We love wedding vows! Wedding vows are our favourite part of the wedding ceremony. It’s when you get to tell your love story. It’s when you get to decide what your marriage looks like. It’s the promises you are making to your partner for a lifetime.
And while we love when couples write their own wedding vows (in fact, we love it so much we created a step-by-step guide for couples to write their own), we know that isn’t for everyone. And that’s okay!
Below we’ve compiled some of our favourite traditional, contemporary and short and sweet wedding vows. Allow these wedding vows to inspire you! If you find one that really resonates, you can say it to your partner word for word. Can’t decide between two or three? You don’t have to. Combine them, change them around, edit them until they fit exactly what you want to say. And you can even add some of your own words to these wedding vows. Remember, it’s your wedding – your way.
Traditional/Religious Wedding Vows
Holy Estate of Matrimony
I, (Name) do take you, (Name);
to be my wedded wife/husband,
after God’s ordinance,
in the holy estate of matrimony,
To have and to hold
from this day forward,
for better for worse,
for richer for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
I will love you and cherish you,
all the days of my life,
as God is my witness,
I give you this promise.
Faithful Partner in Life
I (Name), take you (Name), to by my husband/wife, secure in the knowledge that you will be my constant friend, my faithful partner in life, and my one true love.
On this special day, I give you in the presence of God and all those in attendance, my sacred promise to stay by your side as your faithful husband/wife, in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, through the good times and the bad.
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.
Together in Marriage
I (Name), take (Name) to be my wedded wife/husband,
and to live together in marriage.
I promise to love you, comfort you, honor and keep you
for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health,
and forsaking all others, be faithful only to you
So long as we both shall live.
Photo by Emily Nicole Photos
Help me write the best wedding vows ever
Contemporary Wedding Vows
Stand by Your Side
I (Name) promise to you, (Name), before our family and friends,
to stand by your side,
to share and support your hopes and dreams.
I vow to always be there for you
When you fall, I will catch you.
When you cry I will comfort you.
When you laugh I will share your joy.
No matter what lies ahead of us,
I will see it as a journey, that can only be completed together.
I promise this now and forever
Sacred Wedding Vow
In the presence of these our family and friends,
I (Name) do take you (Name) to be my wife/husband,
my partner and friend to join my life with yours,
to share with you all that is to be,
to laugh with you in joy,
to comfort you in sorrow,
to grow with you in love.
I will honor you
I will be faithful to you, all the days of my life
this is my sacred vow.
All My Heart
With all my heart, I (Name) take you (Name) to be my wife/husband.
I promise to be your lover, companion, and friend,
Your partner in parenthood,
Your ally in conflict
Your greatest fan
I will be your comrade in adventure,
Your comfort in disappointment,
Your accomplice in mischief,
Your strength in times of need
I will listen with understanding, and trust you completely.
All the days of my life
My Person
I believe in you, the person you will grow to be and the couple we will be together. With my whole heart, I take you as my wife/husband, acknowledging and accepting your faults and strengths, as you do mine. I promise to be faithful and supportive and to always make our family’s love and happiness my priority. I will be yours in plenty and in want, in sickness and in health, in failure and in triumph. I will dream with you, celebrate with you and walk beside you through whatever our lives may bring. You are my person — my love and my life, today and always.
I Promise
I promise to encourage your compassion,
Because that is what makes you unique and wonderful.
I promise to nurture your dreams,
Because through them your soul shines.
I promise to help shoulder our challenges,
For there is nothing we cannot face if we stand together.
I promise to be your partner in all things,
Not possessing you, but working with you as a part of the whole.
Lastly, I promise to you perfect love and perfect trust,
For one lifetime with you could never be enough.
This is my sacred vow to you, my equal in all things.
I promise to encourage your individuality,
Because that is what makes you unique and wonderful.
I promise to nurture your dreams,
Because through them your soul shines.
I promise to help shoulder our challenges,
Because through them we’ll emerge stronger.
I promise to be your partner in all things,
Not possessing you, but working with you as a part of the whole.
I promise to share with you the joys of life,
Because with you they will be that much sweeter.
Lastly, I promise to you perfect love and perfect trust,
For one lifetime with you could never be enough.
This is my sacred vow to you, my equal in all things.
Photo by John Bello
Help me write the best wedding vows ever
True Partnership
I ask everyone present to witness that I, (Name), take you, (Name), to be my lawful wedded wife/husband. In doing so, I vow to do my utmost to make our lives together a true partnership. I commit to being motivated in our marriage and I will observe and act on your needs. I vow to care for your well being and show my love in all I do throughout our lives together. I will endeavour to comfort you and enrich you with my love. I will show you I can be an equal partner and with my support build a stable foundation for our lives together.
