Wedding Vows - Here are some samples of vows that I've received from couples and that I've found in my research.
Love Promise Vows
I promise to give you the best of myself and to ask of you no more than you can give. I promise to accept you the way you are.
I fell in love with you for the qualities, abilities, and outlook on life that you have, and won't try to reshape you in a different image.
I promise to respect you as a person with your own interests, desires, and needs, and to realize that those are sometimes different, but no less important than my own.
I promise to keep myself open to you, to let you see through the window of my personal world into my innermost fears and feelings, secrets and dreams.
I promise to grow along with you, to be willing to face change as we both change in order to keep our relationship alive and exciting.
And finally, I promise to love you in good times and in bad, with all I have to give and all I feel inside in the only way I know how ... completely and forever.
I Promise
I promise to be there when you need me,
to fill your days with sunshine,
to comfort you and encourage you,
to help you reach your goals,
to be your best friend ever and
to love you all my life with all my heart.
I Bring Myself
I, Name, bring myself to you this day, to share my life with you;
you can trust my love, for it is real;
I promise to be a faithful mate
And to unfailingly share and support
Your hopes, dreams and goals
I vow to be there for you always
When you fall I will catch you
When you cry, I will comfort you
When you laugh, I will share your joy.
Everything I am and everything I have
Is yours from this moment forth and for eternity.
I Take You
I, Name, take you Name,
As my wife/husband, my best friend and my love.
I promise to love you in good times and in bad,
When Life seems easy and when it seems hard.
I give you my hand, my heart and my love
For as long as we both shall live.
The Man or Woman You Will Become
I, (name), take you, (name), to be my partner, loving what I know of you, and trusting what I do not yet know. I eagerly anticipate the chance to grow together, getting to know the (man/woman) you will become, and falling in love a little more every day. I promise to love and cherish you through whatever life may bring us.
When Our Love is Simple, and When it is an Effort
(Name), I love you. You are my best friend. Today I give myself to you in marriage. I promise to encourage and inspire you, to laugh with you, and to comfort you in times of sorrow and struggle.
I promise to love you in good times and in bad, 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 hold you in highest regard. These things I give to you today, and all the days of our life.
Trust in You Completely
(Name), with all my love, I take you to be my wife/husband. I will love you through good and the bad, through joy and the sorrow. I will try to be understanding, and to trust in you completely. Together we will face all of life's experiences and share one another's dreams and goals. I promise I will be your equal partner in a loving, honest relationship, for as long as we both shall live.
Share in Your Dreams
(Name), from this day forward I promise you these things. I will laugh with you in times of joy and comfort you in times of sorrow. I will share in your dreams, and support you as you strive to achieve your goals. I will listen to you with compassion and understanding, and speak to you with encouragement. I will remain faithful to our vows for better or for worse, in times of sickness and health. You are my best friend and I will love and respect you always.
With Kindness, Unselfishness, and Trust
I (name) affirm my love to you, (name) as I invite you to share my life. You are the most beautiful, smart, and generous person I have ever known, and I promise always to respect you and love you. With kindness, unselfishness and trust, I will work by your side to create a wonderful life together. I take you (name) to be my lawful (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 for as long as we both shall live.
The Best Person I Can Be
(Name), from the moment I first saw you, I knew you were the one with whom I wanted to share my life. Your beauty, heart, and mind inspire me to be the best person I can be. I promise to love you for eternity, respecting you, honoring you, being faithful to you, and sharing my life with you. This is my solemn vow.
To Grow Along with You
Name, today I become your (husband/wife) and you become my (wife/husband). I will strive to give you the best of myself, while accepting you the way you are. I promise to respect you as a whole person with your own interests, desires, and needs, and to realize that those are sometimes different, but no less important than my own. I promise to keep myself open to you, to let you in to my innermost fears and feelings, secrets and dreams. I promise to grow along with you, to be willing to face change as we both change, keeping our relationship alive and exciting. And finally, I promise to love you in good times and in bad, with all I have to give and all that I am, in the only way I know how -- completely and forever.
Love You Without Reservation
(Name), today I take you for my (wife/husband). I promise to love you without reservation, comfort you in times of distress, encourage you to achieve all of your goals, laugh with you and cry with you, grow with you in mind, and spirit, always be open and honest with you, and cherish you for as long as we both shall live.
Best Friend
(Name), today I take you to be my (husband/wife). Together we will create a home, becoming a part of one another. I vow to help create a life that we can cherish, inspiring your love for me and mine for you. I vow to be honest, caring and truthful, to love you as you are and not as I want you to be, and to grow old by your side as your love and best friend.
Traditional wedding vows:
I, (Bride/Groom), take you (Groom/Bride), to be my (wife/husband), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part.
