Writing Your Own Wedding Vows

Your wedding vows are the words that will forever remain in your partner's heart and memory. So you want to ensure that you express exactly what you are feeling and how much you love them. Most people have never written wedding vows before and they aren't quite sure how to communicate what they feel into words. Here are some helpful guidelines to ensure that the feelings in your heart are encompassed in your wedding vows:

1. Sit down with your fiancée and put some general expectations in place for your wedding vows - such as how long and how in-depth they should be.

2. Begin brainstorming. Think about your relationship and everything you've gone through together. Focus, perhaps, on a specific situation such as the moment when you realized that this was the person you were meant to be with.

3. If you use nicknames or lovable expressions with your fiancée (honey or sweetheart) you may want to incorporate these into your wedding vows.

4. If tradition is important to you, review some examples of conventional wedding vows. Most begin with "in the name of God, I (your name) take you (your fiancée's name) to be my lawfully wedded wife/husband." You may consider reciting your vows in a similar manner.

5. Avoid sad memories or stories about you and your partner fighting. Wedding vows are meant to express the joys of being together. Therefore you should focus on the positive.

6. Once you've jotted down your ideas, you'll want to express them in a smooth and flowing manner. You may want to start with past memories and work your way to the present instead of jumping randomly from topic to topic, as this will give the impression that you took little time to prepare your vows.

7. Incorporate common expressions of love such as "I love you" or "I can't live with out you".

8. Once you have completed your vows be sure to read them over 2 or 3 times to ensure that they convey exactly what you want your partner to know. You might want to have a friend, family member or your wedding officiant to read them to ensure that they are appropriate and meaningful.

It's important to personalize your wedding vows and make them unique to you and your fiancée. Wedding vows are meant to convey your feelings of love. They explain why you're choosing to spend the rest of your life with your partner. Regardless of what you write, your partner loves you and is going to cherish your wedding vows as long as they come from the heart.