Share in Your Dreams
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 help you when you need it, and step aside when you don’t.
I will remain faithful to you for better or worse, in times of sickness and health.
You are my best friend and I will love and respect you always.
Loving Friend
(Name), I pledge to you to be your loving friend and partner in marriage. To talk and to listen, to trust and appreciate you; to respect and cherish your uniqueness; and to support, comfort, and strengthen you through life’s joys and sorrows. I promise to share hopes, thoughts, and dreams as we build our lives together.
May our lives be ever intertwined, our love keep us together. May we build a home that is compassionate to all, full of respect and honour for others and each other. And may our home be forever filled with peace, happiness, and love.
Just as You Are
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.
By Our Love
I, (Name), ask you, (Name), to be my husband/wife as my friend and my love.
On this day I affirm the relationship we have enjoyed,
looking to the future to deepen and strengthen it.
I will be yours in plenty and in want,
in sickness and in health, in failure and in triumph.
Together we will dream, will stumble but restore each other,
we will share all things, serving each other and our fellow humanity.
I will cherish and respect you, comfort and encourage you,
be open with you, and stay with you as long as we shall live,
freed and bound by our Love.
Photo by Erica Miller Photography
Short & Sweet Wedding Vows
Pledge My Love
I (Name) stand before you (Name) because you have won my heart.
And today I choose you to be my (husband/wife).
You are my life partner, the one I pledge my love.
I will listen to you, and be open and honest with you.
I will be your trusted partner and stand by you through good times and tough times.
I promise this now and for all the days of my life.
Always
(Name), I want to be with you always just as you are. I choose you above all others to share my life in marriage. I love you for yourself, and I want you to become all that you can be. I promise to honour this pledge as long as I live. I ask everyone present to witness that I take you as my partner in marriage.
We May Be One
I, (Name), take you, (Name), to be my wedded husband/wife.
With deepest joy I receive you into my life that together we may be one.
I promise you my love, my fullest devotion, my tenderest care.
I pledge to you my life as a loving and faithful husband/wife.
Together, Forever
On this day, I give you my heart.
My promise,
That I will walk with you,
Hand in hand,
Wherever our journey leads us,
Living, learning, loving,
Together,
Forever.
Partner for Life
I take you to be my partner for life
I promise above all else to live in truth with you
And to communicate fully and fearlessly
I give you my hand and my heart
As a sanctuary of warmth and peace
And pledge my love, devotion, faith and honor
As I join my life to yours.
Photo by Blushing Bride Studio
Grow in Love
I, (Name) promise to honor and love you, (Name)
To remain honest and faithful to you,
To comfort you when you are sad,
To share your joy when you are happy,
To support you,
To grow in love with you,
And to appreciate you,
This day and each day, as long as we shall live.
Grow Together
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.
Biggest Adventure
Today I stand before you, ready to start the biggest adventure of our lives. I know it will be really hard, and some days will take a lot of work. But I also know that there will be days filled with love, laughter, and pure bliss. I can’t imagine sharing this adventure with anyone else but you. You’re my best friend, the love of my life, and my soul mate. Today I promise to stand by your side and to love you always.
Best Friend for Life
(Name), you are my best friend for life. I pledge to honour, encourage, and support you through our walk together. When our way becomes difficult, I promise to stand by you and uplift you, so that through our bond we can accomplish more than we could alone.
I promise to work at our love, and always make you a priority in my life. With every beat of my heart, I will love you. This is my solemn vow.
What about officiant wedding vows?
You may have heard the term “officiant wedding vows” before and, naturally, been a bit confused. Why would your officiant, the person marrying you, say vows?
The term “officiant weddings vows” is a bit of a misnomer and likely refers to either 1) the words your officiant says during your wedding ceremony, aka your wedding ceremony script or 2) repeat-after-me style vows where your officiant speaks each line of your vows and you recite them back.
feature image by Emily Nicole Photos
Which one of these wedding vows is speaking to you?
Get in touch to sign up for our online vow writing course and book your wedding officiant today!
Riana Ang-Canning has been working with Young Hip & Married since 2017. She is a professional content writer with experience in travel, lifestyle and weddings. Riana not only writes Young Hip & Married blog posts but is also involved with the company's internal communications, social media, copywriting and more. She knows YHM, and the wedding world, inside and out!
