Wedding Vow Examples & Tips for Writing Your Own

The moment you and your partner recite your wedding vows is arguably the most significant in the wedding ceremony. Alongside the exchanging of rings and other symbolic gestures, this declaration of love is the official moment that you tie the knot. It’s special, to say the least!

But do you have to say the traditional vows? And what’s the difference between ‘vows’ and ‘promises’? Decoding your wedding vows can seem complicated, which is why we’ve compiled all our expertise with this guide to marriage vows for a wedding.

Whether you recite the tried and tested traditional wedding vows, write your own or (*whisper*) call in the pros to help you, we’ve got everything you need for a first-class ceremony that you and your guests will always remember.

A Complete Guide to Wedding Vows UK: Examples & Writing Tips

To help you perfect your ceremony, we’ve pieced together the ultimate guide to marriage vows, including tips on how to write your wedding vows and examples of both modern and traditional wedding vows for you to draw inspiration from. Happy planning!

• What Are Wedding Vows?
• Legal Wedding Vows in the UK
• Wedding Vows Examples
• How to Write Your Own Wedding Vows
• Tips for Reading Your Wedding Vows

What Are Wedding Vows?

In the simplest of terms, wedding vows are the words – or promises of love and commitment – exchanged by the couple in front of family and friends during their wedding ceremony. It doesn’t matter if you’re having a religious service, a simple civil ceremony or a celebrant-led wedding, almost all wedding ceremonies will contain vows of some kind.

In religious ceremonies, the traditional wedding vows play a really significant role, particularly in the ring-exchanging part of the wedding. However, in civil ceremonies and celebrant-led weddings, it’s common for couples to write their own wedding vows (to be spoken alongside the legally required ones) in order to make them more personal and meaningful to their relationship.

For religious wedding ceremonies following a traditional structure, there will be set wedding vows for couples to recite, with little room (if any) for personalisation. Interfaith weddings – which see two religions or cultures merging – usually includes a combination of traditional wedding vows intertwined, along with different ring-exchanging and ceremonial traditions woven together.

Civil ceremonies give couples the option to include their own wedding vows or use traditional templates alongside the specific ‘contracting’ words that need to be spoken in order to make the marriage legal, while celebrant-led weddings offer the most flexibility – couples can be as poetic, witty, romantic, religious or practical as they like since these kinds of ceremonies are not yet legally binding in England and Wales.

Legal Wedding Vows in the UK

So, what are the legal wedding vows in the UK? The legally binding declarations of intent and contracting vows will be different depending on whether you’re having a civil ceremony or Church of England ceremony (outlined further down), but for a UK civil ceremony, the simple version of the legal declaration is as follows:

“I declare that I know of no legal reason why I [Name] may not be joined in marriage to [Name].”

And the contracting vows are…

“I, [Name], call upon these persons here present to witness that I [Name] do take thee [Name] to be my lawful wedded wife/husband.”

Following this, you will make your promises to each other, which can either be written yourself or provided by your officiant.

The exact wording and options for personalising your vows and promises will vary depending on your local authority, so always check the specifics with your registrar or officiant ahead of the ceremony.

Wedding Vows Examples

Whether you want to know more about what the traditional wedding vows are – or you plan to go off-script and want a little inspiration – ahead are some examples of wedding vows to suit a range of wedding styles and cultures, including some personalised wedding vows examples from couples who have recently got married.

If you want to incorporate a mix of personalised and traditional vows – particularly if you’re having a religious ceremony – always speak to your officiant ahead to time to find out what can and can’t be adapted or said.

Religious wedding vows

Church of England wedding vows

Church of England weddings involve a number of hymns and prayers before the Christian wedding vows (also known as Anglican wedding vows) are said. The vows also traditionally begin with the minister asking both the congregation and the couple a question, which are required to make the ceremony legally binding:

“First, I am required to ask anyone present who knows a reason why these persons may not lawfully marry, to declare it now.

"The vows you are about to take are to be made in the presence of God, who is judge of all and knows all the secrets of our hearts; therefore if either of you knows a reason why you may not lawfully marry, you must declare it now.

"[Name], will you take [Name] to be your husband/wife? Will you love him/her, comfort him/her, honour and protect him/her, and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him/her as long as you both shall live?

"Will you, the families and friends of [Name] and [Name], support and uphold them in their marriage now and in the years to come?"

