This article was contributed by Margarete Goodenough at La Vie Celebrations
There are so many things to remember when you’re planning your wedding, but it’s important not to forget about your vows!
Despite the historical use of traditional vows, there is something special about personalised wedding vows. The traditional vows are something everyone has heard before, but original vows make a ceremony feel more meaningful and personal.
If you’re thinking about writing your own vows but don’t know where to start, we’re here to help! Our in-depth guide to writing wedding vows offers plenty of tips to help couples craft heartfelt vows that demonstrate how much they mean to each other.
Why Write Your Own Vows?
Writing wedding vows yourself became a popular trend in the 1960s and 1970s, as young people resisted uptight, traditional views of marriage. Traditional wedding vows lack personalisation and portray the bride and groom as generic figures who must act a certain way. By contrast, personal vows have an emotional and symbolic significance.
Every ceremony with personal vows is unique because it becomes about the couple’s shared lives and experiences. When two partners make personal vows, they can make promises to each other, emphasise their unique love, and give the day a deeper meaning for everybody present.
If you’re based in Perth and need guidance on writing wedding vows and other wedding ceremony tips, consider hiring a Perth marriage celebrant. It’s their job to ensure that your day is as special as possible, creating and officiating a ceremony that is entirely personal and unique to your relationship.
Practical Tips for Writing Your Wedding Vows
The vows are one of the most integral parts of the wedding ceremony, so it’s natural to feel nervous about writing them yourself! You want everything to be perfect and every word to count, which requires plenty of advanced planning. You should start writing your vows as early as possible, particularly if you are having a marriage celebrant officiate your ceremony and want them to assist you throughout the writing process.
Reflect on Your Relationship
Writing wedding vows can seem daunting because you’ve got to condense your entire love story into a few paragraphs. That’s why we recommend reflecting on your relationship before you start writing, recalling all the most important and emotional parts of your journey and the memories and dreams you share.
To help you reflect, consider following a wedding vow template to ensure you include all your important experiences and special moments. Remember, your vows are all about your relationship, so make every word count!
Set the Tone
One of the best things about writing your own vows is that you get to set the tone. Do you want to create an intimate, romantic atmosphere? Or take a more humorous approach, citing funny stories that your guests will enjoy hearing? You may want to be sentimental without sounding oversweet or isolating your audience. Ultimately, the tone of your vows should reflect the true nature of your relationship, so be authentic and set the tone without overthinking it.
Follow a Structure
Writing wedding vows shouldn’t feel like a chore or a school assignment, but it won’t hurt to add some structure. Following a template and then personalising it with your own memories and experiences will give your vows legible structure and allow guests to follow what you’re saying. A basic structure could include recapping your love story, complimenting your partner, and making a closing statement about your hopes for married life. For further advice, consult with your wedding celebrant.
Keep It Short and Sweet
It can be difficult to keep your vows short when there’s so much you want to say, but if you say too much, you’ll risk rambling and losing everyone’s attention. We recommend keeping your wedding vows between one and two minutes. This will make your vows easier to memorise, prevent you from losing your train of thought, and keep things interesting for your guests. For help fine-tuning your vows, have your celebrant look over them so that you’re prepared and confident on your big day.
Practice Makes Perfect
The key to perfection is repetition. Your wedding day should never be the day you first speak your vows out loud, even though it will be your partner’s first time hearing them. It’s a good idea to rehearse your vows after you’ve written them for clarity and to emotionally prepare yourself for the real thing by connecting with the words. This is particularly important for vow renewals because it’s your second chance at perfecting your vows for your partner on a shared special day.
Including Your Pet in the Ceremony
One way to make your wedding personal is to invite your furry friends to be a part of the day. Sharing pets is an important commitment and shows how dedicated you are to continuing to build a life together. If you’d like to include your pet in the ceremony, consider mentioning anecdotes about them in your vows or give them a real role to play!
Many dog owners, for instance, make their dogs ring bearers, which brings an element of carefree fun to the ceremony. Photographers will also happily include your furry friends in the wedding pictures if you hold a pet-friendly wedding at a venue that caters for humans and canines alike!
Vow Renewals: A Second Chance to Say It All
Vow renewals are sometimes seen as less momentous occasions than weddings, but we know just how special and significant they are to the couples reaffirming their commitment to each other. A vow renewal is your second chance to say it all, especially if you didn’t have personalised wedding vows the first time around. For those located in Perth, there are plenty of Perth vow renewal options available for a truly heartfelt ceremony.
The whole purpose of a vow renewal ceremony is to celebrate the love you’ve nurtured throughout your marriage, so the occasion calls for personalised vows. It’s a chance to recount the journey you’ve been on so far and all the things you have yet to share in your relationship.
The Perfect Personal Celebration
Both weddings and vow renewals are special events that most couples will only experience once, so it’s important to do everything possible to ensure the day is perfect. Couples who want something different to the centuries of traditional wedding ceremonies should consider writing wedding vows themselves. Not only does it make the event truly personal, but it shines a light on how unique each love story is and how special and sacred it is to devote yourself to the one you love.
