Category Archives: Vows and readings

Personalising Your Wedding Vows

hand-hearts

Your wedding vows are a promise to each other and a declaration of your commitment, both to each other, and to your relationship together.

While you state your vows publicly, they are a personal statement that you are making to your partner.

So how do you personalise them to suit you as a couple?

Think about what drew you together as a couple, why you love each other now, and what your hopes are for the future together.

Get inspiration from sources that mean something to you, be it a poem, book, movie or song – this can be a great way to get started.

You do not have to use the same vows to each other.  Some couples prepare their vows together as a joint statement of their declarations, while others like to surprise their partner on the day.

Think about whether your vows will be formal, humorous or romantic and how this fits into the overall tone and style of your ceremony.

Of course there is nothing wrong with using ‘standard’ vows – the reason they are so popular is that they do speak from the heart and convey a clear message of love.

Most of all, remember that there is no right or wrong way to prepare your vows.  They are a celebration of your love and your relationship and will be meaningful to you as a couple.

You should also be aware of the Legal Requirements for Wedding Vows.

Legal Requirements for Your Wedding Vows

shutterstock_119704648 - Jan Vlcek

Legal Requirements for Your Wedding Vows

The wedding vows are a central part of your wedding ceremony – this is where you ‘lawfully’ take someone to be your husband or wife and tell them of your commitment to them personally and to your relationship together.

It is important that you know that there is a legal requirement for you to say certain words at the start of your vows.  You are legally required to say:

“I call upon the persons here present to witness that I, [name], take thee, [name] to be my lawful wedded wife (or husband)”.

There are limited ways you can change this wording.  An alternative would be:

“I ask the people here present to witness that I, [name], take you, [name] to be my lawful wedded spouse”.

You do not have to use your full name in this statement, but your full name (including any ‘middle’ names) must be used at some point during the ceremony.  Often your full names are used at the beginning of the ceremony, that way it is very clear who is marrying whom.

Nicknames or abbreviations of your name are not allowed when making the legal statement, but they can be used elsewhere in the ceremony.  For example, if your name is Nicholas but you are known as Nick, then during the legal statement you must use Nicholas, but elsewhere throughout the ceremony you can be referred to as Nick.

After the legal statement, you can then add your own personal touch to the vows (to be covered in a later blog post).

Testimonials

  • Our written ceremony was perfect – it was clear that Rosemary understood what we wanted and delivered. On the day, the ceremony was above and beyond what we expected. We would definitely recommend Rosemary’s services to other couples planning their wedding.

    K and B

  • Rosemary was a friendly, helpful, thoughtful and professional celebrant who helped us create a ceremony that was perfectly suited to us. She was helpful throughout the whole process of planning and went over and above at the rehearsal and ceremony to make sure everything went smoothly.

    Anisa

  • Rosemary is a very calm, personable and professional celebrant. She helped us continuously in the lead-up to our outdoor wedding, ensuring our ceremony was wonderfully smooth. Of the many highlights of our wedding day, the ceremony was definitely one of them!

    Jaime and Nigel

  • For us, the ceremony was the most important aspect of our day and Rosemary helped us to find the right words to express our love and commitment to each other. Many people commented on how moving they found the ceremony and how well it reflected us as both individuals and as a couple. We would highly recommend Rosemary to anyone seeking a celebrant sensitive to and able to respond to the clients requirements.

    Karen and Grant

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    Ruby and Mike

  • We really appreciated the work that you put into making the service just right for us – a great way to start our life together as husband and wife.

    Mark and Anna

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    Sandra and Terry

  • Rosemary was always very friendly and most helpful in providing suggestions. We were very happy and everyone commented on how wonderful the ceremony was.

    Laura and Tim