More prayers are said, along with your chosen hymns and readings before the exchanging of the vows below:

"I [Name] take you [Name] to be my husband/wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God’s holy law. In the presence of God I make this vow."

The minister will then say a prayer about the wedding rings and what they symbolise ahead of the exchanging.

"[Name] I give you this ring as a sign of our marriage. With my body I honour you, all that I am I give to you, and all that I have I share with you, within the love of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit."

Catholic wedding vows

In the Roman Catholic Church, a wedding is one of the seven holy sacraments, and includes the declaration, exchanging of consent, the wedding blessing and exchanging of rings.

Ahead of exchanging vows, couples usually answer three questions from the priest marrying them, all to do with consent, commitment and children.

"[Name] and [Name], have you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in this marriage?

"Will you honour each other as man/wife and man/wife for the rest of your lives?

"Will you accept children lovingly from God and bring them up according to the law of Christ and his Church?"

Once those questions are all answered with a ‘yes’ from each of you, the exchanging of vows can then take place.

"I [Name] take you [Name] to be my wife/husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honour you all the days of my life.

"In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, take and wear this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness."

Hindu wedding vows 

Hindu weddings are often representative of not just the coming together of two individuals, but two families within a community. Traditionally, Hindu ceremonies are represented by the exchanging of floral garlands during a ceremony called Jai Mala. 

Exchanging vows at a Hindu wedding is known as Saptapadi, which translates to the ‘seven steps’, also known as the ‘seven vows’. Today, some couples choose to fuse together tradition with modernity, by exchanging both rings and garlands. 

Below are the seven steps of the Hindu wedding ceremony vows that you will hear at traditional celebrations.

“Let us take the first step to provide for our household a nourishing and pure diet, avoiding those foods injurious to healthy living.

"Let us take the second step to develop physical, mental, and spiritual powers.

"Let us take the third step to increase our wealth by righteous means and proper use.

"Let us take the fourth step to acquire knowledge, happiness, and harmony by mutual love and trust.

"Let us take the fifth step so that we are blessed with strong, virtuous, and heroic children.

"Let us take the sixth step for self-restraint and longevity.

"Finally, let us take the seventh step and be true companions and remain lifelong partners by this wedlock."

Muslim wedding vows

Traditionally, a Muslim wedding ceremony, known as a Nikkah, doesn’t include an exchange of wedding vows. As an alternative, the Imam usually hosts a short sermon and blessing where they give their consent to marry.

However, with modern Muslim weddings varying from culture to culture, and some couples opting for fusion ceremonies, some do include vows. Muslim wedding ceremonies which do include an exchange of wedding vows typically follow the below format: 

"I, [Name], offer you myself in marriage in accordance with the instructions of the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him. I pledge, in honesty and with sincerity, to be for you an obedient and faithful wife.

"I, [Name] pledge, in honesty and sincerity, to be for you a faithful and helpful husband."

In weddings where a bride and groom are marrying, the bride recites the first vow, and the groom responds with the second, but for LGBTQ+ couples, and those who want to change the order, there's no reason why you can't add your own spin or adapt the vows to suit you.

Jewish wedding vows

Couples who want to host a traditional Jewish wedding ceremony will learn that they often don't include a spoken exchange of wedding vows. Instead, the key component to the ceremony is when the rings are exchanged, and the seven blessings are recited – often in Hebrew.

As couples exchange their wedding rings in a traditional Jewish wedding ceremony, it's likely they will exchange the below words. 

"I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine."

When spoken in Hebrew, this term translates directly to: "Behold, thou art consecrated unto me with this ring according to the law of Moses and of Israel.”

Traditional wedding vows

Civil ceremony vows

For couples who want to have a nonreligious wedding ceremony that is still considered a legal wedding, civil ceremonies are the most popular choice. They are conducted by a legal officiant and the traditional structure of civil ceremony wedding vows are given below. 

These classic wedding vows refer mostly to the legal aspect of the wedding, but you can always add in your own vows and promises to make them more personalised – speak to your registrar or officiant about what is allowed.

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

These may be slightly extended, for example: "I call upon these persons here present, to witness that I [Name] do take thee [Name] to be my lawful wedded wife/husband, to be loving, faithful and loyal to thee in living our married life together."

"I give you this ring as a symbol of our love. All that I am I give to you. All that I have I share with you. I promise to love you, to be faithful and loyal, in good times and bad. May this ring remind you always of the words we have spoken today."

