I Do
For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, wedding vows are fairly ritualistic. The standard set of vows is short, significant, and sweet. It is also for these reasons that they have been the standard for generations. They demonstrate the emotional and spiritual significance of marriage and illustrate the serious nature of the relationship between a man and a woman when they make such a bond.
With norms such as these increasingly being broken, however, these vows can be shed and replaced with ones that reflect more personally on your relationship between you and your soon-to-be spouse. Altered or entirely new vows can accomplish the same goals as traditional vows while imbuing your ceremony with a sense of intimacy and warmth.
This transition from traditional to untraditional vows didn’t happen overnight; as a result, there are many different models and paths you can follow or take inspiration from as you write your own vows. One such path you can take when crafting a new set of vows is to center them on a personal story. Such a story can be the first time that you realized you wanted to marry your spouse, the first time that the two of you met, or a trial that the two of you overcame together. Telling a story can be a funny or emotionally-charged way to demonstrate the love the two of you have for each other while giving you a means to more naturally vow to commit to your spouse after the story is finished.
Another way to create more personal vows is to share a poem you each have written about each other or even to simply each write what you personally pledge to be in the future for each other. This way, as individuals you get to display your own side of the love that has been crafted between the two of you in your own words, and the surprise of hearing what your spouse has to say adds to the intimacy and excitement of the big day.
The vows you make will likely at least somewhat imitate the traditional wedding vows, for those vows are quite suitable for marriage in general across time; however, with a bit of a personal touch, wedding vows can become something even more special.