I, (name), take you, (name), to be my [opt: lawfully wedded] (husband/wife), my constant friend, my faithful partner and my love from this day forward. In the presence of God, our family and friends, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live.
In the presence of God and these our friends I take thee to be my husband/wife, promising with Divine assistance to be unto thee a loving and faithful husband/wife so long as we both shall live. See more Christian wedding vows
I (name), take you (name) to be my (husband/wife), my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our union and love you more each day than I did the day before. I will trust you and respect you, laugh with you and cry with you, loving you faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles we may face together. I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from this day forward for as long as we both shall live.
I, [name], choose you [name] to be my [husband/wife], to respect you in your successes and in your failures, to care for you in sickness and in health, to nurture you, and to grow with you throughout the seasons of life.
I, (name), take you, (name), to be my friend, my lover, the (mother/father) of my children and my (husband/wife). I will be yours in times of plenty and in times of want, in times of sickness and in times of health, in times of joy and in times of sorrow, in times of failure and in times of triumph. I promise to cherish and respect you, to care and protect you, to comfort and encourage you, and stay with you, for all eternity.
I, (name), take you, (name), to be my partner, loving what I know of you, and trusting what I do not yet know. I eagerly anticipate the chance to grow together, getting to know the (man/woman) you will become, and falling in love a little more every day. I promise to love and cherish you through whatever life may bring us.
Humorous Vows
I (Name), take you, (Name) to be my lawfully wedded (husband/wife) and chief tennis doubles partner, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sickness and in health, for when we win and the very very rare occasion when we lose. I promise to love, honor, and cherish you, to return your serves and do my best not to foot fault. This I vow to you.
I (name), take you (name), to be my beloved wife. I promise to love you and be your faithful partner, for better for worse, for richer, for poorer, when the Jets are winning, and when they are losing, in sickness, and in health, and in Jets-induced sickness. I will be true and loyal, and cherish you for all the days of our lives.
I, (name), take you (name), to be my (wife/husband), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, for even poorer when I've been shopping a lot, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part.
Buddhist
Buddhist brides and grooms pledge to help each other develop their hearts and minds. They promise to cultivate compassion, generosity, ethics, patience, enthusiasm, concentration and wisdom as they undergo the various ups and downs of life, and to transform these qualities into love, compassion, joy and equanimity. (Source: Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition)
Hindu
Rather than reciting vows, Hindus take Seven Steps as they declare their matrimonial promises to:
1. Maintain a healthy lifestyle and avoid forming close relationships with people who do not.
2. Continually develop their physical, mental and spiritual capacities.
3. Provide for their family through honorable means.
4. Cultivate understanding and respect to maintain a happy and harmonious marriage.
5. Raise honest and brave children.
6. Exercise self-control over their minds, bodies and souls
7. Nurture their relationship so that they are faithful friends until they part.
Cherokee
Cherokee Native Americans also make seven sacred vows. As they perform the Rite of Seven Steps around the sacred fire, they pledge to:
1. Equally contribute to maintaining the home, putting food on the table and raising the children.
2. Fill each other with courage and strength.
3. Rejoice in each other's happiness and share each other's sorrows.
4. Devote their lives to working as partners.
5. Provide each other with joy and peace.
6. Share a binding love and friendship that is firm and inseparable.
7. Speak each vow with a pure heart.
Catholic
Before a Catholic bride and groom can receive their Sacrament of Marriage, they must answer the presiding priest's three questions:
1. Are you standing here of your own free will?
2. Will you honor each other?
3. Will you willingly have children and raise them in the Catholic Church?
Once affirmative answers are given, the couple recites the standard Catholic vows of the Rite of Marriage: I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.
Hawaiian
Hawaiian wedding vows are often reference the revered ocean, such as, "Let's travel together as water flowing in one direction," (Ho`omoe wai kahi ke kao`o). Ceremonies usually end with the prayer, "E Hoomau Maua Kealoha," (May our love last forever).
A Hawaiian groom might pledge to provide unconditional love, acceptance, understanding and support so that his bride feels secure in expressing her inner light. He may also swear his devotion to helping her create more goodness in the world. In turn, a Hawaiian bride typically vows to help her husband discover his true purpose in life. By remaining faithfully devoted, she promises to stand beside him always as they fight for what is good in the world.
Eskimo
Whether it is due to the cold weather or the fact that these simple words capture the true meaning of marriage, the Eskimo cultures of the Arctic have found a succinct yet beautiful way to pledge their love:
You are my husband/wife.
My feet shall run because of you.
My feet dance because of you.
My eyes see because of you.
My mind thinks because of you.
And I shall love because of you.
No comments:
Post a Comment