Modern wedding vows

For those who want to veer from a traditional script, some registrars will have alternative wedding vows for you to choose from, such as the below:

"I promise that I will respect you as an individual, support you through difficult times, rejoice with you through happy times, be loyal to you always and, above all, love you as my wife/husband and friend.

“I promise to love and respect you, helping our love grow, always being there to listen, comfort and support you, whatever our lives may bring.

"I give you this ring as a sign of our love, trust and marriage. I promise to care for you above all others, to give you my love, friendship and support, and to respect and cherish you throughout our life together."

Wedding vows for him

We will be partners in adventure...

"I vow to hold your hand in my hand and hold your heart in my heart as long as we live. I take you as my wife/husband through the good times and the hard times, side by side. You are the most beautiful, generous, kind and clever person I know, and I will try my hardest every day to be the man you deserve.

"We will be each other's shoulders to stand on and to cry on; we will lift each other up and hold each other tight; we will be partners in adventure and allies in conflict. I promise to never stop making your love and happiness my priority, because your joy is my joy. In sickness and in health, in failure and triumph, I will walk beside you and I will love you, forever."

I make these promises before our family and friends...

“As we start our married life together today, I make these promises before our family and friends...

“I will continually challenge myself to become the best husband/wife I can be, always looking to put you before myself and making your dreams our dreams.

“I will love you; I will adore you; I will cherish you; I will be faithful to you.

“As much as music will always play an important part of my life, you come before my guitars! You will be the greatest song I could and would ever sing.

“I will help you discover your full potential, pushing you to become the best you can be, to support and ensure your hopes and dreams come to fruition.

“I will stand by your side in all things, the highs and the lows, always finding agreement in everything that we do as husband and wife."

Whether times are good or hard, I'll be there...

"When you met me, I was lost. I didn't know who I was or what I wanted, but you took my hand gently and made me the man I am today. I pledge to build the most beautiful future with you.

"I promise to love you, respect you, always be kind to you, and never give you any reason to doubt me.

"I will support you, be patient with you, and help you achieve your dreams – just as you've done for me.

"With this ring, I promise to share my life with you until the day we die. Whether times are good or hard, I'll be here. I will hold your hand gently and look forward to all the tomorrows ahead of us."

Wedding vows for her

I wake up every morning excited to see you...

"Seven years ago, I had the unexpected joy of falling in love with my best friend. It took us three years to realise we were right for each other, but ever since that moment we drunkenly kissed on New Year’s Eve, I've never had a moment of doubt. You are my soulmate, and the wait was so worth it.

"I wake up each morning excited to see you and I know that feeling will never go away. I promise to make each day with you an adventure, to always make the best of every opportunity and disaster, to continue to make each other the best versions of ourselves, and to take on all life throws at us together.

"I want to grow a family with you and to grow old with you. Because life is nothing without you by my side. Thank you for being my husband/wife and my best friend."

You are eternally fascinating to me...

“There hasn't been a day since we met where I didn't want to know everything about you. On our first date, I thought I'd nearly scared you away by interrogating you about your passions, your fears, what keeps you up at night, and what gets you up in the morning. You are eternally fascinating to me, and I love everything I know about you now.

"As we become husband/wife and wife and take on everything that comes with it, we will continue to learn together, and I know that will love you more and more. Your sense of humour, compassion, your ability to see the good in every situation – that is what makes you unique and wonderful and I promise to never hold back your light. 

"With love and trust and constant fascination, we will continue to make each other shine. One lifetime isn't enough for all the love I have for you, but I will do my best every single day."

Funny wedding vows

I promise to be worth it…

“They say never date a co-worker. Well, I'm so glad I did. From the moment our paths crossed, you’ve captivated me, challenged me, frustrated me and improved me in ways no person has done before. And I have fallen in love with you again and again. I promise to be true to you, to support and encourage you, and to challenge and frustrate you.

"I believe we are truly good for each other and that we will continue to grow stronger together. Today, as we move from ‘I’ to ‘we’, [Name], take this ring as a symbol of my decision to join my life with yours until death shall part us. I walked to this place to meet you today, we shall walk from it together.”

