1. “Repeat After Me” vows

Your celebrant will read a line, and you will repeat it. It takes the pressure off you to remember the words, and if combined with a handfasting ritual, it will allow you to be hands-free!
It’s a good idea to have four or five vows. Because they are going to be repeated by each of you, your guests will hear them twice, so more could feel too long. You could have the same vows, or your vows could contain slightly different words whilst mirroring the structure,

The framework could be along these lines:
– I [name] take you, [name to be my best friend, my lifelong partner and my wife/husband.
– I vow to love you for the rest of my life and continue to [… do aspects of your relationship that you both value and prize.]
– I vow to continue to [ …do the things that bring you both joy and happiness].
– I promise to be by your side through good time and bad, to laugh with you, to cry with you, and to love you unconditionally whatever the future may bring.

You can adapt any phrasing that you wish and the words you choose for the second and third line could be romantic, humorous, traditional or quirky.

Here are a couple of examples of mirror vows, and those second and third lines with different twists:
– I vow to support you in in good times and bad, to be by your side for every adventure, and to laugh with you every day.
– I vow to be your best friend, to cherish our natural connection and appreciate every moment with you.
Or if you have children?
– I vow to always and unconditionally love Evie and Harry; and try to be the best parent I can be.
– I promise to work by your side, so that our family always feels happy and loved.

You may want to say something slightly different, maybe humorous, for example:

– I vow to always cook your favourite salmon dish and make our bed every morning.
– I promise to embrace and take equal joy from the things that you love: travelling and singing.

– I vow to always walk on the roadside holding your hand and to stack the dishwasher neatly.
– I promise to embrace and take equal joy from the things that you love: flying and walking in the countryside.
Choose your words and make them 100% YOU!

2. Statement & Promise vows

These are sometime coined as “US Style” vows. Your celebrant will provide you with a card or a booklet containing the words that you have written.
It is a good idea to have 7 or 8 promises to each other, with the first two and the last one being the same. This creates a nice symmetrical and coherent structure (although this is entirely your choice). The others you can keep secret from your partner, and your celebrant will check to ensure that they are well balanced.
Here is a nice example of a framework you could use:
– Shared: I [name] take you, [name] to be my best friend, my lifelong partner and my wife/husband.
– Shared I vow to love you for the rest of my life, to respect you and t support you whatever our futures may bring
– Statement about what you admire most about your partner
– Statement about how your partner has supported you in a particular moment or way, and a vow to work on a particular personal weakness.
– A vow to continue to do those things that bring you joy and happiness.
– A vow to do something or to stop doing something that you know your partner hates.
– A promise regarding your vision for your future life together.
– Shared: I promise to love you through good times and bad, to laugh, to laugh with you, to cry with you and to love you unconditionally.

So, here are some examples of quirky or humorous statement vows:
– I promise to open jars for you and pretend that you loosened it, even though we both know it was me.
– I love your adventurous spirit, and I promise to support you on whatever crazy mission you take me on, even it involves massaging your feet and a 25-mile hike.
– I vow to keep an open mind and heart to new things while being your safe space in this dangerous world.
– I can’t promise that I won’t keep telling you sports anecdotes that will make your eyes glaze over.

Or romantic and heartfelt:
– I look forward to growing old together and falling in love with you a little bit more every day.
– I vow not to take our time together for granted. And because words cannot do it, I promise to show you, for the rest of my life, how much I love you.
– You make me a better person, and I promise to try to build a beautiful future with you.
Craft your words to fit you as a couple and your wonderful relationship.

3. Combination vows

You could both have a different opinion about how the vows should be or prefer to have a mix. In that case, a hybrid of both types of vows might fit the bill.
You will each in turn read out your personal statement of promises, and then the celebrant will begin the “repeat after me” vows that you have written.
Again, the celebrant will make sure that your statements are both well balanced.

4. Question & Answer vows

This is a simplistic and very popular option. You decide the words beforehand, the celebrant reads them out, and all you have to say is “I will” after each question.
Once again, these could be humorous or quirky questions that reflect your personalities, but here are some examples of more romantic and traditional vow questions:-
– Question: Millie, will you take Jack to be your best friend, your lifelong partner, and your husband?
– Question: Will you vow to love him for the rest of your life, to support him, and to respect him?
– Question: Will you promise to do your best to uphold your shared values, and to always work hard so that you both feel valued and loved?
– Question: Will you promise to love him in good times and bad, whatever the future may bring?

This format is a great, stress-free option if you don’t want to have to say too much during the ceremony, but still want your vows to be unique, meaningful and personalised.