Writing your own vows for the ceremony is a great way to personalize your wedding. Although it can be a daunting task for some brides, you can pull it off with flying colors if you set your heart and mind to it. To help you on this matter, check out these simple and practical steps.
Step 1 – Talk to your spouse and officiant
Don’t start writing your vows without first consulting your officiant and spouse. This is to make sure that everyone is on the same page as you are. Remember some religions require the use of traditional ceremony wording so you need to check on this matter with the officiant. You also have to let your spouse know that you want to personalize your vows to find out if he wants to do the same or not. If he decides to go onboard with the plan, choose whether to say the same wedding vow or write individually. The latter is the more popular option as it allows you both to express your innermost feelings for each other.
Step 2 – Ask yourself some questions
If you’re finding it tough to get started or you feel like your inspiration well is all dried up, ask yourself several questions to get you going. The answers to these questions will help you formulate a vow that states your feelings and emotions for your beloved.
- What’s the greatest thing about your spouse-to-be?
- When and how did you know that you’re in love with him?
- When did you find out that he’s the person you want to spend the rest of your life with?
- What does marriage mean to you?
- Why do you want to get married?
- What is your most favorite memory that you’ve shared with your groom?
- What are your partner’s funny quirks or adorable habits that you don’t think you can live without?
Step 3 – Get inspiration somewhere
If creativity doesn’t seem to favor you at this time and you’re still struggling to let words out, try to get inspiration somewhere. Take a short trip to your favorite place where you always get inspired with new ideas and concepts. Go for a relaxing massage so that the stressors inside your mind will shut up and you can finally hear yourself. Read passages of poetry, love stories and romance novels of your favorite authors. Listen to soothing music that will calm your psyche and get your creative juices flowing.
Step 4 – Write, write and write
When writing a draft, don’t be overly concerned with format and structure right away. Tap into your emotions and then let your hands write, write and write random sentences and phrases. After you’ve mustered up all those feelings inside you, put together those that you think will make the best wedding vow.
Step 5 – Polish it with lots of practice
Read what you’ve written to a trusted friend or family member. It would be a good idea to enlist the help of someone who’s a good writer and who knows about your relationship with your groom. Take in all the pieces of valuable advice you get from this person and use these to further improve your wedding vow until you’re finally comfortable reciting it.