“From this day forward I promise to be worth it. Worth the time. Worth the trip. Worth the energy. Worth the embarrassment. Worth your love. I promise that you will always count. You will always come first, and of course, if you don’t for whatever reason, I will buy you some shoes. From the moment you entered my world, you have filled it with life"

I promise to let you win…

“[Name], I love you with all my heart and I promise to try to make you happy every day of our lives together, but more importantly I promise to always order something you like so that we can share in the restaurant.

"I promise to always get rid of the spiders, even though I’m more scared than you. I promise to let you win the occasional argument, even if I’m right. I promise to unclog the shower drain, even though only one of us has any hair. I promise to never watch the next episode on Netflix without you, no matter how much I want to.

"I promise that every day we will laugh, when life seems easy and when it seems hard, when our love is simple and when it is an effort. I promise to cherish you, and to always love you. These promises I make to you today, and all the days of our life.”

Romantic wedding vows

I will never let our honeymoon period end...

“It is impossible to put into words how much I love you. You’re my best friend and at last you're my husband/wife! I promise as our everyday life begins, we will continue to be best friends, we will still be girlfriend and boyfriend. I will never let our honeymoon period end.

“[Name], loving you is the easiest, most obvious thing I’ve ever done, and I will love you for an eternity.”

Wherever you go, I will go...

“Today, I join my life with yours. Wherever you go, I will go; whatever you face, I will face. For good or ill, in happiness or sadness, come riches or poverty, I take you as my husband/wife, and will give myself to no other.

"May our days be long, and may they be seasoned with faith, love, understanding, and respect, forever and ever. Today is the beginning of the rest of our lives. I choose to spend today, and all of my tomorrows, with you.”

You fill my life with meaning...

“I promise to try to be worthy of your love in every way, to climb mountains and swim oceans just to be by your side. I will be honest, caring, patient, forgiving and loyal. You fill my life with meaning.

“Thank you for taking me as I am, loving me, and welcoming me into your heart. I promise to always love you, respect you, and to be faithful to you forever. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

To me, you are a miracle...

"You came into my life when I wasn't looking for anyone and opened my heart in ways I never expected. I was given a second chance at happiness with you, and I am eternally grateful for your love. I vow to be your loving and devoted husband/wife, without judgement, without scorn, but always with an open heart and mind.

“I vow to be patient and humble and try my best to let you win an argument, sometimes. I will communicate with you fiercely and fully and let you know how much I love you every day. To me, you are a miracle and because of you, I laughed again. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you and stand by your side as we see what life has in store for you.

"You are my equal in all things, my partner-in-crime, and my entire future."

LGBTQ+ wedding vows

Thank you for standing by me...

“[Name], I feel like the most blessed person in the world. I have not only found my life-long companion, the lover of my heart, but my soul mate. Thank you for standing by me and sticking with me through thick and thin; for seeing the person that’s before you now. You believed in me when I didn’t even believe in myself and for that I love you so much. 

“Choosing to commit the rest of my life to you is the easiest thing I will ever do. You are my best friend and inspire me every single day. I promise to spend every day I have left on this earth looking after you, encouraging you, laughing with you and comforting you.

"I promise to do these things because I have been given the most amazing gift I could ever have: you. Know that I love you with all my heart. I’m so happy to call myself your husband/wife!”

I am a better person because of you...

“I promise to be your faithful husband/wife. I promise to love you when the sun shines, when the rain falls, in sickness, and in health. When you look at this ring, think of me and remember that I love you always.

"You know me better than anyone in the world and you still love me – for that I will never be able to thank you enough. I am a better person because of you, and I will try to be worthy of your love. I promise to be the man/woman that I see now in your eyes, today, tomorrow, and for the rest of our lives. I love you."

How to Write Your Own Wedding Vows

So, how do you write your own wedding vows? If you’re looking for some pointers, the experts share their tips on how to get started.

Check in with your partner

This might sound like odd advice, particularly if you plan on keeping your wedding vows a surprise until the big moment, but it is important to agree on the type of wedding vows you’ll read and the style and length of them.

“Before you write your vows, have a discussion about the kinds of things you want to include,” says celebrant Rebecca Douglas. “For example, will they just be about what you promise for the future, or will you add more of a narrative to them, explaining what you love about one another and any stories about your relationship?

“It’s also vital to discuss length,” she adds. “You’ll want them to be fairly similar – it might be quite embarrassing if one partner decides to recite a great love story and a long list of things they love about the other, while the second only has one or two promises they wanted to share!”

