Wedding vow examples

I, [Your name], take you, [Their name], to be my lawfully wedded [husband/wife]. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward until death do us part.

The most widely used traditional wording. Calm, balanced, and instantly recognisable.

I, [Your name], take you, [Their name], to be my [husband/wife], my constant friend, my faithful partner, and my love from this day forward. In the presence of our family and friends, I promise to love you without reservation, to honour and respect you, to provide for your needs as best I can, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live. And beyond all of that, [Their name] — I promise to keep choosing you on ordinary Tuesdays, not only on days like this one.

Keeps the familiar structure but ends in your own voice — a gentle way to make a classic vow yours.

I, [Your name], take you, [Their name], to be my [husband/wife], to have and to hold, from this day forward, in joy and in sorrow, in plenty and in want, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, all the days of my life.

Written in short lines so an officiant can feed them to you a phrase at a time. Ideal if nerves are your main worry.

[Their name], I fell in love with you somewhere between [ordinary shared moment] and [another one] — not in a single dramatic second, but slowly, and then completely. I promise to make the coffee on the mornings you can't face the day. I promise to tell you the truth kindly, and to apologise faster than I want to. I promise to be genuinely delighted by your good news, every time. I promise to keep learning you, because you are not finished and neither am I. You are my favourite person. Today I choose you, and I'll keep choosing you.

Built from small, true details. Specific beats poetic almost every time.

[Their name], before you were my partner you were my favourite person to tell things to. That hasn't changed. I promise to keep being the person you call first — with good news, bad news, and the boring news that doesn't matter to anyone but us. I promise to take your dreams seriously. I promise to be soft with you when the world isn't. I'm not marrying you because the day arrived. I'm marrying you because I would choose this life with you in any year, in any order. I love you.

For couples whose relationship is built on friendship first. Warm, honest and unfussy.

[Their name], I'm not going to promise you a perfect marriage, because neither of us would believe me. Here's what I can promise. I'll stay in the room when things are hard. I'll listen before I defend myself. I'll keep saying the thing I'm scared to say instead of letting it sit. I promise to build a home where you can rest — not perform, just rest. And on the days I get it wrong, I promise to come back. I love you, and I'm not going anywhere.

Names the hard parts as well as the happy ones — which is often what makes a room go quiet.

[Their name], you are my safest place. I promise to be honest with you, to be gentle with you, and to keep showing up — on the good days and the ones that are nothing like this one. I choose you today, and I'll choose you tomorrow. I love you.

The simplest reliable shape: one feeling, three promises, one closing line.

[Their name], I love you. I promise to stand beside you, to be kind to you, and to keep choosing this — every ordinary day, for the rest of my life.

For a small ceremony, an elopement, or anyone who simply doesn't want a speech.

[Their name], I give you my hand, my heart, and my word. I will love you faithfully, in every season, for as long as I live. This is my promise to you today.

Brief, but still with the weight of a traditional vow.

[Their name], I promise to always let you have the last slice, even though we both know I'll be thinking about it for days. I promise to pretend I can't hear the alarm so you'll get up first. I promise to laugh at your stories even the fourth time, because you're always funnier the fourth time. And underneath every joke: I promise to take care of you. I promise to be steady when you're not, and to be proud of you out loud. You make my life lighter. I love you, completely.

Two light promises, then a turn. This structure is why funny vows work.

[Their name], I promise to stop pretending I know where I'm going when we're driving. I promise to keep buying the [snack they love], and to keep acting surprised when it's gone. I promise to only complain about [their hobby] for the first ten minutes. And I promise — no jokes — to love you patiently and loudly, for the rest of my life.

Affectionate teasing about real habits — which is why the room laughs and then goes quiet.

[Their name], I knew this was serious the day I [funny early moment] and you didn't run. I promise to be your teammate in every group chat, your alibi at every family event, and your emergency contact for the rest of our lives. Also — more seriously than any of that — I promise to love you well. Today and every day after.

Keeps a light tone the whole way through but still closes with a real promise.

[Their name], loving you has been the easiest and most important thing I've ever done. I promise to hold you when you're sad and to listen when you need to be heard. I promise to notice you — not just on days like this, but on the quiet ones. I promise that my heart for you will not fade, and that whatever comes, you will never carry it alone. You are my favourite memory and my whole vision of the future. I love you.

Simple words used sincerely. Avoids poetic reaching, which is what keeps it moving.

[Their name], you are the person I want in the room for the best news and the worst. You are the calm in my head. You are the reason I want to be someone better than I was. So I promise to be your shelter, your soft place, and your loudest supporter. I promise to love you on the days you find yourself hard to love. Everything I have is yours. I love you — fully, and for good.

Says who they are before promising anything. A strong opening for an emotional room.

[Their name], today I stand before you, before our family and friends, and before God with a full heart. I believe God brought us together, and I promise to honour that gift. I promise to love you as I have been loved — patiently, faithfully, and without keeping score. I promise to pray for you, to serve you, and to lead our home with humility. With God as our witness, I choose to give you my whole heart today and every day, as long as we both shall live.

Frames the marriage as a promise made before God as well as to each other.

[Their name], I believe love this steady is a gift, not an accident. I promise to be grateful for you. I promise to keep faith and kindness at the centre of our home. I promise to forgive quickly, to grow willingly, and to walk beside you through whatever we're given. Today I make this promise with my whole heart, and I intend to keep it.

Faith is present but light-handed — good for a mixed congregation.

[Their name], today I choose you, and I choose the family we are building together. Thank you for the trust, and for this second beginning. [Child's name] and [child's name] — I promise to love and respect you, to be your protector, your support, and your friend. I promise to show you what it looks like to be treated well. [Their name], I promise to keep growing with you, to protect this home, and to keep choosing all of us. I love you.

Names the children directly — which matters enormously to them on the day.

[Their name], neither of us arrived here in a straight line, and I'm grateful for every turn that led to you. I promise to bring what I've learned and leave behind what I've outgrown. I promise to be patient with our history and hopeful about our future. I promise to build something steady with you — not perfect, but true. I choose this chapter, and I choose you. I love you.

Acknowledges the road here without dwelling on it. Hopeful, grounded and adult.

[Their name], I'm not making this promise because a ceremony requires it. I'm making it because I mean it. I promise to be honest with you, to treat you as an equal, and to build a life where we both get to become more ourselves. I promise to care for you in illness, to celebrate you in success, and to stay when it's difficult. Today, freely and without hesitation, I choose you.

Places the meaning in the choice itself rather than in tradition.

[Their name], I take you as my partner in life. I promise to support you, to be loyal to you, and to face whatever comes with you rather than beside the point of you. From today, my home is wherever you are.

Short, dignified, and appropriate for a registry office timeframe.

[Their name], [number] years ago I promised to love you without knowing what that would ask of me. Now I know, and I'm here again. I've watched you [something they did in a hard year]. I've been carried by you more times than I've admitted. I promise the same things I promised then, and I mean them more: to stay, to be kind, to keep choosing this. Given everything I now know, I would choose you again. So today, I do.

Uses shared history as evidence — the strongest material a long marriage has.

[Their name], another year of you. I promise to keep noticing you. I promise to keep saying the good things out loud instead of assuming you know. Same promise as the first day, only truer. I love you.

Short enough to read at a dinner table rather than a ceremony.