I take thee: what to consider when choosing your wedding vows
Wedding vows: they’ve commanded a lot of attention over the years. They’ve made us laugh, they’ve made us cry and sometimes, for those of us who have had to scribe these wedding days words, they’ve really intimidated us.
There’s debate over who actually said it, but we’ll take a gamble on the fact it was Churchill: “I didn’t have time to write you a short letter, so I wrote you a long one”.
It’s an enduring conundrum: how to say something compelling, quickly.
If you’re getting tongue tied ahead of tying the knot, here are our top tips for those ever-elusive wedding vow ideas:
- Set the tone: Just as you’d want to coordinate the style of your invites with your decorations; your gown with your shoes; your hair with your makeup, you need to agree a tone for your vows with your significant other. Before embarking on your literary journeys, get your heads together to determine the mood you want to create. If one of you writes a romantic declaration while the other resorts to gimmicks or cliches, it could dampen the matrimonial mood.
- Get to the point: It’s hard to imagine that on the most important day of your life, people’s attention may wander away from you – you are the centre of attention, after all! Be that as it may, keeping your vows clear and concise, and no more than a couple of minutes in length, will make for an endearing and engaging exchange.
- Plagiarism encouraged: This may seem like we are going against all our journalistic ethics, and it is, but if you’re really struggling to wax lyrical about your loved one, then by all means, let Google be your inspiration. Sometimes a blank canvas can be really overwhelming and all it takes is a few reference points to help you on your way.
- Consult your officiant: This is often an afterthought, but it’s actually important, particularly if you are marrying in a church or observe a religion and there are some mandatory inclusions.
- Practice makes perfect: While most don’t commit their vows to memory – and fair enough too, there’s enough to remember on the day as it is – repetition is your best friend when it comes to your vows. Say them out loud as many times as you can in the lead up to the big day so you can get acquainted and comfortable in the language without tripping over your words or letting nerves undermine your delivery.
