way to write wedding vows. Start with what you love about your partner, add a memory or thought that feels distinctly yours, then make a handful of meaningful promises about the life you’re choosing together. Your vows can be romantic, traditional, funny, deeply personal or a mixture of all four; what matters is that they sound like you.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to write wedding vows step by step, what to include and how to structure them, with plenty of wedding vow examples to help you find the words when you’re staring at a blank page.Understanding the Significance of Wedding Vows

How to Write Wedding Vows

There are no strict rules for writing your own wedding vows, but having a simple structure makes that blank page much less intimidating. A good place to start is with three things: what you love about your partner, the promises you want to make, and what you hope for your future together.

1. Start with what you love

Begin with your partner and what they mean to you. Think about what first drew you to them, the qualities you most admire, a memory that captures your relationship, or the ways your life has changed since you met.

You don’t need to tell your entire love story. Choose one or two things that feel genuinely personal and use them to explain why this is the person you want to marry.

2. Make your promises

This is the heart of your wedding vows. Think beyond simply promising to love your partner forever and consider what being their husband, wife or partner will actually mean in the life you’re building together.

Your promises can be profound or wonderfully ordinary: to support their dreams, stand beside them when life gets difficult, make time for adventure, keep making each other laugh, or always be the one who makes the coffee on Sunday morning. The best promises feel specific to the two of you.

3. Finish with your future together

Bring your vows to a close by looking forward. You might reaffirm your love, say how you hope to grow together, or simply tell your partner that you choose them for whatever comes next.

Wedding Vow Examples

Sometimes the easiest way to start writing your own vows is to see how other people have approached them. Wedding vows can be romantic and heartfelt, traditional, religious, funny or beautifully simple; there’s no style that works for every couple.

The wedding vow examples below are designed as inspiration rather than scripts to copy word for word. Borrow the structure, sentiment or tone that feels right, then make it your own with details and promises that could only belong to the two of you.

Traditional Wedding Vows

Traditional wedding vows are rooted in longstanding customs and are often chosen for their timeless sentiments and solemnity. Here are examples:

“I promise to love and cherish you, to be your partner and best friend. I vow to support you in your dreams and to create a home filled with love and happiness.”

“I, [Name], take you, [Partner’s Name], to be my lawfully wedded [husband/wife], to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God’s holy ordinance; and thereto I pledge you my faithfulness.”

Wedding Vows in Different Cultures & Religions

Wedding vows across different cultures and religions reflect the couples’ and communities’ values, traditions, and beliefs. Here are examples:

Christian Wedding Vows:

“To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do us part.”

Jewish Wedding Vows:

“Behold, thou art consecrated unto me with this ring, according to the law of Moses and Israel.”

Non-Religious Wedding Vows:

“I commit to a partnership of equality, trust, and respect. I promise always to communicate openly and honestly and be your rock and haven.”

Humorous Wedding Vows:

Humorous wedding vows inject laughter and light-heartedness into the ceremony, celebrating the couple’s playful spirit and shared joy in their journey. Example:

“Today, I promise to be your partner in crime, your fellow adventurer in this crazy journey we call life. I vow to always laugh at your jokes, even when they’re not that funny (which is rare, of course!). I promise to share my fries with you and always save you the last slice of pizza, even though I secretly want it for myself. Most importantly, I promise to love you through Netflix marathons and long queues at the supermarket. With you by my side, I know life will always be an exciting and hilarious adventure.”

Incorporating Quotes, Poems, and Songs

Adding quotes, poems, or lyrics from your favourite songs can add depth and emotion to your vows. Choose pieces that resonate with your relationship or express your feelings accurately. Here are some examples:

Quotes: Intertwining quotes into your wedding vows can add depth, emotion, and eloquence, capturing the essence of love and commitment beautifully. Here are a few examples:

“I swear I couldn’t love you more than I do right now, and yet I know I will tomorrow.” – Leo Christopher.
“Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.” – Aristotle.
“Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” – Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights.
“The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.” – Audrey Hepburn.
“I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone.” – J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring.

Poems: Incorporating snippets of famous poems into your wedding vows can evoke deep emotions and reflect your commitment. Here are some examples:

From “Sonnet 116” by William Shakespeare: “Love is not love Which alters when it alteration finds, Or bends with the remover to remove: O no! it is an ever-fixed mark That looks on tempests and is never shaken…”
From “How Do I Love Thee? (Sonnet 43)” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning: “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of Being and ideal Grace…”
From “I Carry Your Heart with Me” by E.E. Cummings: “I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart) I am never without it (anywhere I go you go, my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling)…”
From “Love’s Philosophy” by Percy Bysshe Shelley: “The fountains mingle with the river And the rivers with the ocean, The winds of heaven mix forever With a sweet emotion…”
From “Union” by Robert Fulghum: “You have known each other from the first glance of acquaintance to this point of commitment. At some point, you decided to marry…”

Songs: Using song lyrics can add a poetic and heartfelt dimension to your vows, reflecting the shared experiences and emotions that have brought you together. Just ensure that the lyrics you choose resonate deeply with both of you and enhance the meaning of your vows. Here are some examples:

From “Grow Old With Me” by Tom Odell: “Grow old with me, let us share what we see / And oh, the best it could be, just you and I.”
From “Your Song” by Elton John: “How wonderful life is while you’re in the world.”
From “All of Me” by John Legend: “Cause all of me / Loves all of you / Love your curves and all your edges / All your perfect imperfections.”
From “I Won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz: “I won’t give up on us / Even if the skies get rough / I’m giving you all my love / I’m still looking up.”

Creating a Family Bond: Vows for Blended Families

If your marriage means you are also blending families, consider vows to strengthen the bond and include children.

Example: “Today, we blend our families. To [names], I promise to be there, love and support you as I do your [parent].”

Tips for Writing and Delivering Your Wedding Vows

Start early: Give yourself plenty of time to write, leave your vows alone for a few days, then come back and read them again with fresh eyes. You don’t want to be trying to find the perfect words the night before your wedding.
Keep them personal: Your vows should sound like you, not something copied from the internet. Include details, memories or promises that are meaningful to your relationship, but be wary of inside jokes that nobody else will understand.
Agree on the tone and length: You don’t need to show each other your vows beforehand, but it’s worth agreeing roughly how long they’ll be and whether you’re both going heartfelt, humorous or somewhere in between. It avoids one person arriving with a two-minute vow while the other has written a ten-minute epic.
Read them aloud: Words can feel very different spoken than they do on the page. Practise your vows aloud several times and listen for sentences that feel awkward or too long. This will also give you a good idea of how long they actually take to deliver.
Don’t try to memorise them: Nerves and emotion can make even familiar words disappear. Use a vow booklet or card and know your vows well enough that you can look up and make eye contact with your partner without worrying about remembering every line.
Slow down: You’ll probably speak faster than usual when you’re nervous. Take your time, pause when you need to and remember that nobody is rushing you. If emotion gets the better of you, stop, breathe and continue when you’re ready.