Wedding Vows for the longest time were traditional, provided by the church.  Today we are using our partners and our personalities to find the unique vows to profess our love.  Whether you wish to use traditional wedding vows or write your own remember to keep the meaning alive.  Wedding vows encompass our love for one another and make promises till death do us part.  Wedding vows are an integral part of the wedding.  It is important to choose the type of wedding vows that will share your feelings with your partner and audience.  Wedding vows have moved from the traditional to the humorous, or to the unique.  If you find you’re a traditionalist there is nothing wrong with that.  Below are some examples of traditional wedding vows.  Whether you decide to go with your churches traditions or an adaptation of a traditional vow there are plenty to choose from.

Example 1:  I  ,______________, take you to be my wife/husband and I promise before God and all who are present here to be your loving and faithful husband/wife, as long as our lives shall last. I will serve you with tenderness and respect, and encourage you to develop God’s gifts in you.

Example 2:  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.

Example 3:  I, _______, take you, ________, for my lawful wife/husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do us part."

Examples 1 and 2 are just traditional wedding vows though they may be similar to those of your church.  Example 3 is a traditional wedding vow from the Catholic Church.  Whether you decided to use these traditional words or take a variation of these words and create a longer more personal wedding vow is your choice.  There are over a thousand traditional wedding vows you can choose from to find what is right for you and your partner.  The internet is just one tool to research wedding vows.  Another is speaking with your pastor or looking at books on wedding vows.  Below is an example of a non-denominational wedding vow.

Example 4:   I _______, take you _______, to be my wife/husband.
To share the good times and hard times side by side.
I humbly give you my hand and my heart
as a sanctuary of warmth and peace,
and pledge my faith and love to you. 
Just as this circle is without end, my love for you is eternal.
Just as it is made of incorruptible substance,
my commitment to you will never fail. With this ring, I thee wed."

As an important part of the wedding you will want to search yourself for what is appropriate, what has the most meaning to you and your partner, and what shows your personality.  Ask yourself questions when working on your vows.  Know what your partner wishes.  Does your partner want a more traditional vow or will they find more meaning in your own words?  Is your audience going to appreciate humor or will they be lost and feel left out?

Most of all remember this is you and your partners wedding.  The wedding vows you will speak will be for them from your heart.  You don’t have to lose the meaning of your vows in sticking with what is most important for your audience.  Again research wedding vows online or books to find your inspiration and then write from your feelings.  You don’t have to let go of the traditional wedding vows to have something with a little originality.  Exchanging your wedding vows is the most romantic moment of a wedding and the best place to share your feelings for your partner. 

Traditional wedding vows can have just as much meaning as those written from the heart.  Wedding vows are what you feel, what you believe, and what your partner will love.  Traditional wedding vows keep the meaning of the wedding alive with the simplest words.  Romance is an important aspect of wedding vows and making the moment last forever is just as important as what you say to your loved one.  Tradition may not be as important as it is to your guests especially your relatives.  You are not limited to keeping with traditional wedding vows.  You can express both feelings of tradition and originality with one longer wedding vow or saying both.  The wedding is for you and your partner don’t lose that while you search for the perfect words.