Why should you write your own wedding vows

Why should you write your own wedding vows

Although there may be some restriction on writing your own wedding vows, having personalised vows lets you move away from the standardised wording and bring some thing different to your wedding. Exchanging your vows is one of the most important aspects of the ceremony. This is time where you get to gaze into each others eyes and block out the world around you. If you ever wanted to shout from the roof tops about how fantastic your partner is and how happy you are, then this is the perfect opportunity. It's also a opportunity where you can emphasise your friendship, the meaningful moments that you already have and your dreams for your future together. See the top tips for personalising your wedding vows.

From your guest's point of view, it the time where they really pay attention, for them this is what the wedding ceremony is about.

Statutory civil Wedding Vows

However there are statutory civil wedding vows for England and Wales that are required to make your marriage legal and must be said by the bride and groom. These are:

"I do solemnly declare that I know not of any lawful impediment why I [insert name here] may not be joined in matrimony to [insert partners name]"

"I call upon these persons here present to witness that I [insert name] do take thee [insert partners name] to be my lawful wedded husband/wife."

If you choose to have a civil wedding ceremony you will probably be given a choice in your statutory vows, each with have the same meaning and are legal.

You will be able to add your written wedding vows before or after the statutory civil vows.

Top tips for writing wedding vows

• Your vows should be created with your guests in mind as your wedding vows are a public declaration. While they should be meaningful to you and your partner, your guests should be able to understand what you are talking about.

• Long wedding vows will become tiresome to listen to, kept them relatively short and don't include intimate details. You may be happy to share these but they might make some of your guests feel uncomfortable.

• Your wedding vows should include a promise to deal with change together and grow closer as a result of bad times or obstacles.

• Ensure you discuss your wedding vows with the person conducting the wedding ceremony, as it is them who will give the final say on what your wedding vows can or can not include, they may also give you a new idea or two too.

• Ensure you have a copy of your vows on your wedding day, you may have memorised them perfectly standing in front of the mirror or with a friend, but when your stood up in front of more people than your used to, it's very easy to forget your lines and you'll feel awful if mind goes blank at the crucial moment.

• Don't rush through your wedding vows. If you not used to speaking publicly the tendency is to get it over a done with as soon as possible but if you've gone to the trouble of writing your own wedding vows people should be able to hear them. Speak slowly and clearly.