My Wedding Vows

Out of all my wedding planning tasks, writing my vows was one of the hardest. How do you fit everything you want to say in 3.5 minutes? Welp, I DID. And I think they turned out pretty damn good.

Here are some tips I came up with along the way.

Just start writing

Just start writing. Don’t try to start from the top and continue all the way through. Start by writing all the key points you want to say. Mine looked a little something like this:

• It’s been 10 years since we first met…
• You still need my help with the little things
• How I feel when I’m with you…
• I promise to…..
• Evaluation joke.. (work joke)
• Becoming your wife is the easiest and best decision I’ve ever made

Use Notes

This was a lifesaver. Use google docs, or any note taking app you have on your phone. It’s REALLY unlikely you’ll sit down to write your vows and be done in one sitting. Inspiration struck me at all different times of the day. You NEVER know when something just hits you.

Tell Your Story

When I wrote my vows, I knew I wanted to touch on how long we’ve known each other and how far we’ve come. Try to include a sentence or two about your unique story. Even if it was an unpleasant beginning (like ours), it can make for a great joke if your audience has a good sense of humor ;).

Keep the MUSH to a minimum

Wedding vows tend to take on a very serious tone. We all know you’re supposed to vow xyz to your soon-to-be spouse and promise your devout, eternal love. Well, a little bit of this is always good, but I don’t recommend it in large doses. Everyone EXPECTS mushy promises. Give them something to remember. Show the personality of your relationship. THAT’S what will take your vows to the next level.

Use Inside Jokes

Ok. I was a little worried… ok A LOT worried about my Banana joke (watch video), because it as an inside joke that I didn’t think anyone would get. I was SO close to taking it out all together. I took the risk, and it LANDED. It ended up being the most memorable part of my vows. All night, and even the next day, family and friends came up to me and said, “oh my gosh Lauren, the banana joke was amazing!.” Who knew? So, try to incorporate some unique inside jokes that other people can laugh at too.

Read Your Vows Out Loud

This is REALLY important. The first time you read your vows out loud should not be at the alter. Read them out loud (when you’re alone of course) and get used to saying the words. There’s no need to memorize them. I didn’t even try to memorize mine. Forget it. You have too much going on that day, don’t stress about memorizing every word. Just practice reading them out loud until you’re comfortable.

Set the Timer

This goes hand-in-hand with reading your vows out loud. Start the timer once you say the first word. Do this 3-4 times to so you know how long your vows are. This will help your planner and also officiant with timing everything else.

Without Further ado. I give you, my wedding vows.

Make sure to watch in 1080p