How to write vows? A lot of couples struggle with this – it can seem impossible to put feelings into words. The best way to get started is to think of it as a private letter to your partner.
A lot of couples can stress about the thought of sharing intimate, heartfelt feelings in front of a crowd. But even if you’re not having a super small wedding, you can still say your vows privately. You can be open, authentic and vulnerable with your partner, without having to share your heart with an audience.
When photographing, I keep my distance so I can’t hear all of what you’re saying, and even if you have guests present at your elopement, you can stand at a distance in order to keep your words relatively private.
You can know deep in your bones why you’re marrying your partner – and still not know exactly what to say. But don’t stress! Here are some ways to make it a little bit easier to put how you feel into words.
Whether it’s how you met, when you knew you were in love, or when they challenged you to grow and become a better version of yourself – describe your view of these events and what stands out most in your memories about them. Maybe you remember your partner’s hands around your waist the first time they said “I love you”, or how grateful you are that they challenged you to become a better person during your first argument.
Your vows don’t have to be either funny or sentimental – you can include as many different sentiments and feelings as you want.
What you’re most excited for, challenges that you see yourselves approaching together as a team, dreams that you hold for your relationship – anything that you’ve envisioned or dreamed about for your future together.
Don’t be afraid to go deep here – you can tell them how you cherish their commitment and loyalty, admire their love of family and traditions, or how their quiet reserve in tough moments helps you to stay strong. You can also add some lighter, funnier points here if you want to make your partner laugh, like adding in how their stubbornness makes you a more patient person.
I’ve had couples who simply read their vows from their phone screens, and I’ve had others who hand-wrote their vows in custom calligraphy booklets. The most important thing is to not leave writing your vows until the day before – or day of – your wedding. Write them ahead of time and keep them someplace safe. If you can, scribble them down on a piece of paper or write them in a book to serve as something tangible that you can keep forever.
1) …that they felt slightly awkward about making their vows strictly funny and jesting – while their partner wrote deep, serious, and heartfelt lines. They wish they could go back and add in a few more loving and heartfelt thoughts instead of keeping it all funny and lighthearted.
It’s hard to walk the line between funny and serious, but try to include a mix of both. No one knows your partner better than you do, so say everything that you feel about them. You may think whatever you’re going to say is implicit and doesn’t need to be said, but they’ll appreciate hearing it regardless.
2) …that they felt stressed out trying to come up with something to say the night before.
Do yourself a favour and write out your vows at least a week before your wedding day. You’ll save yourself a lot of stress – and avoid potential writer’s block – by not leaving it until the last minute.
3) …that they wished they had thought ahead to write them down on paper.
A lot of couples have their vows saved on a document in their phone – which works just fine, in theory. But some couples felt that it took away from the intimacy and wildness of the moment to have a phone in hand. Depending on the light, it can also be hard to see the screen properly to read what you’ve written.
Then you can opt for something else! You can write it on a simple piece of paper, and then gift your partner a copy of the vows in a creative way.
4) …that they were glad they wrote their wedding vows as more of a private love letter than a public speech.
So many people cringe at the thought of standing in front of a crowd of people and divulging their most intimate feelings about their partner. A lot of my past couples have said they were SO glad they had intimate ceremonies or private vow exchanges. Where they felt free to make their vows hyper-personalized, full of inside jokes, and completely open and honest.
Talk to your partner ahead of time so that you’re both on the same page when it comes to exchanging vows. But when it comes to what to say – just be yourself. Your partner will love you for it.
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Woww what good advice for writing vows! I’m actually kind of worried about my partner writing his vows because he’s such a procrastinator and I’m worried that he’ll put it off until the last minute and wish that he spent more time on them later! I’m gonna show him this blog post!
Hahhaha BreeAnna YES it happens a lot…. just send this to him so someone else can tell him to do it ahead of time! 😉
Okay, I really wish I read this before our wedding lol. This is an AMAZING guide to write your own vows!
Awww HAHAH I’m sure your vows were perfect!!! And thank you so much, sometimes just having a few prompts can take some of the pressure off!
This is really well written! This is another reason why elopements are the best. Couples can easily be more vulnerable and express their emotions without having 100+ people present. I love your idea about having a calligrapher write a line on a record – that’s brilliant! Thanks for posting this!
Aw thanks Meg!!! And yes 100% – having an elopement gives you the privacy to be totally open when you write your vows.
This is a really thoughtfully written guide to writing wedding vows! I’ll definitely be using this for my own vows.
Dylan Amazing, so so happy you found some pieces you can use!! 🙂
DANIELLE girl you are a mind reader hahaha when I need to buy my wedding dress, you write a post on dresses. When I need to write my vows, YOU WRITE A POST ABOUT HOW TO DO IT. ummmm thank you!!! this is GOLD and has so much great insight in it. Definitely saving this post!! xox
YAY lol just throwing out all the info you need!! So glad you found it helpful!!
Oh my goodness, this is such a helpful blog post! I love this!
Ahhh thank you Abbi!!! I’m so glad you had some takeaways!! Xoxo
such a great post! You outlined some great tips for couples writing their vows!!
Aw thanks Nicole, so glad you got some good info out of it! 🙂
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