Wedding: Sample Vows

Words to marry by.

DECLARATIONS OF INTENT

• _____, understanding that God has created, ordered, and blessed the covenant of marriage, do you affirm your desire and intention to enter this covenant?
• _____, do you come before this gathering of friends and family to proclaim your love and devotion for _____? Do you promise to affirm her, respect her, and care for her during times of joy and hardship? Do you commit yourself to share your feelings of happiness and sadness? Do you pledge to remain faithful to her?
• _____ do you pledge your trust to _____ in all love, honor and respect, in all duty and service, in all faith and tenderness, in all openness and honesty, to live with him and cherish him, according to the guidance of God in Christian Marriage?
• _____ do you pledge to love, honor, trust and respect _____ according to the guidance of God in the holy bond of marriage?

MARRIAGE VOWS

Traditional Examples:

• I, _____, take you _____, to be my (wedded) wife/husband. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, as long as we both shall live.
• I, _____, take you _____, to be my wife/husband; and I promise, before God and these witnesses, to be your loving and faithful husband/wife; in plenty and in want; in joy and in sorrow; in sickness and in health; as long as we both shall live.
• I, _____, take you, _____, to be my wife/husband from this time onward, to join with you and to share all that is to come, to give and to receive, to speak and to listen, to inspire and to respond, and in all of our life together to be loyal to you with my whole life and with all my being.

Non-traditional Examples:

• I ____take you, ____to be my wife/husband and I promise before God and our families and friends these things: To care for you as God has called a man/woman to care for his/her wife/husband; to love, honor and serve you; to always be there when you need me, knowing when to speak and when to listen, when to lead and when to follow. I will be sensitive to your needs, sharing in openness and honesty, and seek with you God’s will for our lives, as we follow Him together. For richer or poorer, in good times and bad, in sickness and in health, this is my solemn vow.
• I, _____, take you, _____, to be my wife/husband, to embrace you in love and sorrow, share with you the wisdom of my life and receive from you the same, to share the laughter and tears of our lives as though they were one, guide you in your hour of need, seek solace from you in return, receive you as servant, yet serve your needs also, as long as we both shall live.
• I will love you, _____, as my wife/husband, to lie together as friend and mate. I love you, not only for the woman/man you are, but for the man/woman you have made me. I will love you as a person, respect you as an equal, sharing joy as well as sorrow, triumph as well as defeat, and I will always make room for you in my life.

Examples of personally-written vows:

• I, ____, take you _______ to be my (wedded) husband/wife.

  • I promise to encourage and inspire you, support your hopes and dreams,
    honor your individuality, laugh and smile with you,
    to comfort yet give you strength in times of sadness.
    I promise to cherish you, to always hold you in the highest regard.
    May our home be one that is warm, forever filled with peace,
    happiness and unconditional love.
    These things I give to you, my best friend, my love, for all the days of my life.
• I,____take you_____as my wife/husband and give myself to you as your husband/wife. I promise to love you always and joyfully receive your love. Husband: I will always fight for you and lay down my life for you daily. I promise to show you the beauty that I see every time I look at you. (Wife: I will always respect and celebrate your leadership and follow you faithfully.) I will love you without expectations and share with you all of our hopes and fears. I look forward to serving you all the days of your life, nourishing you and cherishing you as my own body. I will join with you as your partner as we discover the width, length, depth & height of God’s love. I cannot wait to share the rest of my life with you!
• Through the grace of God, I, _____, take you, _____, in the presence of our friends and family, to be my cherished and honored wife/husband. From this day forward … I promise to love you, to serve you, to support you, and to learn compassion with you. I promise to pray with you and for you, listen to you, share myself with you, challenge you, and worship God with you. I promise to uphold you with my strength and to be held by you when I am weak, to forgive you and seek forgiveness from you. I promise to make our home a haven where you can find rest, encouragement, and joy. I promise to laugh with you, to cry with you, to change with you, and to dream with you. I promise to lead you through the direction of the Holy Spirit, being faithful to God’s promise and glorifying God in all that I say and do. I promise to be your partner as we discover the width, length, height, and depth of the love of our Lord Jesus Christ, until death do us part.
• I, _____, take you, _____, to be my wedded husband/wife. And I do promise before God and these witnesses that I will be your faithful and loving wife/husband, as long as we both shall live. I will trust in the strength of our commitment. I will share myself with you, honor, challenge and respect you. I promise to be honest, compassionate and loyal. Together we will laugh, cry, grow and dream. Today, we begin the great adventure, to experience as one, the privileges and joys of life’s journey. Our hearts and lives are now bound together – my friend, my love.

RING VOWS

• I give you this ring as a constant reminder of my abiding love and commitment.
• I give you this ring as a sign of our covenant, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
• I give you this ring as a symbol of my love for you and as a pledge to you before God that I will love you forever.
• I give you this ring as a symbol of our vows, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
• This ring is the sign of my love and faithfulness, forever. I give it to you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.