But how long should wedding vows be? “The average length is around one to two minutes (or 150 to 250 words),” advises celebrant Paul Maxin. While you may be able to think of hundreds of things you’d like to say, don’t get your vows confused with a wedding speech.

As well as discussing what you want, consider the things you don’t, too. Many couples prefer not to use traditional phrases such as ‘to obey’, so make sure you’re both on the same page.

Get your ideas down on paper

Be sure to do this somewhere quiet, where you have the space to think. You might find it easier to write your vows in stages, so start by simply making some notes.

“The tone can be romantic, emotional, light-hearted – or a mix of all three,” explains Paul. “I usually advise couples to write with this particular framework in mind:

• A short opening reflecting on how they feel today, or a little backstory
• Their promises, which are the core part of your vows. These can be big, small, serious or playful
• Their future vision" 

If you need more help on what to write, the below questions might help to give you some ideas:

• When/how did you first meet?
• When did you know he/she was the one?
• What details make you smile when you think of him/her?
• How do you balance each other out?
• Why are you getting married, what does marriage mean to you?
• What promises do you want to make for a happy marriage?

Don’t worry about constructing perfect sentences to start with, just get your ideas down. Once you have plenty of notes, you can choose the elements that really stand out and then begin polishing your vows.

Research other wedding vows

If your first thought was, ‘what do you say in wedding vows?’ it might be helpful to look at examples of other people’s (handily, we have lots of example wedding vows above!). These will also help you understand the difference between civil and religious vows.

Of course, we’re not advising copying and pasting – writing your own wedding vows is about making your vows as personal as possible – but they can provide brilliant inspiration if you’re suffering from writer’s block.

Speak to your officiant or celebrant

If you’re hiring a celebrant, Rebecca stresses the importance of using them as a sounding board: “I would advise sending your vows to the celebrant once you’ve written them so they can look at both and make sure they’re reasonably aligned with each other,” she says.

Paul agrees: “If a couple is struggling, I do have some ready-made examples to help them. Otherwise, a celebrant can help further by really getting to know the couple and their story and then working with them to produce vows in their style,” he adds.

It’s also helpful for whoever is conducting your wedding ceremony to know roughly how long your vows will be – they’ll be able to advise if you’ve gone a bit hard on the length!

Ensure they sound like you

It may sound obvious, but you’d be amazed at how many couples feel pressure to make their vows sound ultra-fancy.

“Follow the structure you and your partner have agreed on but don’t be too fancy with the vocabulary if you’re not usually someone who uses big words,” stresses Rebecca. “It can be quite emotional standing up there, so you want to make it as easy as possible for yourself, as well as sounding as genuine as possible.”

Paul encourages couples to think about their phrasing too: “I often tell couples to use phrases such as ‘you always’ or ‘you never’ sparingly, as they can sound a little accusatory,” he explains.

Don’t get too personal

Save the private jokes and anecdotes for a letter to your love that they can read the night of or before the wedding – you don’t want to exclude your guests! 

Tips for Reading Your Wedding Vows

Practise makes perfect

Hopefully you don’t need us to tell you that giving yourself plenty of time to write and practise reading your wedding vows is a good idea! “You don’t have to learn them by heart,” says Rebecca, “but you do want the words to flow when you are saying them, and you want to know what is coming should you find yourself overcome with emotion.

“Practising also means you can look at your partner a little more while you’re speaking, rather than staring down at your script. It is, after all, your partner you are speaking to!

“I also recommend using a large font size – it helps should you lose your place to quickly find it again!” she adds.

Think about your presentation

No reading vows off the Notes app on your phone please – Rebecca advises it’s not a great look! “Presentation-wise it’s much nicer if you have your vows in a small folder or wedding vow book. It means you can add some complementing ribbon that works with your colour scheme for a more coordinated look,” she adds.

Accept your emotions

If you’re worried about being overcome with emotion on the day, try not to be.

“When all is said and done, it doesn’t matter if you make a mistake when saying your wedding vows or if you get emotional during the delivery,” says Rebecca. “This isn’t a performance – it’s you explaining to your partner that you love them and that you will continue to love them, so no matter how you say your vows, it will still be a cherished and precious moment.”

Once you’ve written your wedding vows, it’s time to get yourself something cute to read them from! These wedding vow books will look beautiful on the big day and act as the perfect keepsake afterwards, too.